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Tying a new washing machine standpipe to existing cast iron

TheOtherBart | Posted in General Discussion on December 14, 2009 08:50am

Recently our washing machine started shooting a geyser out of the standpipe when it would drain. Snaking didn’t help, not least because of my complete inability to get the damn thing around the P-trap. The entire standpipe assembly is iron pipe, so I decided to take the standpipe loose and go from there. When I started pulling on the pipe wrench the whole thing gave way back where it went into the main drain stack fitting. It looks like the kind of fitting that would have had lead, but instead it was just fiber topped with some kind of caulk or putty filler. The whole thing just cracked apart and pulled out. So now I need to come up with a way to install a new standpipe. Is there any kind of DIY-friendly adapter that would go from a female threadless cast iron to something else? I guess I’m thinking of something that would look like a Fernco donut (http://www.fernco.com/plumbing/donuts-o-rings/donuts), but I’m not sure if that would work, or where I would get one. The website makes it sound like a special order made-to-spec kind of thing. Any suggestions?

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  1. webby | Dec 15, 2009 08:03am | #1

    Fernco donuts are available in some sizes at lowes, and local hardware or plumbing supply houses. You need one to fit the inside dimension of the hub and the outside dimension of the drain pipe. Like a 3x2 for example. They can be a little work to get in.

  2. rdesigns | Dec 15, 2009 10:12am | #2

    If you're lucky enough to
    If you're lucky enough to find a Fernco donut the right size, you can slip things together much easier by soaping the donut. Plain hand soap is fine.

    Another option would be to first pack most of the space between the CI hub and the plastic pipe with oakum, or some oakum substitute sold at a plumbing supply house, and then fill the remaining space with epoxy putty.

    One more possibility: use a Sawzall to cut out a section of the vertical cast iron line above and below the tee, and fit in a new PVC or ABS tee with short sections of pipe above and below the tee. You then use banded neoprene couplings to join the plastic pipe to the cast iron at the upper and lower cuts. (Plan on chewing up 2 or 3 Sawzall blades in the process of cutting cast iron, since you probably don't have access to a plumber's snap cutter.)

  3. User avater
    MarkH | Dec 15, 2009 12:03pm | #3

    Get one of these in the size you need. I'd go to a plumbing supply house, but you may find one at a hardware or big box store.

    http://www.buyhardwaresupplies.com/?t=5&itemNumber=43544

  4. jagtech | Dec 16, 2009 08:37pm | #4

    On one fix, I joined ABS to an old cast drain system by using fibreglass resin and cloth to make a strong, leak-proof joint. Got a good mechanical fit first, then 'glassed it all together. Its been working great.

    1. User avater
      Yossarian99 | Dec 20, 2009 11:57am | #5

      To the OP, did you get it fixed?

      What everyone said about the donut is true, easy for a DIYer. I found a large variety at the local Ace.

  5. Shacko | Dec 20, 2009 12:58pm | #6

    If you buy a donut make sure that you look at the

    cast iron for letters like sv or xh, you will need

    them to get the right size.

    Don't forget to finsh cleaning out the line!

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