Saving lead & Oakum cleanout stub
AaronRosenthal
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
My bathroom sink drain is clogged. Draino won’t do it, and nor will the other “uncloggers”. Even the plunger just gives me exercise.
I need to remove the steel clean out plug in the cast line, but when I try to open it, the whole clean out stub turns in the lead/oakum fitting.
I’d rather not replace the drain line.
I’ve tried heating it with a heat gun, but that makes the lead softer. Plumbers, any advice?
Quality repairs for your home.
AaronR Construction
Vancouver, Canada
Replies
Very few clean-out plugs come out, most were put in without pipe compound or tape dope which causes them to seize up. Your best bet is to just cut it out any way you can. Drill holes in it, use a small grinder etc. and peel out the pieces. Try not to hurt the theads or drop the the pieces in the pipe, buy a new one dope it up and screw it in. Luck.
Edited 3/22/2009 5:02 pm ET by Shacko
With the stub now leaking just a tiny amount, should I re-torch the lead just to seal it up a little better?Quality repairs for your home.
AaronR ConstructionVancouver, Canada
You could try to beat it to seal using a flat punch or chisel.
The lead is a secondary sealant, and I'm guessing it's vertical since it's a cleanout. You need to be real good with that torch.
Actually, the oakum behind it needs to be packed back in better. You need a good sized hammer, and some plumbers irons (they are varied in shapes to get into odd places, and the "point" is much broader and flatter than a standard chisel). The $50 question is - how hard can you hit it without breaking the cast iron around it?
As far as the original question, your best bet is just get the plug out, like somebody else said. Go to the store first and get your replacement plug, and while you are there, check out the fernco (rubber) fittings that they keep in stock. That's just in case....
Good luck.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
Like others have said, take out the lead (I've done it with a chisel) and oakum.
Had same situation in Illinois 5 years ago at Moms house. Have lead, etc at home to do it, but was 2000 mi away.
Left in a little bit of the oakum, wirebrushed off the CI to some extent (no loose oakum), filled with 2 tubes of cheapest silicone caulk and probably better that the lead oakum seal. No leaks yet after 5 years.
Drill out the lead, pry out the oakum, clear the goog, cap the clean out with a test plug or fernco cap.
If the pipe turns in the hub while you are attempting to remove the plug you are halfway home.
As mentioned above, drill out the lead. You will be able to tap the stub from side to side when enough lead is gone and lift it right out. Then it's a matter of scraping clean the hub and going from there.
There is a donut seal you can use then to add another stub of PVC and cap to repair the job. Unless you want to replace it with a cast iron stub and then you will need some oakum and a lead pot.
What did you do ?
So far, I have a bucket under the joint (it's horizontal), and I played hooky by doing a little work in the gatage and taking the bike out for a run (it was sunny).
I'm going to take the stub out one evening and get a Fernco fitting, clean it out and if I break the cast iron, I'll replace it with the Fernco, if not broken, I'll put in polyurethane caulk and monitor it.
Thanks for asking.Quality repairs for your home.
AaronR ConstructionVancouver, Canada
I have used the donut type seal that Ralph mentioned on vertical transitions from pvc to CI. They should work on a vertical stub as long as the stub is short and doesn't have a lot of end weight.
Just a backup plan incase the caulk doesn't work. (never ceases to amaze me how my primary plan fails on a weekend or late at night, when absolutely everything is closed)