How can you tell if a cast iron sewer line is o.k.?

[X]

I have no reason to believe that the main cast iron sewer pipe is faulty, other than the fact that every other system or part of the house has been faulty, or needed work. (This is after the building inspector gave it his o.k). The house has been sitting for about a year with no water, or heat. I've replaced all of the water lines, and waste water pipes (above ground) in the house. The old galvinized water pipes had been leaking for some time, so I replaced them with P.V.C. Before I use the waste water system, is there any way that I can have the cast iron waste water pipe inspected? Is there any way to check it myself? Like I said I have no reason to believe it is leaking other than the poor condition of the rest of the pipes in the house.

Thanks,

Steve

[X]

I'm a bit of a pessimist out of necessity. I bought my house thinking that it just needed a small amount of work, and I've had to totally replace all of the plumbing/fixtures, (leaking galvanized iron pipes caused water damage, and mold) and I've replaced most of the electrical,( old two prong, 14 gauge wire with paper fuses) I had two out of the four basement walls replaced ( previous owner didn't install rain gutters, and the house was improperly graded causing the walls to crack horizontally, turning the basement into a lake when it rained ) I'll need to put a new roof on the house, re-insulate the attic and add supports to a couple of the floor joist in the kitchen , knock down/replace the old two car garage due to rotted out lumber. So it wouldn't "surprise" me if the sewer line was rotted out too ;)

I paid $48,000.00 as is (repo) and the bank said that it would be worth $71,000.00 when I get it back into livable condition. So maybe I'll be o.k. The basement cost me $4,200.00 to fix, and the roof will cost another $4,000.00. If I build the garage myself add another $3,200.00 for materials. Rain gutters, pvc pipe, faucets, front porch, flooring, paint, and misc. that I did myself ran another $1,5000.00

The basement is dry now, so if it starts getting wet after I start using the sewer then I'll know why.

When I upgraded the electrical to 100 amp service, I noticed that the grounding rod went down easily. I'm wondering if there isn't a gap between the basement floor and the dirt. It seemed to be dry when I looked down the hole, but the sewer hasn't been used in over a year. The cement in the basement is 4"thick , with no cracks. so that's a good thing.

A friend of mine just had his sewer line break in his basement, and it ruined a lot of stuff he had down stairs. So I'm paranoid about everything these days.

I'm in my early 30's and this is the first house I've owned. I guess I wasn't ready for the big headaches that home ownership brings. I'd usually just call the land lord up and have him take care of the maintenance. Steve .

Thanks

[Ann G]

wow, it sounds as if you will be an expert at many things in a few short years Steve. Good luck with your home and your projects. Dan's advice about the sewer line camera is a good one for peace of mind.

[Joe]

If it is a cast iron line it isn't OK. Save your self some future grief and replace it with PVC as soon as possible. There should be no further discussion on your part about it, Just do it!