Soil pipe into cast iron collar

In message , Graham Jones writes

It quite possibly is just putty, as that was traditional the material for sealing CI joints.

A modern sealant is a better solution. I had the same in the old house when i replaced the bathroom. IIRC I used 'roof and gutter' sealant to seal the joint, but a General purpose Silicone sealant would be fine i imagine. It had been there a few years when I moved with no problems

Probably "Plumbers mait".

Maybe Plumber's Mait? (about 2p/kilo from real plumbers' merchants (or £10 for a pissing-small container from DIY shops :-)))

If it's all dried up you could maybe chip out the old stuff and re-seal it with an MS polymer such as Stixall which will bond as well as seal the joint (if that's what you want).

chris French ( snipped-for-privacy@familyfrench.co.uk) wibbled on Monday 28 February 2011 22:23:

I've used ordinary caulk before now on old iron joints, where the seal was established by grease and rubber fins further in. You could pack it with any old crap (eg plumbers mait, putty etc) and, leaving 1/4" depth, fill up th remainder with silicone and give it a quick wipe around with a finger/fugendoobrey/credit card for a nice finish that will last.