Seattle Drain Service
206-632-8069
Trenchless Pipe Descaling!
Dealing With Cast Iron Pipes Under Concrete Slabs
A very common problem for people in Seattle who own homes
over 50 years old are cast iron drain lines (pipes) that run horizontally
under the basement floor. The cast iron will rust and become very rough
and debris will hang up in the pipe instead of flowing away to the sewer
system. This can be 4" sewer lines to 2" laundry and floor drains. A snake
or even a hydrojetter will not remove the build up or scale. In modern
times a plumber may run a camera down the line because of repeated
backups. Be prepared when you see the inside of the line it will look
terrible! Like the bottom of a ship that has been at sea for 50 years. If
the problem has gone on for a long time the pipe can even rust the bottom
out. Usually when shown the camera footage of the pipes clogged condition
the homeowner is told that the floor must be broken up and the pipe
replaced. And in the past this was in fact the solution. But times have
changed and now another method called cast iron pipe descaling is
available. The huge costs to break up the concrete floor on an unfinished
basement where high enough but skyrocket if the basement is finished and
expensive flooring must also be removed and then installed again.
Descaling will not fix a pipe that has no bottom in it. But most of the
time that is not the case it just looks like the pipe needs to be
replaced. Our method usually means going outside where the pipe exits the
home and connects to the sewer in the yard the transistion between inside
cast pipe and out side clay or concrete or plastic sewer pipe. Then
working backwards or upstream we grind out the cast iron pipe while
flushing it to remove the rust dust build up. Then when the camera is sent
in the pipe looks brand new! This does 2 important things the pipe is now
full size diameter again and smooth so things will slide down the pipe.
Other options are to coat or spray the inside of the pipe with a teflon
coating to prevent rust and make it even slipperier. This example was
based on a 4" pipe. If you have a 2" pipe that goes to a floor drain most
of the time because it has a trap you must break up a 1 foot area around
the drain to descale the line then replace the drain with a more modern
plastic one. And even if a bad worn through spot or two is found pipe
patches and even lining may be used to restore or repair the pipe. The
cost is usually less then open trench methods and the disruption to life
is not even comparable.
So call us at 206-471-3008 or email to set an appointment.
Bryce@SeattleDrainService.com