Originally Posted By: Kevin Rourke This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hello,
If cast iron drain pipe is 54 years old (end of its life expectancy or close) and is showing exterior signs of corrosion with rust spots the size of a nail head what is the proper way to test for the extent of corrosion?
Should I try to test the physically test the extent of corrosion in some way or just give results of visual assesment?
Originally Posted By: jpeck This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Kevin,
Your house or one you are inspecting?
Your house - Why try to create a gusher of sewage? Start budgeting to replace it.
House you are inspecting - Why try to create a gusher of sewage? Write it up for replacement - before it fails just after your client buys the house, or when they go to sell it in a couple of years and their buyers inspectors comes out and says 'All the cast iron sewer lines need to be replaced.", to which your clients say 'Why didn't my inspector tell me about them? What was his name? Oh, yeah, here it is ... '
Originally Posted By: Kevin Rourke This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Unfortunately this is my house. A home inspector put a screwdriver through my drain pipe. Good for the buyers bad for me.
The real question is this proper inspection technique? My gut feeling is no but I wasn't there to see it. I don't know if he barely touched the pipe or drove it through with a hammer. I just wish he would have done it in the center of the pipe so I could patch it until the pipe is replaced.
If the buyers don't back out I am pretty sure that are going to request all the cast iron to be replaced and I guess I better before their inspector goes into my cellar with his trusty screw driver.
Originally Posted By: jpeck This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Kevin,
Some inspectors I know poke and scrape at them. Other inspectors just write it up.
The inspectors I know who poke and scrape are trying to determine 'how bad is it and do I need to write it up?' (that is to your, the seller, advantage - unless it breaks through).
The other inspectors realize that this is deterioration from the inside out, and if its on the outside ... well, that pretty much says what the inside is like, right? So they just write it up for replacement.
Either way, your cast iron pipes needed replacement before your inspector poked and scraped.