# High rise cast iron install



## gasket

Here are a couple pictures of pipe I've installed. I layed them out, set the hangers and installed the pipe. 

Thanks for looking.


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## Plumbus

Did you set the cans? If so, would you set them differently if you had this to do over again?
Are the two 4" lines connected with the tee vents?


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## rjbphd

Never seen curvy cast iron waste pipe.. is it some Califorina thing??


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## Gargalaxy

rjbphd said:


> Never seen curvy cast iron waste pipe.. is it some Califorina thing??


That's for better flow and freeze protection purposes....


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## gasket

Plumbus said:


> Did you set the cans? If so, would you set them differently if you had this to do over again?
> Are the two 4" lines connected with the tee vents?


Yes I set the cans on our deck layout. I would not use 'Proset' fire rated plastic sleeves in the future. Being that they have a designed fire index they don't have but an 1/8" wiggle room. So I would use metal cans in the future, but I'm just the apprentice...

I'm unclear what your referring to about the 4" lines?


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## Flyout95

gasket said:


> Here are a couple pictures of pipe I've installed. I layed them out, set the hangers and installed the pipe.
> 
> Thanks for looking.




That looks like good solid work. What year apprentice are you?

Why are your Tees so high? Are those clean outs our just test tees?


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## gasket

Flyout95 said:


> That looks like good solid work. What year apprentice are you?
> 
> Why are your Tees so high? Are those clean outs our just test tees?


Thanks brother much appreciated. Words of encouragement that I'm doing something right. I am in my second year. 

We set everything "nuts to butts" high and tight. The clean out tees at eye level are test tees.


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## rjbphd

gasket said:


> Thanks brother much appreciated. Words of encouragement that I'm doing something right. I am in my second year.
> 
> We set everything "nuts to butts" high and tight. The clean out tees at eye level are test tees.


 Get ahead of yourself by carry a folding ruler in your pocket


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## plbgbiz

rjbphd said:


> Never seen curvy cast iron waste pipe.. is it some Califorina thing??


Cell phone pics on panoramic setting to get floor to ceiling in one shot.


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## dhal22

Reminds me of 25 - 40 story hotels I worked on back in my younger days. Miles and miles of cast iron. What fun. And good looking work btw.


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## Redwood

rjbphd said:


> Never seen curvy cast iron waste pipe.. is it some Califorina thing??


It's a wide angle lense thing...:laughing:


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## ShaneP

Very professional work.


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## gasket

ShaneP said:


> Very professional work.


Thank you brother.


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## gasket

Here are some more pipe installed by me. Thank you for looking. All that you see I did, except the 6" with the 45• offset.


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## plumbdrum

Nice job!! For me ,to see a nohub install with Pex is odd.in Ma all commercial work is not allowed any plastics


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## gasket

plumbdrum said:


> Nice job!! For me ,to see a nohub install with Pex is odd.in Ma all commercial work is not allowed any plastics


Thank you. 

The high rise water water distribution is done mostly in PEX. All the units have a home run style distribution with the PEX sleeved and run, in cased in slab. The vertical main going up the building is 8" stainless steel with mechanical couplings. The stainless riser has various zone feeds throughout the floors that transition to brazed copper on the inlet into an ACV with regular sweat on the outlet, that then transitions to PEX for the drop downs into the unit manifolds.


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## Kleinfelterj

How come no riser clamps at the base of those stacks? I always thought that was standard practice in a multi story building


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## gasket

Kleinfelterj said:


> How come no riser clamps at the base of those stacks? I always thought that was standard practice in a multi story building


The riser clamps are there. We used Proset sleeves, that system is fire rated therefore the clamps are plastic with a metal band to tighten it to the pipe. The plastic is fire rated.


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## Kleinfelterj

Cool. The piping looks awesome!


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## pianoplumber

I hope you are air testing regularly as you go. Hubless cast is all fun until you throw air on it.


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## pianoplumber

We fill these garden sprayers with soapy water when we air test big cast systems.

You don't need to move ladders around.


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## Flyout95

We don't air test waste and vent. We stack test everything.


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## Plumbus

pianoplumber said:


> I hope you are air testing regularly as you go. Hubless cast is all fun until you throw air on it.


What pressure do you test them at.


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## pianoplumber

Plumbus said:


> What pressure do you test them at.


You'll have to ask your foreman as to your state's codes. My state, Minnesota, requires 5 PSI for 15 minutes.


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## Flyout95

Plumbus said:


> What pressure do you test them at.


Normally 15 feet of head, sometimes 10. Depends on the specs for the job.


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## dhal22

Many years ago I ran cast iron in a few high rises (a hotel was my favorite). The one job I did not want to be part of was the water testing. Every 2 floors, cutting, valving and reconnecting. We used the black adhesive lube and it worked very well.

I may still have a couple of photos from a late 80's job.

David


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## gasket

Yes we water test. Every even floor received clean out's for us to put a hose in and test down about 10' or more of head. Our test crew would have to change out so much pipe, I couldn't believe it. Every floor they ran into cracked pipe.


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## Tommy plumber

gasket said:


> Thanks brother much appreciated. Words of encouragement that I'm doing something right.* I am in my second year. *
> 
> We set everything "nuts to butts" high and tight. The clean out tees at eye level are test tees.












Work looks really good. By your 3rd year you'll be running a few crews......:laughing:


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## GAN

pianoplumber said:


> I hope you are air testing regularly as you go. Hubless cast is all fun until you throw air on it.


Boy heard that. I hate the two band clamps, use 4 band clamps when possible less issues. Had a State inspector once checking torque, if it didn't click,,,,,, go back and re-torque everything, take 2 aspirin & call him in the morning....


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## pianoplumber

GAN said:


> Boy heard that. I hate the two band clamps, use 4 band clamps when possible less issues. Had a State inspector once checking torque, if it didn't click,,,,,, go back and re-torque everything, take 2 aspirin & call him in the morning....


State inspector was a snot nosed punk. But you did what you had to do to pass, got paid, and took the pride home with you. It made you a better plumber and you have my respect.


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## MACPLUMB777

Man that gives me a headache and a sore neck looking at all that overhead work
I don't know how you guys that did that kind of work made it home every day
without your head hanging sideways :whistling2:


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## gasket

Here are some pictures from today. This took me the better part of a day. This is where all of the vents come together for the VTR. This one section represents only 1/4 of the vent penetrations.


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## Kleinfelterj

It's weird seeing pex with cast iron. The piping looks really good


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## gasket

When will it end.....haha

Here are some pictures of a sovent system I plumbed in. I also layed this system out up on the deck, set the hangers and piped it in.


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## GREENPLUM

Kleinfelterj said:


> It's weird seeing pex with cast iron. The piping looks really good


Agreed, wonder why they don't use pvc?


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## h2omanipulator

Nice looking work Gasket, how did the Uponor install go? Any issues with the PEX in the slab? I know the sales guys say that's okay but I think it's a bit nuts


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## h2omanipulator

GREENPLUM said:


> Agreed, wonder why they don't use pvc?


I know here in NC we have to use cast iron waste if the building is over 75' tall - water piping doesn't matter if it's plastic [which is stupid], someone in Charlotte NC must have a lot of money to lobby the state plumbing codes in their favor....:yes:


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## gasket

h2omanipulator said:


> Nice looking work Gasket, how did the Uponor install go? Any issues with the PEX in the slab? I know the sales guys say that's okay but I think it's a bit nuts


Thank you, I appreciate that. The PEX install in slab was easy! One of the bigger concerns when running from the manifold to the fixture was making soft and bigger diameter turns. Once we go to connect to inwall manifolds, the PEX can be quite a challenge to pull in the slab. By the way yes the PEX was sleeved with a corrugated plastic sleeving.


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## Mykeeb33

We use to get some 2" PVC ball valves with a 4x2 NH reducer on each end and put them in the verticals if we had to test high rise floors with water. Test done, just open the valve. No water mess!


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## Bayside500

Mykeeb33 said:


> We use to get some 2" PVC ball valves with a 4x2 NH reducer on each end and put them in the verticals if we had to test high rise floors with water. Test done, just open the valve. No water mess!


but how do you test the replacement piece that fills in where the PVC valve was ?


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## Mykeeb33

Running test when we dump the upper floor.


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## h2omanipulator

Mykeeb33 said:


> We use to get some 2" PVC ball valves with a 4x2 NH reducer on each end and put them in the verticals if we had to test high rise floors with water. Test done, just open the valve. No water mess!


Maybe I missed something (I am a noob) but why wouldn't you just use a Cherne screw in test ball in a regular CO Tee?


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## Flyout95

h2omanipulator said:


> Maybe I missed something (I am a noob) but why wouldn't you just use a Cherne screw in test ball in a regular CO Tee?


those leaks like a burst dam when you drain down.


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## h2omanipulator

Flyout95 said:


> those leaks like a burst dam when you drain down.


We've been using them for 15 years and not really had that problem, could be the gallon of slic-tite on each one, but since you can use them over and over it works out, got a couple gang boxes full of them at the shop


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