Hi all,
I am not an expert diy-er so am looking for some info into how I can cut a hole into a metal/iron pipe? Basically the pipe is connected to the guttering for the rainwater and I would like to have another pipe coming into this.
Cheers
If it is cast iron then it is likely to be VERY brittle. It is possible to drill a series of small holes in the shape of the circle that you need, then join then up with a file (called chain drilling) but this is very tedious. Hole saws of the bimetallic 'hacksaw on edge' variety are likely to be blunted very rapidly by the hard skin of the cast iron, however there are now diamond encrusted hole saws available that should make short work of this. When at last you have your hole, you can buy a 'saddle' that clamps around the pipe providing a socket for your new incomer. Of course if it is zinc, zinc plated steel, or aluminium then it'll be a doddle with a normal hole saw !
AWEM
Which reminds me of a related question. I've got a cast iron manhole cover on my patio, it's not quite level. That's not a problem, except when it rains a puddle forms there. I'm tempted just to drill a 4 to 6mm hole in it, so the water simply trickles away without producing a puddle. What drill bit should I use (HSS?), and what precautions etc should I take ?
I did the same as this a few years ago. I drilled a ring of holes, not particularly small, so the metal removed was greater than that remaining. I then "tapped" the centre with a hammer and the cast iron broke across the remaining webs between the holes - fortunately not the pipe :-)
Today, I'd try a suitable holesaw and patience...
|Andrew Mawson wrote: |> If it is cast iron then it is likely to be VERY brittle. It is |> possible to drill a series of small holes in the shape of the circle |> that you need, then join then up with a file (called chain drilling) |> but this is very tedious. Hole saws of the bimetallic 'hacksaw on |> edge' variety are likely to be blunted very rapidly by the hard skin |> of the cast iron, however there are now diamond encrusted hole saws |> available that should make short work of this. When at last you have |> your hole, you can buy a 'saddle' that clamps around the pipe |> providing a socket for your new incomer. Of course if it is zinc, zinc |> plated steel, or aluminium then it'll be a doddle with a normal hole |> saw ! | |Which reminds me of a related question. I've got a cast iron manhole cover |on my patio, it's not quite level. That's not a problem, except when it |rains a puddle forms there. I'm tempted just to drill a 4 to 6mm hole in it, |so the water simply trickles away without producing a puddle. What drill bit |should I use (HSS?), and what precautions etc should I take ?
Ah! but what is under the manhole cover? Sewer and it might smell :-( Telephone cable and it might short out the telephone.
Raise it and tell us what you can see.
circle
drilling)
Manhole covers are likely to be maliable iron so not as hard as the brittle phosphorous containing cast iron drain pipes. (the thin cross section of the iron in the drain pipe needs the free flowing qualities of white phosphorous iron to fill the mould before it solidifies. An HSS drill bit run quite slowly (100 rpm or so) should do the trick on maliable iron. Better though would be to free the manhole cover surround, and re set it level in mortar so the problem doesn't arise.
AWEM
It's the outflow from just the kitchen sink, (the 'heavy duty' stuff from the bathrooms takes a different route). There's no smell with the entire cover (18inch diameter) removed, but I take your point.
Thanks to Andrew too for his response. I know the proper solution is to reseat the cover, but that's a real bugger because the paving slabs are very close, and it's all very solidly cemented in.
|Dave Fawthrop wrote: |> On Wed, 09 Aug 2006 18:08:46 +0100, Mark Carver |> wrote: | |> |> Ah! but what is under the manhole cover? |> Sewer and it might smell :-( |> Telephone cable and it might short out the telephone. |> |> Raise it and tell us what you can see. | |It's the outflow from just the kitchen sink, (the 'heavy duty' stuff from |the bathrooms takes a different route). There's no smell with the entire |cover (18inch diameter) removed, but I take your point.
Ah! but do the two join up somewhere downstream, in which case, it may smell next week, next month, or next year.
Yea might do, but how much would come through a 5mm hole ? And if it does, I can just stick a plug in it.
you want a TCT holesaw
NT
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