8 Benefits Of Replacing Cast Iron Pipe With PVC

Do you want to know the benefits of replacing cast iron pipe with PVC? You’re in the right place! This article gives you eight strong reasons why PVC is a viable option for replacing rusting or old pipes. We also introduce you to something called trenchless sewer repair, another reliable replacement method.

8 Benefits Of Replacing Cast Iron Pipe With PVC

Cast iron pipes are failing all over the country, reaching the end of their 50 – 100 year life-use. Here are eight benefits of replacing them with PVC.

1. Lightweight – Cast iron is hefty, requiring a few plumbers even to remove them. Compared to cast iron, PVC is light, easy to move, and faster to install.
2. Cost-efficient – With fewer plumbers needed to install the pipe, that means less labor, heavy material, and shipping.
3. Flexible – PVC is highly flexible, resistant to movements and shifts in the ground.
4. Cracks Less Often – Due to the flexibility, PVC is the go-to choice in high pressure and high movement areas. Even with pressure and vibration, PVC remains intact.
5. Tighter Joints – PVC pipes have the highest joint tightness compared to other types of pipes, such as cast iron and terracotta (clay).
6. Leaks Less Often – When joints aren’t tight enough, leaks start to occur more than usual. Tree roots have an easier time detecting the water flowing when the joints are weak, causing more problems.
7. Durable – Polyvinyl Chloride can last up to 70 years or more. Replacing cast iron pipe is expensive as they deteriorate from oxidization.
8. Cleaner – Because PVC doesn’t corrode or rust, you won’t get any metal in your sewage or drinking pipes. It’s a non-toxic material, safe to use for all kinds of plumbing purposes.

Read more about: Are Cast Iron Drain Pipes Still Useful?

Should You Combine Or Connect Cast Iron With PVC?

The short answer is no. It’s not recommended. Even if you did it yourself, you would need a unique tool to cut the cast iron. Let’s say you only need to replace a section of crumbing pipe with something brand new. The connecting ends

If the pipe is somewhere under your home, you will be chipping away concrete and tile, searching for a minor problem, ending up with a huge mess. Cast iron plumbing is becoming outdated, and almost all of them need total replacement before total failure.

Other Replacement Options

Replacing your cast iron pipes with PVC may seem like a simple switch, but that’s not always the case. Here are our top replacement options.

Pipe Lining (Trenchless)

A unique, epoxy-impregnated liner is inserted into the old pipe, inflates, and creates a new pipe structure directly inside the old one. Pipe lining can be considered replacement or repair depending on whether the whole pipe length will be lined or just a section.

If only a section of pipe (a spot repair) is lined, it is considered a repair. If you line the whole pipe from start to finish, it is basically like getting a brand new pipe installed (aka replacement).

Pipe Bursting (Trenchless)

Pipe bursting is where a new HDPE (high-density polyethylene) pipe is attached to a winch with a cone-shaped bursting head and pulled through the damaged line. The damaged pipe breaks apart as the new one takes its place.

Note: Sometimes, a drain pipe is so severely damaged that no trenchless method is viable. Plumbers cannot use trenchless technology on pipes that are back-pitched, which means that the original contractors failed to use the proper slope for your sewer line to your city connection. If the pipe has collapsed onto itself, you will have to go the conventional trenching route.

The Cost Of Replacing Cast Iron Pipe

Trenchless sewer repair can cost anywhere between $4,000-$15,000 for the average single-family home. Jobs range from a few feet of repair to hundreds of feet, changing the pricing per amount of needed work. There will always be a base cost starting at permits, contractor mobilization, project minimums, and then prices move on from there.

Conventional sewer repair, on average, costs $50 to $450 per linear foot. The price to install brand new pipes throughout your home or yard could run to $15,000 because of all the extensive work, such as trenching and excavation. Conventional sewer repair quotes will be lower than trenchless, but they don’t include the cost to clean up the mess and repair the property damage.

Read also: Signs of broken cast iron sewer pipes

Who Can Replace Cast Iron Pipe Near You

It’s time that New Flow Plumbing comes in to save the day. We’ll get you started with a CCTV sewer camera inspection to determine where your problems come from. Then, we give you a free repair estimate, followed by available repair options. Whatever the issue, New Flow Plumbing will have your plumbing running perfectly again.