I have aluminum down spout that feeds into a cast iron sewer pipe. Because there is no seal, in the summer time the sewer pipe lets off some sewer smell something awful.
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What would be the best and easiest way to seal this joint? Is there some type of caulk I could use perhaps?
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Thanks, Mischa
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Replies
There are adapter fittings that connect a downspout to a pipe. This page has them for PVC: http://www.gutterworks.com/downspoutproducts.html I've seen them or something similar at Home Depot. I'm pretty sure they make them for cast iron pipes as well; if not you could probably adapt one of the PVC parts to work.
Is that the sanitary sewer (we're not allowed to connect to it around here) or the storm sewer? If it's the storm sewer, then the smell must be emanating from every storm drain too. Does it?
Because of the Clean Water Act, Sanitary Sewer Utilities are now going around and requiring home owners to disconnect storm piping like down spouts and driveway drains from sanitary lines. The reason for this is the treatment facilities can't treat the water when rain occurs because there is to much water and it exceeds the facilities capacity. They then have overflows of untreated materials dumping into rivers and streams. Mostly cities on rivers and the great lakes are affected right now because the law applies to navigatable water ways. Cities like Birmingham have had there sanitary sewer utilities go bankrupt trying to comply with the law. Senator Henry Waxmen has introduced legislation to remove the word navigatable from the law. This means all water down to farm ponds as an example will be under the law. The EPA currently is sewing river cities for non-compliance to the clean water act and making them sign consent decrees. I live in such an area. My sewer bills have been going up 20% a year and are projected to reach $400.00 a month by 2015 because of these consent decrees. Hopefully this legislation does not pass. If it does all will participate in the river cities misery.
That's the case in most areas, but there are exceptions - I recall an episode of This Old House a few years back, in San Francisco I think, where they specifically mentioned that the rain gutters are required to be connected to the sanitary sewer.
I spoke to an Architect from San Francisco that the EPA brought to our area to make suggestions about storm water mitigation techniques. He mentioned now in the Bay Area every drop of water that hits a site now has to stay on that site. It is unbelievable the techniques they must use.
SF does have a combined system and when it rains the sewage treatment plant is frequently overwhelmed and untreated sewage ends up pumped out to sea. A very poorly managed and developed city IMHO and to top it off, they take great pride in the "locally" caught fish that the sell to tourists down on Pier 39 and Fisherman's Warf. Ya'll come to California we need the money!Not me, thank you very much!
If you think that is bad wait till the cap and trade legislation passes (pray that it won't).
I am not a big political person but I would rather not have to switch to all cfl's and have to call out a hazmat team if one breaks. I would also rather not have to call in federal inspectors to see if my house is energy efficient enough to sell. If not I have to pay to bring it up to efficiency before i can sell. What BS.
People that think the economy is bad haven't seen anything yet. Wait till your utilities take the big hike, around here they forecast a 90 percent jump in utilities if the legislation passes. Thanks alot liberals and greenies and the useless bunch in Washington.
You know as I look around I am starting not to recognize the US as I have known it for 40 years. Kind of frightening.
People need to realize that we may save the planet but the cost will be our freeedom! Webby
>>>People need to realize that we may save the planet but the cost will be our freeedom!Perhaps, but given the choice, the latter won't do you much good without the former.Scott.
I don't know I would rather have a "sicker" planet and a lot less government control. I just don't appreciate an 'Authority' telling me what kind of light bulb to use how much energy I can use... it is just the tip of the iceberg, just wait..
I mean I have no problem with common sense stuff i.e. storm water shouldn't be mixed in with sainitary sewer, it makes perfect sense. But when the government comes in and installs a timer on my hot water heater, or tells me x% of the energy used in my homw has to come from solar than they can shove it as far as I am concerned.
The government we have now is a far cry from the government the founding fathers fought and died for.
I don't even consider myelf that much 'right' my political views are more or less centered, so when I get worried... I sense something nefarious afoot. We may not see the worst in our lifetimes, but just wait...
For example go try to buy bullets for any common caliber handgun and see how many you can get. Restricting the liberties of a people that consider themselves free has to be done at a snails pace. It may not seem like much now but just wait...
Webby
Edited 7/9/2009 12:46 pm ET by webby
sorry, end of rant.Webby
Have you been listening to talk radio again? They are just yanking your chain."There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Guilty. I hope its all just chain yankin'. Well see.
Alot doesn't affect me, but where I live we have our plates full just getting by. When I need to sell my parents house, when they pass, can I, or am I going to have to replace all the windows, just to satisfy the feds and meet an energy rating. If I have to how can I afford that. My point is that it is easy for some in a certain tax bracket to impose new legislation that wont hurt them but may crush a constituent, which they wont listen too anyway.
You might say that ok you will just make a little less profit after paying for the windows. Maybe but
My situation for example. House isn't paid off yet. My dad passes before it is. I have to sell the house- Medicaide gets my moms half, so whatever I get out of my dads half the bank would have a claim, but oh wait I can't sell because I have to put 15 grand in new windows in the house because the government says that the windows arent energy efficient enough. BS buddy.
Progress and a clean environment are fine things, but not if they take the real cost of living out of the equation for alot of folks. And people think the economy is bad now.
Webby
I don't watch tv or listen to talk shows any more. They are trying to sell you something. It's just one thing after another with them.
I think there is a price to progress in any area. If we want to use less energy there will be some TV involved. I don't mind really.
But our government is no longer run "by" the people.
It is run by Big corporations. Bought and paid for.
If people think our new administration in DC is above this they are sadly mistaken.
They aren't going to make you do to much. You'll be fine.
I figure if they make it to difficult for ordinary folks they will be gone shortly.
Stop listening to that talk radio. It fills your head with junk you just don't need or want in there.
I am pessimistic, discouraged, and disgruntled enough as it is. I don't need help in that department.
"There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Yeah your probably right. I hope so. Thanks for the advice.
Webby
Edited 7/9/2009 6:47 pm ET by webby
I totally agree. I have been calling, e-mailing, and snail mailing Senators about this bill. Today the Senate suspended hearings on the bill to September. My take is that the effort to stop this bill to this point has worked. Because of our effort the bill is now going to be sweetened to attract Blue Dog Democrats and RINO Republicans to vote for it. The job of informing our neighbors and friends has just become more important. I see I now need to double my efforts. Wile this is going on here in the States Obama is pushing Cap and Trade on the world at the G-8 Meeting today.
Two points: 1) India and China said flat out no. Where I live the USA if it passes Cap and Trade we will loose millions of jobs to foreign countries. Carbon content of the air will increase because the countries will then produce these products we were making pollutes more than us. This legislation has major unintended consequences. 2) The midwest where I live is essentially powered by coal. I have looked at the energy star web site. Forget about wind and solar here. It's coal or nuclear or nothing . That means my area of the country will be structurally disadvantaged in attracting jobs. No jobs no homes being built.
Yeah its coal here to majorly.
Like popawheelie said hopefully before it gets too bad people will come to some sense and legislators will be finding new jobs.
I am really discouraged about everything. I was taught that if you worked hard at what you did, and made smart decisions, then you would be ok. I am really trying. I work hard, but still I see people that can't be in much better shape than me with alot more. For example, I would like to have a vehicle with a cd player. something most people don't even think about now. That is just one of many examples. Seems like no matter what I do I can't get anywhere.
I work for a GC but it is not working out for me. i am even thinking of a creer change- but to what?
Webby
Edited 7/9/2009 7:04 pm ET by webby
I am 61 years old. I believed and still believe that if you work hard you will be OK. I have come to realize others POLITICIANS and more so life long BUREAUCRATS have too much of an influence on my life. Someone told me you get the government you deserve. He is right. Besides working to make a living I found out I have to pay attention to all legislation that is on the table. A Senator told me if he got 5 pieces of mail on a piece of legislation that was a lot and it would influence his decision. There are groups out there that think they know better than I about how laws influencing me are to be written. It takes a lot of work to be informed and research the issues before I arrive at my position what ever it is. Like the Cap and Trade bill we wrote about earlier. There are some very good parts but the bad parts are horrible.
Keep your chin up. I read a book titled " Good to Great" a wile back. It analyzed companies that became unbelievably successful in what they did. There was nothing earth shattering about how they achieved what the did. The successful ones had a vision of where they wanted to be. All they did was just keep making progress to that goal. Don't take your eye off it, don't get despaired about the speed things evolve, and don't get side tracked.
Yes some will have more things than me, but I will have more than someone else. Gage your self worth on your accomplishments, you family, and friends. Not on things. Once you start doing that things will come. Hope circumstances improve for you. I started a small construction business in 1980. It was worse then than now. I worked 5 years for almost nothing. Had a market house that was costing me 21% interest a wife and 3 kids to support. Know what looking back it was tough but I survived and I don't regret any decision I ever made good or bad. I always did my best and am proud of everything I did. Hope this gets your spirits up.
It does and sincerely, thanks for the input.Webby
Alot of the older homes in my neighborhood use clay tile instead of cast iron. the ran the downspout in to them (hub end) then put some concrete around to seal. I am a little to young to have seen this done, and as to how they got the concrete to 'stick' and not fall into the tile I'm not sure.
As another poster said you can probably find a transition fitting that would fit or fit well enough that you could then seal with caulk or sprayfoam jsut paint the sprayfoam to match, otherwise it turns bright orange in the sun.
Webby
Despite the notion that we should all be separating our storm and sewer discharge (it may in fact end up in the same location like it does in Metro Indianapolis, but in 80 years maybe it won't):
You might try a fernco type rubber fitting, worm drive clamp it over your cast iron bell and connect to a schedule 80 or other type of PVC fitting that will accept your downspout tightly -- or if you have a round DS, you might be able to cinch it down on the DS itself.
You might be interested in Chicago's solution. The Metropolitan Sanitary District (now the "Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago") has tried to solve the problem of storm water runoff by building the Tunnel and Reservoir project (http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/tarp). All storm water goes into this massive tunnel which absorbs the water surge. The water is then pumped into the treatment plant. The idea is that the plant uses its excess capacity to treat the water on a gradual basis. It has really cut down street flooding in the area.
Yes, it increased our taxes, but not dreadfully.
Indy is finally starting to do this to some degree. Glad to know 25 years from now the local stream won't be polluted to high heaven. As for the 25 years between now and then -- well I hope not to be around here long enough to care.
"It depends on the situation..."
Basically the same way as the old lead joints were made.
Downspout into CI pipe; pack oakum around the DS to snug it up and plug up the voids ( don't fill the hub all the way to the top with oakum); then a sealant on top of the oakum - I would probably use "duct seal". You could also use caulk, or pourable concrete crack sealer if you like to form a decent seal on top of the oakum.
Duct seal comes in a brick like shape, wrapped in plastic, pliable / kneadable stuff (available in classic gray color). Commonly found in electrical supply houses or the electrical aisle in your local big box.
Best cure for smell would be to install a trap - we had to on new construction, but there are many, many, many old DS tie-ins without them.
Our city required the downspouts to be fed into the sanitary sewer until about 2002 or so. Now prohibited.
Jim
Edited 7/9/2009 5:51 pm ET by JTC1
Wow! I did not know that a question about a downspout, would incite a small political grip session! I like it!
When joining to clay or cast, I'll either use a "Fernco" type adapter, or slide the smaller pipe into the larger one, as best I can, and pack with properly mixed water plug.
Also a wax ring can be used like oakum in some cases.
If I get caught running a downspout into a sanitary sewer, I'd probably loose my license, and if I didn't, that inspector would dog me for a long time.
Another note:, if you think about it this may not solve you problem, as the aluminum downspout isn't sealed at it's connections is it?
It is a shame that all the people who really know how to run this country, and run it right, are busy, cutting hair, driving taxi's and trucks!
I believe George Burns said something to that effect.