Need ideas for cutting clay sewer pipe

[Al Kondo]

I am in the process of changing out the clay pipe in my backyard. It has several locations where it has cracked and roots have grown into it. As you can imagine, it has given us problems over the years. I am going to replace the clay pipe with schedule 40 PVC pipe. As I am doing this whole job (about 30 of pipe to change), I am trying to do it without disrupting the functioning of our household completely. Therefore, I am going to replace the clay pipe with the PVC in sections. In order to do this I will be using a flexible collar to attach the new pvc pipe section to the existing clay pipe. My question is this..... I need some way to make a clean cut in the clay pipe so that I can attach the collar and pipe. I would appreciate some suggestions with respect to this.

I should mention that because of existing clay pipe is laying in its original bed, it will not be exposed for easy cutting. This is one of the challenges. I thought of using a "skil saw" with a rotary ceramic cutting blade, but it will only be able to cut about 1/2 way around the pipe surface.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Al Kondo

[Randd01]

you can rent a pipe snapper from a tool rental house. I consists of a chain with cutting wheels on it that when tightened will snap the clay or cast iron pipe relatively square.

[zxcvbob]

There's a very expensive cutter made for this; it looks like a bolt cutters with a roller chain on the end. See if you can rent one -- they're called "soil pipe cutters", or pay about $300 for one on eBay.

Bob

[John Hines]

You should DWV PVC, which is green, and connects together with rubber o-ring couplings, and not glue. This allows for expansion, contractions, and flexing of the pipe.

[PJX]

"Because PVC piping system components can be manufactured in a variety of colors, identification of application is easy. A common color scheme (although not universal) is:

White for DWV

White, blue, and dark gray for cold water piping

Green for sewer service

Dark gray for industrial pressure applications

This color scheme has an exception in that much of the white PVC pipe is dual rated for DWV and pressure applications."

[Nick Hull]

I would consider exposing the entire pipe, then replacing it all at once. You only need to rent the cutter once and you can smash the clay in the middle to make it easier to work with. Actually, I wouldn't cut it at all, I'd remove it to the existing joint. It should not be that big a deal to have 30' of pipe exposed while you are using it.