new cast iron soil pipe ?

[sm_jamieson]

Most people replace cast iron pipes with plastic. Advantages, less chance of freezing etc. When my extension is built, I will have a soil pipe boxed in in the kitchen and wish it to be as quiet as possible, so am considering new cast iron for at least the indoor section. Anyone fitted new cast iron ? What are the standard sizes, best places to purchase etc. ? And will it in reality decrease house saleability, since due to ignorance, many poeple think all old cast iron needs to be replaced with plastic (like they do with wooden windows) ? Simon.

[The Natural Philosopher]

There are better ways to get sound reduction that cast iron. Its very hard to work with and probably rusts faster than plastic.

I'd use plastic and then cast concrete around it. Cast iron is NOT quiet. Another possibility is to box in with blockwork, filling the space between with expanding foam. The foam will asborb high frequencies and the blocks the lower.

[Paul Andrews]

We had a cast-iron soil pipe running through the kitchen (boxed in) for the last 16 years and never ever noticed it apart from the ugly boxing in which was a PIA.

One of the problems with cast iron pipes is that you can't just cut into them to add a new inlet into the pipe. Wherever the junctions are that's where they stay. The pipe is pretty heavy too.

We deliberately had our soil pipe moved last year outside the house just to get rid of the internal stack (upstairs and downstairs). Can't you route the stack outside?

Paul

[Lobster]

I really can't see why you'd want a cast iron soil pipe. Disadvantages: very expensive, heavy, awkward to handle and fit, difficult to cut to length, etc etc... is it just because you reckon it will be quieter than plastic (can't comment on whether it would be or not)? That's a non-issue if you're going to box it in, as it's perfectly possible to get very good sound proofing that way regardless of the nature of the pipe.

See my experience at

(or

- unfortunately google's archive seems tohave lost the first part of the thread, but hopefully you can get the gist of it.

By the way I'm sure it wouldn't affect the house value one iota - punters look at windows but not soil pipes - but anyway - if the thing's boxed in how will they know what it's made of!!??

David

[Brian Sharrock]

I'm not a Building Control Officer .... :) But I am under the impression that all 'new' buildings - post 1960-ish(?) - had to have the soil pipe routed within the house. Certainly the new-build house I moved into in 1965 had the stack 'internal'. Am I wrong?

[<me9]

Unless it's umpteen storeys, outside stacks are again allowed. Most houses round here built in the last 25 years have outside stacks, 25-30 years inside stacks, older outside.

[Andrew Gabriel]

I believe you were right (as a result of lots of cast iron soil pipes freezing and cracking in the extra cold winter of 1962/3). However, I don't believe it is the case any more, possibly as a result of the switch to plastic pipes (and global warming;-).

[Derek ^]

But you were right at one time.

Our 1976 house has an internal soil stack. But more recent houses round here built to more recent regs went back to having external soil stacks.

Reason? Dunno, might just as well ask why the earth reverses it's magnetism every so-often.

DG

[Paul Andrews]

1960-ish(?) -

I'm not sure when our house was built - probably the 60's. It's a three bedroom semi. Attached to us is a 4 bedroom semi. All along the road the 4 bedroom semis have the stack outside and the 3 bedroom semis have them inside..

It's not a huge house and removing the stack has made a big difference in the bathroom (where the stack was boxed in) and it'll make a big difference in the kitchen when it's refitted (currently we have the stack but it's no longer used). In the kitchen in particular, it really messes up the layout of the units.

Paul

[Brian Sharrock]

Well, Thanks to everyone, (Andrew, B Thumbs, Derek and Paul) for answering my question. So, it was right, then wrong, now it's right again .... . I do recall that at the time of the 'sixties, the accepted 'expertise' was that the planet was facing an imminent ice-age; the winter of 61/62 seemed to reinforce that view. How things change!