The Fuss About Cast Iron

Within the past few weeks Mark has come across several properties with cast iron sewers. He always call them out which has caused considerable grief the past few weeks. We've had innumerable calls and emails from upset sellers, disappointed buyers, confused plumbers and frustrated agents. All of whom must be handled with care and with tact.

It is Mark's job to identify problems with a property. He cannot guarantee that the sewer line (or anything else) will be maintenance free for as long as you own the property. He CAN guarantee that eventually a cast iron sewer will need to be replaced - and it will probably be sooner than later. They are found in properties that were built in the 1970s and earlier which means that they are 40 or more years old. Very often, a leak in this type of sewer is really seepage that comes with the erosion of the pipe, not a spurting or dripping type of leak. (In other words, a pressure test will not confirm that there is a leak. But really, how do you think mud and bugs get in there if there isn't a hole somewhere?) And look at the picture. Does it look "fine" to you?

I have first hand knowledge of cast iron sewers. It starts out with back-ups. Eventually, the sewer line is backing up at least once a week. You also get rusty water in the guest bathroom shower because it isn't used that frequently and the water stands in the rusting pipe and looks nasty until you run it for a few minutes. (You have to remember to run the shower for five minutes or so several hours before any guests arrive.)

We finally bit the bullet three years ago and had the house replumbed. It was expensive. It was messy. We had to move out of the house for a week. But as I stroll through the neighborhood I can't help but notice that there are usually one or two houses with telltale evidence of trenching. Obviously they've had to replace the cast iron lines. So when the plumber says that the lines are "in as good condition as other properties in the neighborhood", he's telling the truth. But if those lines are cast iron, they're corroding and will eventually need to be replaced. Probably sooner rather than later.

So here's one scenario: Mark said it needed to be replaced. The plumber said it was fine. The home buyer "doesn't know who to believe". We can't tell him who to believe. But as an industrial engineer, Mark can certainly tell him about the properties of cast iron and how it reacts to effluent (a polite term for human waste.)

It's not Mark's job to tell someone not to buy a particular property. It's his job to make home buyers aware of existing and potential problems. Could that buyer get a few more years out of that sewer? Maybe. Maybe not. If he wants it, he should buy it. He is in a position to make an informed decision. But he can't come back to Mark in a few years complaining that he should have been warned about the cast iron sewer.