I saw bulgings along the pipe. Just want to confirm, is this Orangeburg sewer pipe?
The house was built 1950s. Inside the house section is definitely cast iron.
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Looks like it… I’m not aware of any other pipe that will deform like that. The age is right inline too. You’ll often see it squishing into somewhat of an oval but that one looks pretty round still. Disclaimer: I’m not a sewer scoper but have watched 1000+ videos over the years as they have been performed.
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It looks like it from here in N.MI…
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Thanks, Matt. The shape is round, but I do saw several places had bulging. Does the bulging indicate the pipe is at the end of its service life?
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Yeah, it’s considered a failure for sure. All the sewer guys I’ve seen come across it recommend replacement once it’s identified. They don’t really have the same SOP things like we do as far as “performing as intended.” Although, I don’t ever recall them finding it and not having some problems with it.
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Great Thread! Thanks.
What is Orangeburg Pipe? Everything You Need to Know.
Orangeburg pipe is a type of home sewer pipe used in many properties built from 1945 to 1972. Also known as “no-corrode” pipe, Orangeburg is a type of bituminized fiber pipe made from a mixture of hot pitch and wood pulp. It gets its name from Orangeburg, New York, where it was originally mass-produced by the Fiber Conduit Company (which later changed its name to the Orangeburg Manufacturing Company).
Although various forms of bituminized fiber pipe have been used since the 1800s, Orangeburg owes its origins to World War II, when the iron and steel commonly used for sewer pipes were critical to the war effort. Because of these shortages, Orangeburg pipe was invented so more iron and steel could go toward producing war materials. Following the war, Orangeburg continued to proliferate because it was cheap.
Once installed, standard Orangeburg sewer pipes were expected to last 50 years’ time. Unfortunately, many systems began to falter after a mere 30 years of use. Most of these structural complications resulted from the material used to manufacture the pipe. Essentially, Orangeburg pipe is little more than asphalt-soaked paper and pulp. It may seem obvious in retrospect, but if you soak paper (even tar paper) with water for long enough, it will eventually deform. Combined with the pressure from the soil above the pipe, it’s not surprising these pipes began to fail so quickly.
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Good stuff… thanks! I didn’t know most of that. Funny, its intended life was 50 years… seems like in most cases it made it. Albeit, barely.
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My pleasure, Jim.
Truthfully, I Google Orangeburg sewer pipe and bots did the rest. I posted what I felt was good relevant information.
Been some time that I bore-scoped sewer pipes. I was very interest due to the thread.
Great thread for members to visit.
Again, thank you, Jim.
Keep well.
Robert
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