Which is the better material to use to replace a buried section of clay sewer pipe, ABS pipe or cast iron?
I have to replace part of a main sewer line. The line is clay. I want to use either ABS pipe or cast iron as the replacement piece for the 8-10 ft section. This will mostly be buried 4 ft underground, with one cleanout sticking out above ground. Apparently both materials are used in such situations: can anyone tell me the merits or demerits of either material?
Public Comments
- A lot of old-school plumbers will tell you the merits of cast iron, but in reality, no one really uses it for residential applications anymore. It does last a long time, but it requires special tools to cut, and molten lead to join. so go with plastic. It will outlive you, can be cut with a hacksaw, and joins with glue. The only place I have cast iron drain pipes in my house is the vertical sewer stack between the floors, and that is more for noise control than anything else. Nothing worse than someone flushing the toilet upstairs and hearing everything swoosh and splash its way down PVC pipe.
- ABS is pretty heavy-duty stuff. I can't imagine there being a problem with burying it to a 4-foot depth. It's probably cheaper than cast iron and won't ever rust. I had my house remodeled and they replaced all the plumbing, including the sewer system and they used ABS throughout.
- I am an old time Plumber and I use PVC for sewer drains. One reason is that the slick surface deters roots from growing into it, unlike cast irons rough surface.
- I myself would use ABS.....For One: It's easier to install Two: It's cheaper in material and labor Three: It last longer than clay or cast iron Four: It's not as heavy to move around..... Hope this helps....
