Need your expert advice guys - unexplained pipe going into my wall..

[Dotty]

The flush issue is a coincidence Jenni. The plumber you get in can look at that too!

Post a thread in the 'I'm looking for a plumber / gas engineer' section of these forums remembering to include your location. [DLMURL="http://www.ukplumbersforums.co.uk/im-looking-plumber-gas-engineer/"]I'm looking for a Plumber or Gas Engineer[/DLMURL]

 

[tomma]

Looks like an old vent pipe

 

[Dotty]

How much of this thread did you read tomma?

 

[tom609]

That pipe is definately an old vent pipe and would be best cut back to as close as possible to the main stack you are right in assuming that the new brickwork is where the old loo was and the vent usually came off the soil pipe though some w/c pans also had a vent plug on the back to connect the vent pipe

 

[Jennifer1991]

thanks everyone for your help! to croppie's early question, i'm just outside london,so will definitely be posting here to give one of you guys some business.

The only problem is, I'm a top floor flat, so I don't think it will be possible to seal it off at the stack, without scaffolding.. So i think the only option is to hang out of the window and cut it off and seal it (is this possible?)

 

[tom609]

Health and safety issues maybe a cherry picker would do it check your insurance??

 

[lame plumber]

Looks like an old vent pipe

da daaaaaa, flip to the front tomma

 

[Gas]

thanks everyone for your help! to croppie's early question, i'm just outside london,so will definitely be posting here to give one of you guys some business.

The only problem is, I'm a top floor flat, so I don't think it will be possible to seal it off at the stack, without scaffolding.. So i think the only option is to hang out of the window and cut it off and seal it (is this possible?)

Working up to 2 floors high is fine with the ladders, any higher and it would require renting a cherry picker, as already mentioned

 

[Dotty]

thanks everyone for your help! to croppie's early question, i'm just outside london,so will definitely be posting here to give one of you guys some business.

The only problem is, I'm a top floor flat, so I don't think it will be possible to seal it off at the stack, without scaffolding.. So i think the only option is to hang out of the window and cut it off and seal it (is this possible?)

Not really but if it's lead a good clumping will seal it!

 

[SimonG]

Window up, bolster and mash hammer (def looks like lead), squish and cut pipe, pull out of wall, make good and window down.

 

[Rickster123]

Window up, bolster and mash hammer (def looks like lead), squish and cut pipe, pull out of wall, make good and window down.

Health and safety my ar**!

 

[SimonG]

Well you could always use a rope round your waist tied to something heavy or get somebody to keep hold of your feet.

 

[Rickster123]

Well you could always use a rope round your waist tied to something heavy or get somebody to keep hold of your feet.

Croppie ticks both boxes there!

 

[SimonG]

Ouch!

 

[tamz]

Thanks AWheating!

By the way, are these vent pipes only something that's needed on old toilets? I'm wondering if I should be concerned that it's not connected to my new toilet.

It is a one pipe fully vented system. The additional vent was there to prevent the loss of the trap seal which would let smells in.
No longer done as things have moved on a bit since then.
You may find this interesting (it will take 2 minutes to read) and explains the basics.
[DLMURL]http://www.cibse.org/pdfs/Shouler.pdf[/DLMURL]

 

[Jennifer1991]

thanks all for the answers!

 

[Dotty]

Croppie ticks both boxes there!

Why I'm gonna.............

 

[Jennifer1991]

Hi guys!
the latest on this:

- i had the management company plumber around to take a look - he said he couldn't guarantee that the pipe terminated in my wall, and thought that it could potentially be feeding elsewhere in the block of flats.

I'm pretty sure it terminates in my wall though! is there any way to prove this, beyond opening up the brickwork on the other side of the wall to check where the pipe is going?

- he said as the pipe is cast iron, it's not easy to cut off and seal, and that the whole stack would need to be replaced - is this right? i would have thought there is some way of sealing off a cast iron pipe

thanks

 

[Ermintrude]

No sounds reasonable. Camera or rodd it or even cat and genny?

 

[Jennifer1991]

Hi Guys,
Just a quick recap of this thread, I have an unexplained pipe going into my wall, that I wanted to have removed.

The only problem is that someone said it's cast iron, so:

- once i've cut it off, how does one seal the ends of a cast iron pipe? is it difficult? I take it you can't just squeeze it together?
- is this a job for a plumber, or more of a general trademan (not sure what the name would be, sorry!)

Jenny

 

[kris]

No Jennifer im afraid cast iron wont bend even if you hit it with a hammer, if its cast iron it maybe an old drain or down pipe for rain water on the other hand it could be a mild steel gas pipe so before cutting i would defonatly get someone to check it out incase

 

[kris]

Soz forgot to say if it is a cast iron drain pipe then it can be cemented up if unused but like i said previous please get someone just to check before cutting just incase its gas , good luck

 

[kris]

My appoligees i just read your previous thread

 

[kris]

If someone has checked it out and it is part of a stack on a block of flats then usually a stack will be vented so it would be better to find out where it terminates first either using a snake camera or using smoke , the camera is best bet but the smoke will let you know if it and where it terminates , sorry for confusion b4, Kris

 

[missplumb]

Hi Jenni, the pipe is definately an old vent pipe used to stop the traps in the toilet and basins from being sucked away when you flush. Looking again at the pics i think its more likely that the pipe coming out of your wall is lead and the connection into the vent stack is cast iron. it would take some doin to get a cast iron pipe to bend like that!! It should be ok to take out but it will be quite heavy and not the sort of thing to leave dangling from a height so probably best to get someone in to do it for you.