Drilling a cast iron soil pipe

[denso13]

The material seems to be massively harder.

Soil pipe can be heavy grade and come substantially thicker that cast iron rainwater pipe.

You maybe, unluckily, have both and found the first one easier.

 

[dilalio]

Its fine to put it into cast as long as its in the wet bit ie it can't be the top connection to the stack.

As long as you have a bath, basin or wc above it there's no problem

Fitted a ravenheat to a 5 storey cast iron stack... Put the condensate so it went into the sink and was diluted by the hot water... No heating. So I did it but at the time thought it could be questioned

 

[endecotp]

Soil pipe can be heavy grade and come substantially thicker that cast iron rainwater pipe.

Right; I don't think this is heavy-grade and I guess that now I have a hole I can measure the thickness.

 

[endecotp]

Its fine to put it into cast as long as its in the wet bit ie it can't be the top connection to the stack.

Right, I found a Worcester Bosch note saying exactly that. I only need to worry if all the upstairs flats are empty - which is unlikely, but not impossible.

 

[Justin Passing]

CI hardness varies a lot out of the factory.
HSS will always cut it - the CI softens and the HSS doesn't, if you go fast/hot enough. That's the point of HSS.
One thing I've found common to those plastic-to-CI fittings doesn't vary though, they all leak. The water rusts the iron and it runs down the pipe. I'd scrape the paint off and put some sealant in there regardless what they say.
YMMV, I guess!
If you download the picture of that fitting it says there's a fitting tool. I'm not familiar with that afai can remember, and I can't understand it from the diagram. There are two parts, but the curve's the wrong way, at first sight.

 

[endecotp]

Believe me [the TCT hole saw will] fly through that, hardened or no.

And without increasing the danger of cracking the pipe?

Remember the initial question was "how can I drill a cast iron pipe without it cracking?", not "can I drill a cast iron pipe at all?". Hence going slowly, using lubrication, etc.

 

[endecotp]

CI hardness varies a lot out of the factory.
HSS will always cut it - the CI softens and the HSS doesn't, if you go fast/hot enough. That's the point of HSS.

So you reckon I should be drilling relatively fast?

One thing I've found common to those plastic-to-CI fittings doesn't vary though, they all leak. The water rusts the iron and it runs down the pipe. I'd scrape the paint off and put some sealant in there regardless what they say.

Right, maybe we'll discuss that once I reach that point!

If you download the picture of that fitting it says there's a fitting tool. I'm not familiar with that afai can remember, and I can't understand it from the diagram. There are two parts, but the curve's the wrong way, at first sight.

Yes, it's not completely obvious but the diagram is right. Basically there are some teeth that pop through the pipe and a piece inside that is tightened back towards the wall of the pipe to hold the teeth in place.

 

[trojanhawrs]

And without increasing the danger of cracking the pipe?

Remember the initial question was "how can I drill a cast iron pipe without it cracking?", not "can I drill a cast iron pipe at all?". Hence going slowly, using lubrication, etc.

I don't see why it would crack, you might be able to crack thin cast by lumping it with a hammer but I wouldn't expect it to crack from a small hole even if the saw bites, but you could turn down the torque to be sure

CI hardness varies a lot out of the factory.
HSS will always cut it - the CI softens and the HSS doesn't, if you go fast/hot enough. That's the point of HSS.

That's nonsense.

 

[Justin Passing]

That's nonsense.

Nope, look it up.