Can cast iron sewer pipe be lined?

Yes, cast iron sewer pipe can be lined if the old pipe still holds its round shape. A CIPP liner forms a new jointless pipe inside it, but it has to be cleaned and descaled to bare metal first so the liner bonds. Cast iron that is crushed, collapsed, or missing wall is past lining and needs replacement.

Cast iron is one of the most common materials lined, partly because so many older homes here still have it. The catch is that it corrodes from the inside, building a crust of rust and scale that narrows the bore and gives the liner nothing clean to grip. Descaling cuts that buildup away, usually with a chain or cutter head and hydro jetting, so the pipe is back to bare metal before the liner goes in.

How far gone the pipe is decides the rest. Industry guidance from NASSCO puts CIPP inside pipe that is clear of collapse and has lost no more than about 40 percent of its cross section, and notes that the liner keeps the existing line and grade. In practice a cracked or corroded but still round cast iron line is a good candidate, while a section that has lost its shape or its wall is not.

Lining also cannot do two things. It will not rebuild pipe wall that has rusted away, and it will not correct slope, so a cast iron line with a sag keeps that sag under the liner. A camera inspection settles which case you have, and how cast iron lining works covers the qualifying conditions in more detail.

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