Over time, cast iron pipes can corrode, weaken, and ultimately fail. The safest, permanent solution is a complete replacement of the sewer system. Bob Smith Plumbing is the leading expert in replacing these aging pipes, ensuring your underground plumbing runs smoother and lasts longer.
Before After
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Tunnel Entry
We access your home’s cast iron pipes by digging a hole from the outside to gain access to the plumbing system.
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Backfilled Tunnel Entry
After backfilling, we fill the tunnel void using limestone to ensure a solid base.
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Broken Pipe
Over time, cast iron pipes can corrode, weaken, and ultimately fail. While cast iron pipes' life expectancy is about 50-70 years under normal conditions, factors like soil and environmental conditions can decrease their life span.
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New PVC Pipe
The safest, permanent solution is a complete replacement of the sewer system. Bob Smith Plumbing is the leading expert in replacing these aging pipes, ensuring your underground plumbing runs smoother and lasts longer. Many things set our work apart, one important item is the stainless-steel package for the hanger system we use to prevent galvanic action (the corrosive effect resulting from dissimilar metals in direct contact with each other).
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Old Double Y Cross Section
Cross sections consist of diverging points in the system where pipes go in two different directions. Double Y are adjacent cross sections next to each other, which can create stoppages and issues for cleaning the system.
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New Cross Section
We eliminated Double Y cross sections to prevent sewer machinery from crossing over when cleaning the system in the future.
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Laundry Line
Laundry lines in cast iron pipe systems are typically two inches in diameter.
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New Upgraded Laundry Line
We upgrade the laundry line to three-inch PVC to ensure your washer can effortlessly expel soap, grime, and dirt.
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90 Degree Turn
Cast iron pipe sink drains have a 90-degree turn. Not replacing it creates a future weak point in the system.
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New PVC 90 Degree Turn
We replace 90 degree turns with new PVC to ensure we update the entire system—even in the hardest to reach places (like the kitchen).
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Exposed Water Lines
Water lines in cast iron pipe systems may run adjacent to the sewer pipes, leaving the water lines exposed.
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Sleeved Water Lines
We sleeve all water lines to protect them against rock abrasion and other circumstances that may cause failure.
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Hydroexcavation
We use an advanced hydro-excavation method to tunnel beneath your residence. Our state-of-the-art equipment merges high-pressure water with vacuum suction, facilitating swift and precise soil removal. We are proud to utilize proprietary hydro-excavation machinery that's both efficient and environmentally responsible.
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Hydroexcavation and Backfilling
The final phase of our pipe replacement process is backfilling. Proper backfilling restores excavated areas to their original, or often superior, condition. Unlike many of our competitors, we choose premium crushed limestone for its capacity to yield optimal compaction, ensuring the strongest, most resilient, and safest base.
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Stainless Steel Hardware
Bob Smith Plumbing uses a 100% stainless-steel pipe support system (no mixed metals) to prevent rust.
After a video inspection, our work is segmented into three phases:
Tunneling
The non-destructive way to access the pipeline underground.
Carefully excavating from the outside of your home to access the problematic pipes.
The first phase in replacing your cast iron pipelines involves tunneling. Unlike intrusive methods that destroy your floors, we excavate from the outside to safeguard your home's interior and slab integrity.
Bob Smith Plumbing uses an advanced hydro-excavation method to tunnel beneath your residence. Our state-of-the-art equipment merges high-pressure water with vacuum suction, facilitating swift and precise soil removal. Hydro-excavation precision allows our seasoned technicians unobstructed access to your home's pipework.
At Bob Smith Plumbing, we are proud to utilize proprietary hydro-excavation machinery that's both efficient and environmentally responsible. Our system effectively separates soil from water, ensuring a safe and systematic disposal of materials.
Our commitment to tunneling prioritizes our dedication to preserving your home's integrity and structural essence, ensuring your flooring stays pristine and interiors remain intact.
Re-piping
The most comprehensive solution to repairing your broken cast iron pipes.
Replacing the old, damaged cast iron with superior and durable PVC pipes.
Following the conclusion of our precise tunneling process, we replace the compromised pipes. Re-piping is about giving your sewer lines a fresh start by replacing the deteriorated and damaged cast iron with resilient PVC.
PVC has many advantages, like:
- Easy Installation: PVC pipes are lightweight, allowing quick and less labor-intensive installation, thus lowering costs.
- Durability: PVC is highly flexible and resistant to cracks and leaks, making it ideal for high-pressure settings.
- Superior Joint Tightness: PVC offers the tightest joints, reducing the risk of leaks.
- Rust-Free: Unlike cast iron, PVC doesn't rust, increasing its lifespan and reducing the need for a replacement.
- Safe Material: PVC is nontoxic and flame-resistant, offering a safe, reliable choice for your plumbing needs.
The re-piping process entails the removal of the old cast iron pipelines, installing connectors for the new PVC lines, supported by SS hangers that prevent rust to ensure proper pitch and prevent sagging for a permanent solution, and finalizing the installation with the PVC lines.
With Bob Smith Plumbing, you're fortifying your system for many years ahead.
Backfilling
Restoring the excavated areas to their original state using the strongest material available.
The final phase of our pipe replacement process is backfilling. This essential step is critical to the integrity of a home's foundation. Proper backfilling restores excavated areas to their original, or often superior, condition.
Bob Smith Plumbing uses specialized techniques and cutting-edge equipment exclusively designed for this critical step. We choose premium crushed limestone for its capacity to yield optimal compaction, ensuring the strongest, most resilient, and safest base.
Other companies may use cement for backfilling, making it challenging to repair or replace pipes in the future. Or they use the same excavated soil to refill the trench, resulting in a poorly finished backfilling job with possible long-term compromises to the foundation. Bob Smith Plumbing only uses crushed limestone to backfill.
Restoring the excavated tunnel to its original state is paramount to guaranteeing a solid foundation beneath your home. With Bob Smith Plumbing's unwavering precision and deep-seated commitment to excellence, you are assured of a fortified infrastructure, granting you peace of mind for the foreseeable future.
With Bob Smith Plumbing, you're not just getting a service. You're investing in the sustained well-being and robustness of your residence's plumbing infrastructure.