# History of Cast Iron



## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

Call me crazy or nuts, but I enjoy reading stuff like this. It's super long, but a very educational read about Cast Iron. Makes me want to install the stuff. I'm too young to have grown up in the golden age of plumbing, but I have a lot of commercial experience so I've installed my fair share of the piping. 


http://www.cispi.org/pdf/2006-Handbook.pdf


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## greenscoutII (Aug 27, 2008)

Great.... There goes my afternoon....:laughing:


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Very interesting. Nice to learn that cast iron was used over 300 years ago at Versailles palace.


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## bartnc37 (Feb 24, 2009)

A little side note, there were no bathrooms in the original palace at versailles, several hundred rooms but no bathrooms so guests used the outside stairwells to relive themselves.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

greenscoutII said:


> Great.... There goes my afternoon....:laughing:


Me too GS.


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

bartnc37 said:


> A little side note, there were no bathrooms in the original palace at versailles, several hundred rooms but no bathrooms so guests used the outside stairwells to relive themselves.


Better take the elevator then.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

What I would like to know is, what is different about the cast iron that is pre 1970 vs post 1970. It seems to me that nearly all of the iron pipe that I'm replacing under slabs is post 1970. It's extremely rare that I ever have to replace pre 1970 pipe due to failure while it seems like I'm replacing the post 1970 stuff weekly.

No-hub is the worst with the first grommeted systems coming in a distant second. The old pre 70's is more or less bullet proof. It scales up on the inside a little, but nothing like the new stuff.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

I made a repair on some cast iron not to long ago from 1927. It's was in perfect condition. I mean perfect. I may have so pics of it. Have to look into that. I don't think PVC would last that long with no wear and tear to it.


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## woberkrom (Nov 19, 2010)

Cast Iron has been around a long, long time.

--Will


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Protech said:


> What I would like to know is, what is different about the cast iron that is pre 1970 vs post 1970. It seems to me that nearly all of the iron pipe that I'm replacing under slabs is post 1970. It's extremely rare that I ever have to replace pre 1970 pipe due to failure while it seems like I'm replacing the post 1970 stuff weekly.
> 
> No-hub is the worst with the first grommeted systems coming in a distant second. The old pre 70's is more or less bullet proof. It scales up on the inside a little, but nothing like the new stuff.


 



I have wondered that same thing. I have replaced CI that is barely 30 years old with long splits running almost the entire length of a 5' length. And the stuff was no-hub from a condo on the beach.

Then I've seen CI much much older (circa 1920's) and it was not in as bad a shape as the CI from the condo. And the older stuff was bell and spigot with lead joints and it was in decent shape, but like I stated, the newer no-hub was cracking.

I am sure there are many theories. I'll propose (2): bldgs can settle and poorly made CI. But that's just a guess.


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## Proud Plumber (Sep 15, 2008)

I saw a five story bldg a while ago that the cast was swelling almost like a balloon. If memory serves me correct I believe the pipe was import. Either way does anyone know the cause of swelling? BLDG is 70's vintage.


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## plumber666 (Sep 19, 2010)

Love reading stuff like this. I find the history of our trade to be a really fascinating subject.


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## user4 (Jun 12, 2008)

Protech said:


> What I would like to know is, what is different about the cast iron that is pre 1970 vs post 1970. It seems to me that nearly all of the iron pipe that I'm replacing under slabs is post 1970. It's extremely rare that I ever have to replace pre 1970 pipe due to failure while it seems like I'm replacing the post 1970 stuff weekly.
> 
> No-hub is the worst with the first grommeted systems coming in a distant second. The old pre 70's is more or less bullet proof. It scales up on the inside a little, but nothing like the new stuff.


They changed the ASTM standards in the early seventies to allow service weight to have a thinner wall, prior to that the spec that passes for extra heavy CI now was the spec for service weight. It allowed the manufacturers to cut production costs instead of hiking prices in a time of a down economy, but it also contributed to a much shorter product lifespan.

This is also the time period where they began to seriously develop mechanical joints for CI water mains as opposed to the bell and spigot water mains that were the norm at the time, because they could then lessen the weight on ductile iron as well. Had they tried to reduce the weight on hub and spigot ductile they would have a rash of cracked hubs, as the lead joints were generally packed with an 8 lb. sledge, I still have a set of water main irons.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

I think the metal itself is different too somehow. The old stuff only gets a light surface rust scale. The new stuff scales up THICK. Like an inch thick or more. I have seen post 70s 3" that I could barley get a see snake compact through!




Killertoiletspider said:


> They changed the ASTM standards in the early seventies to allow service weight to have a thinner wall, prior to that the spec that passes for extra heavy CI now was the spec for service weight. It allowed the manufacturers to cut production costs instead of hiking prices in a time of a down economy, but it also contributed to a much shorter product lifespan.
> 
> This is also the time period where they began to seriously develop mechanical joints for CI water mains as opposed to the bell and spigot water mains that were the norm at the time, because they could then lessen the weight on ductile iron as well. Had they tried to reduce the weight on hub and spigot ductile they would have a rash of cracked hubs, as the lead joints were generally packed with an 8 lb. sledge, I still have a set of water main irons.


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## user4 (Jun 12, 2008)

Protech said:


> I think the metal itself is different too somehow. The old stuff only gets a light surface rust scale. The new stuff scales up THICK. Like an inch thick or more. I have seen post 70s 3" that I could barley get a see snake compact through!


They stopped using the lead based tar coating in the early seventies too.


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