How to replace a sewer riser in an apartment?

Many residents of apartments and houses sooner or later decide to replace old sewer pipes with modern plastic products. It is easier to do this procedure in your own home, but in an apartment building there will be no result without the consent of the neighbors. Replacing a sewer riser in an apartment with your own hands is only possible if it is located on the top floor. In this case, when replacing the riser, it is important to preserve the ventilation pipe, which leads to the roof. If this condition is not met, then the water seals throughout the house will not work properly, and an unpleasant sewer smell may appear.

When is it time to change the riser?

The sewer riser needs to be replaced if there are fistulas or cracks in it. Also, such measures must be taken if the horizontal pipeline is lowered.

Installation of a new sewer riser in an apartment

To install a new riser, you will need tees, with the help of which internal wiring will be provided, taking into account the floor level in the room. Sometimes the level of the sewer system drops by about ten centimeters, which is explained by the lowering of the tee socket to the ceiling and pipes placed horizontally and located in the screed.

Where does work begin?

First you need to prepare materials and tools. So, you will need:

• a piece of rubber to ensure high-quality sealing of the area located between the cast iron and plastic pipe;
• a plastic cross or a special tee with an outlet;
• the required piece of plastic pipe;
• compensator for fixing pipes;
• plastic adapter with rubber insert. This part is required because there is no bell on the top tube;
• to attach the riser, you need to stock up on clamps of the appropriate size;
• to move the riser, bends of the appropriate diameter of 45 degrees may be required.

If the old riser had a special window used for cleaning the sewer, then the same element must be installed on the new plumbing structure.

Correctly dismantling a cast iron riser is not so easy. If you have no experience in this matter, then it is better to seek help from the experts. But, if you wish, you can do the work yourself, following the detailed instructions. To complete the process you will need:

• plumbing tools;
• detailed instructions for dismantling the old structure and installing a new riser.

Tools for dismantling an old riser

So, you need to get:

• a device for cutting pipes; a grinder or a special pipe cutter can be used for this purpose;
• a chisel, which is used to remove cut pieces of material;
• a screwdriver to remove small pieces;
• a hammer to loosen the required section of pipe;
• a crowbar and a nail puller to remove elements that are stuck in the system;
• a hammer drill used to grind cement at joints;
• a polyethylene cut, which is used to insulate possible holes;
• a grinding machine, which is used to prepare the remaining sections of pipes for the installation of a new riser;
• To ensure your own safety while working, you must wear gloves and goggles.

How is a cast iron pipe hammered?

Before changing the sewer riser in an apartment, it is necessary to take special measures to dismantle the old structure, in particular this concerns the caulking of pipes. Some people believe that the situation can be solved with a sledgehammer, but as practice shows, you need to act completely differently.

Once upon a time, metal wedges were used to wedge sewer joints because the process was simple and quick. A little later, sulfur began to be used for these purposes. It was boiled in a special cauldron and used to fill sewer joints, which after hardening acquired strength characteristics. How to get rid of this sulfur?

First, you need to carefully hit the socket with a hammer; if you hit it with excessive force, there is a risk of breaking the socket entering the riser or going out to the neighbors. In the worst case, you will have to replace the entire riser, which is very expensive.

If the connection section begins to wobble, then it must be continued to be loosened in all possible directions. Rapid loosening may indicate that the old rope method was used to make the connection. In this case, you just need to pry it up and carefully pull it out, while it is important to continue to loosen the bell.

If after tapping the joint there is no positive result, then further tapping will be useless. A blowtorch or torch will help to cope with such situations, with the help of which you will need to heat the wedging area in a circle.

Important! Do not try to apply excessive force, since this can only break the socket of the riser, and you will have to spend a lot of time correcting the error. When burning sulfur, it is imperative to adhere to safety precautions, using a respirator or gas mask.

During the process of burning out the sulfur, you need to carefully tap the joint area with a hammer. When the bell starts to move to the sides, you need to loosen it with an adjustable wrench, pulling it towards you.

After removing the bell, you need to clean its location. To do this, it is advisable to use a chisel, chisel or pry bar. With these steps, the rubber seal will fit correctly.

After treating the rubber band with silicone, it is inserted into the socket, only after this a new plastic pipe or tee is inserted.

How to properly dismantle a sewer riser?

Before starting work, you need to select a specific location for installing a new riser in the room; replacement may be required:

• pipes located between the ceiling and floor;
• sections of pipes that are located between floors.

In the second case, you cannot do without agreement with your neighbors, since some manipulations will need to be carried out in their apartment. The first replacement option is the most popular, since the actions are much simpler.

Immediately before dismantling work, you need to turn off the water in the riser, and it is important to warn your neighbors so that they do not use the sewer for a while. Subsequent work must be carried out following clear instructions.

• Measuring a distance of 80 cm from the tee and 10 cm from the ceiling, you need to use a grinder to make a couple of horizontal cuts measuring half the diameter of the pipe.
• With a hammer and chisel, they first hit the upper one, and then the lower one. When performing such manipulations, the cast iron pipe splits and its middle part is dismantled.
• The pipe under the ceiling needs to be covered with film, after which you can safely proceed to dismantling the lower area where tees and other fittings can be placed.
• Using a crowbar and a nail puller, loosen the tee fastening. At best, the fittings can be easily removed. The places where the connection was made with cement are cleared with a hammer drill.
• It is easier to remove pieces of cement using a screwdriver or chisel, but do not forget to dismantle the old tee.
• The remaining pipe cuttings need to be prepared for the installation of new riser elements. To do this, you need to clean the ends of the old pipes from dirt and process them with a grinding machine.

If the dismantling work was carried out correctly, then reliable and durable operation of the new plastic riser will be ensured.

• You need to cut the pipe with a grinder at a height of at least one meter from the tee.
• The same cut is made at the top, keeping a distance of 8 cm from the ceiling.
• A chisel is carefully driven into this cut with a hammer.
• After making several blows, the pipe should burst.
• The same actions must be done at the bottom of the pipe, after which the old riser pipe is simply removed.

If, when you tap the socket with a hammer, it begins to loosen, then this may indicate that carbolic acid and rope were used for caulking. In such cases, it is enough to pry up the rope with a screwdriver and remove it by tightening it with pliers. During this work, you need to continue to loosen the bell to make it easier to remove.

Sometimes the sulfur filling method was used for caulking. In such cases, the sequence of actions will be completely different. In addition, it is important to note that you will have to burn off this sulfur using a torch or soldering iron. The sulfur is first heated throughout the joint and then removed. When using this melting option, you need to remember safety precautions when performing work. Thus, you cannot do without a gas mask or respirator and goggles. Also, in the room where the riser is being replaced, active ventilation must be provided. After the sulfur has softened, you can begin to loosen the bell. For these purposes, it is recommended to use an adjustable wrench.

When the bell is removed, the place where it is placed should be cleaned with a chisel or chisel. Such measures must be carried out so that the rubber cuffs fall into place without distortion.

Features of installation of the riser

The sewer riser in an apartment building is a very complex structure, so to replace it, you should calculate and prepare the necessary elements in advance.

To independently work on replacing the riser, you need to acquire:

• plastic pipes with a diameter of 110 mm;
• tees with bends;
• rubber parts to ensure reliable fastening between the old and new pipe;
• appropriate fastenings, mostly simple clamps are used;
• liquid soap so that the pipe fits smoothly into the connecting parts;
• vertical level to monitor accuracy.

All work on the installation of a new riser must be carried out in a certain sequence:

• first, a rubber cuff is put on top of the cast-iron piece of pipe, and the junction
• must be treated with sealant;
• An additional adapter must be installed at the bottom of the tee;
• to measure a pipe with an expansion joint inserted into the tee, you need to put it in a position in which it will always be. You need to cut the segment, retreating no more than 5 cm above the socket. Only after accurate measurements do you need to connect the individual parts into one structure;
• At the final stage of installation, the new plastic riser must be attached to the wall using clamps. If this is not done, there will be a risk of it moving downwards, and this may cause a rupture of the structure;
• if in the process of replacing the riser it is also planned to replace the tee itself, then the compensator must be installed directly on the tee. When two pipes are used to install a riser, the compensator must be installed in the place where they are fixed;
• Regardless of the location of the connection, they are treated with a sealant.

If you need to visually see how to replace a sewer riser in an apartment, the video will complement the instructions described above.

In fact, replacing a riser is not as difficult as it seems. In this case, attention and accuracy are important. If the work is carried out in accordance with the rules and recommendations, the new riser will last for many years.

To carry out the work, it is not necessary to involve experienced craftsmen, since all the work can be easily done independently. To do this, it is enough to have a good tool at hand and know the correct procedure.