Slimmed...or Should I Say 'Gooed'

MAN!! I'm so tired, and sore, I almost forgot this update.

Today the sewer pipe, and gray water pipe, that went to the powder room came out.

It took most of the day - that was a real surprise.

The way the sewer pipe was placed in the floor joists made it really hard to get to. There were water pipes, a gas line and live power lines in the way. It was not fun using a steel tool, that was difficult to maneuver, in the same spot that we still have live knob-n-tube lines.

Not to mention the shear force it took to hoist the cutter and turn it - remember those itty bitty handles?

Anyway...

This is the main junction where all the sewer lines converge and empty into the main line going outside.


I forgot to get a 'before' picture. However, if you look real close you can see where the pipe has been cut.

All that extra power line you see is live, and not a problem. We are getting ready for a new breaker box and we want to make sure we have enough line to work with.

Did any of you notice the cream colored block between the pipe and the wall? That is part of the original wood trim. Not sure where it came from though - probably from the main bath. All of the original wood trim in that room is gone.

This is where the line separates into the line to the toilet and the line to the lavatory. The smaller galvanized pipe branching to the right is the one to the lavatory.

Here's where I got slimmed...or should I say 'gooed'.

Do you see the nail to the right on the joist? That's the spot where I cut the galvanized pipe with the sawzall. About half way through the pipe a black, slimy goo started to ooze out. It reminded me of crude oil. Not a lot came out, but enough for me to notice.

I got gooed when I cut the main Tee, not the galvanized pipe. The cut end of the galvanized pipe (the part still attached to the Tee) twisted downward while cutting the pipe going to the left of the Tee. All of a sudden a black, slimy plug popped out and stagnate gray water - with additives - drenched me.

Note there are no pictures of it - there is a reasons for that - it was too disgusting and I didn't want to get it on the camera.

Did you see the knob-n-tube? That is the last piece of original wiring in the lower part of the house and yes, it is live. This is where it got dicey using the steel cutter and the sawzall.

And here is the beast of a tool getting ready to do it's job.

The part that goes up over the pipe had to be detached from the main part. While that part hangs down I would have to hold the main part in one hand and thread the two bolts through the holes where it attaches. I hope that description made sense!! You can see the bolts in the picture.


You then turn that little handle to move the other two cutting wheels on the main body up towards the pipe.

As you tighten the handle your suppose to move the main body to the right and left in order to score the pipe. The water line to the right made this extremely hard to do. There were even a couple of spots that couldn't be cut because of it.


If your lucky the pipe will 'snap' along the score line and the pipe will break. You can see the break in this picture.

There were a couple of spots where it didn't break, but the cutter wheels tore holes in the pipe.

And here is the first break.

Note how thin the pipe is. Evidently this indicates that it is an older version of CI pipe.











And here is the break at the Tee.

Now the first section could be removed.






That's the new, shiny, cap.

Eventually the new sewer pipe will be attached here.

The shiny stuff that looks like a leak on the other pipe is not a leak. It's some sort of compound that had been used to patch a leak years ago. The run-off just dried shiny.



You NEVER know what might turn up in our house.... (evil laugh).








This is the original lead boot that connected to the toilet.

The force I had to use to cut the CI pipe caused the boot to twist and pop out.

This is the main part of the pipe.

This section could not be cut into pieces due to the cramped location of it. So, it had to be slid out in one piece.

Note the wire holding it - it eventually broke and the pipe crashed to the ground. Luckily nothing was broken except a piece of molding, but it wasn't original to the house.

OY!! The paint color used on the ceiling in the basement looks dreadful in this picture. Guess digital cameras do see things in a different way than the human eye. In person the color looks like Mahogany and not as reddish.

And there you have it - the sewer line to the powder room toilet.

That smaller pipe is the fitting that made the 90 degree turn up to the lavatory.

You might notice that the galvanized pipe is not there. It is still in the basement, on the floor. It is going to have to be cut into pieces in order to go out the door. I was just too hot, tired and gooey to cut it up today. Besides, I want to make sure I get the part that says 'Belle Plaine' cut out neatly.

Tomorrow, lawn mowing and mudding. It rained most of the week-end and today so I wasn't able to mow.

Well, till next time...

Cheers!
Larry ~