# Pulling apart lead and oakum joint



## RDW 920 (Mar 30, 2009)

Okay I have never run into this before. Repairing ground work in house that was flooded last summer. Basically new ground work, but need to tie into Hub and Spigot system. The problem is the 4" main is all fitting to fitting up to the 4" stack, which has a broken wye 

I am just trying to get back to a good section of pipe to get started.


I guess we will always come across things we haven't done before....

Thanks in advance for you help.


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## leak1 (Mar 25, 2009)

what are you wanting to do - remove c.i. out of hub?


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## bob young (May 4, 2009)

*Caulked Joint Put In A Stub Spool Piece W/ New Joint & Continue With N.h. Or Whatev*

Simply Burn Out The Joint With A Torch.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

or cut behind the last hub and repipe.


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## stillaround (Mar 11, 2009)

The above answers are what you want-I just wanted to add if the cast wast broken right near the hub and there is room you can take a chisel and split the piece in the hub in 2 places about 1" apart and get the pipe out making it easy to cave in the lead and oakum.


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## RDW 920 (Mar 30, 2009)

Thanks for your replies.

I was going to try to burn out the joint with torch, but wasn't sure if there was a better way. Glad to hear my thoughts were not too far off.

I will give it a go in the am :thumbup:


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## Associated Plum (Nov 4, 2008)

Instead of trying to burn the lead out, which seems to take forever or using a hammer and chisel and taking the chance of breaking another fititng or loosing one up. Use a cordless drill and 1/4 bit and drill out the lead until you have enough removed to pry the rest of it out. Quick and simple.


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## kellybhutchings (Jul 29, 2008)

A friend of mine does that same thing but I tried and ended up breaking the bit and still used a torch in the end.


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

Me to I drill first. Then chisle it out.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

I just smash out the old pipe thats in the joint. If done carefully you can save the hug easily.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

SewerRatz said:


> I just smash out the old pipe thats in the joint. If done carefully you can save the hug easily.


Im saving hugs permanently :laughing:


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## stillaround (Mar 11, 2009)

I agree with Ron. In Chitown we all got pretty fast at chiseling out a piece of cast in a hub. More often than not that was the way to do the repair.2-5 minutes.


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## bob young (May 4, 2009)

*Smashing.*

*try The Smashing Method With An F. & W. Combination Type Fitting , Say Like A 5 " X 5 " X2" X3 " X2" X2 " . ----you Might Be In For A Big Surprise !! Sometimes It Pays To Operate Like A Dentist.*


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## stillaround (Mar 11, 2009)

No dispute. Im laughing while I write this knowing but not telling some of the dumb things ive done. Im thinking a piece of 4" no fittings or a tee --something not too risky. Did I sound like a cast iron cowboy? Only as a reaction to the thought it cant be chiseled easily.

A 5x5xwhat--was that one of those stringer fittings.


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## RDW 920 (Mar 30, 2009)

SUCCESS:thumbup:

I had chiseled out the lead I could get to (horizontal joint, ground work, right close to exterior footing), I then tried to burn the lead out....was slow going.

Cut the fitting so only 3/4" was left sticking out of the hub we wanted to keep.
Took my cordless sawzall with short metal blade, cleaned the inside of the fitting so I could see the joint edge. Made 2 parellel cuts 1" apart, pried that out, the pried out the remaining fitting :brows:

After pulling out the sawzall, it took less than 10 minutes.


Thanks again for all the feed back.


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## stillaround (Mar 11, 2009)

Congrats. Mt. Vernon-home of Cornell college and corn fields. My sister went there and I went a couple times.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

I broke a few tee's in half, being a little over zealous with a hammer. I do agree there is a time to take your time if you are trying to save a fitting. Lots of times I just needed to save the pipe so I blasted the fittings apart.

Same thing goes for sump pumps or ejectors, If you want to save the piece of pipe for what ever reason, just take your 3 LB hammer to the cast iron casing of the pump.


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## RDW 920 (Mar 30, 2009)

Hey stillaround, yep that would be Mt. Vernon. We live a little out of town toward CR with a small acreage. A very different place than our last home in Southern California.


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