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Cast Iron Pipe Replacement and Your Home’s Insurance

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Homeowners’ insurance typically covers sudden damage, but it rarely covers gradual deterioration — like what happens with aging cast iron pipes.

If a sewer backup floods your home, the damage cleanup might be covered. But fixing the underlying broken pipes? That’s usually out-of-pocket. That’s why many homeowners choose underground pipe replacement proactively rather than waiting for a disaster.

An old cast iron pipe replacement — usually a cast iron to PVC conversion — can protect you from huge uninsured losses later. It’s an investment in your home’s future, preventing costly foundation issues, mold problems, and interior damage.

When you understand the real risks and the cast iron pipe replacement cost, it becomes easier to plan wisely instead of being forced into emergency repairs later.

Have questions about protecting your home?

We’re here to guide you, whether you’re replacing pipes soon or just starting to explore your options. When you’re ready, we can help you move forward with confidence.

Contact In-House Plumbing Company today for straightforward advice!

How Cast Iron Pipe Failure Can Impact Your Home’s Value

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Homeowners often think about roof repairs or kitchen upgrades when protecting their home’s value — but they overlook the pipes beneath their feet.

Failing cast iron pipes can create issues like slow drains, bad odors, foundation movement, or even sewage backups. If you plan to sell your home, these problems could cause buyers to walk away or demand major concessions.

Investing in pipe replacement services now, especially a cast iron to PVC conversion, can preserve your home’s value and make inspections go more smoothly. A modern plumbing system signals that your home is well-cared-for.

An underground pipe replacement can be a smart financial move — not just an emergency fix. Understanding your cast iron pipe replacement cost options can help you plan ahead and avoid surprises later.

Thinking long-term? 

We’re here to help you understand the condition of your pipes and plan for the future. When the time is right, we’re ready to provide an estimate tailored to your needs.

Reach out to In-House Plumbing Company today and build lasting value into your home!

Why Underground Pipe Replacement Isn’t a DIY Project

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Replacing underground sewer pipes might sound simple, but in reality, it’s one of the most complex home repairs you can face. Especially when dealing with an old cast iron pipe replacement, precision and expertise matter.

In North Texas, underground pipes often run under slab foundations. Mistakes during underground pipe replacement can cause major foundation issues, plumbing failures, or even legal problems if city codes aren’t followed correctly.

When upgrading to a cast iron to PVC conversion, professionals carefully assess soil conditions, slope requirements, and pipe depth. They use proper materials and techniques to prevent future leaks, ensuring the new system lasts decades.

While the cast iron pipe replacement cost might seem high compared to a DIY effort, the long-term savings and peace of mind are worth it. Cutting corners underground usually leads to expensive repairs later.

Planning ahead? 

We’re happy to answer your questions and explain what a quality underground pipe replacement should look like. When you’re ready to move forward, we can schedule an estimate that fits your timeline.

Contact In-House Plumbing Company today for advice you can trust!

5 Signs You May Need an Old Cast Iron Pipe Replacement

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Many homeowners don’t realize their cast iron pipes are failing until serious problems appear. Here are five early signs you might need pipe replacement services:

  1. Frequent Drain Backups: If you’re clearing clogs repeatedly, the problem could be deeper in the sewer line.
  2. Slow Drains Throughout the House: If multiple drains are sluggish, it often points to a larger underground issue, not just a single clogged fixture.
  3. Bad Odors: Cracked or broken cast iron pipes can leak waste, creating unpleasant smells inside or outside your home.
  4. Foundation Cracks or Movement: Leaking pipes allow water to soak into North Texas’ clay soils. As the clay absorbs moisture, it swells, putting upward pressure on your foundation and causing it to heave. In some cases, the soil can also erode, leading to settlement. Both scenarios can cause serious structural problems.
  5. Visible Rust or Debris in Drains: Rust breaking off from deteriorating pipes can show up as flakes or sediment in your sinks, tubs, or toilets.

When caught early, an old cast iron pipe replacement — often a cast iron to PVC conversion — can prevent expensive repairs and protect your home’s structure. A trusted expert can evaluate your situation and explain whether an underground pipe replacement is necessary.

Understanding the potential cast iron pipe replacement cost ahead of time — and knowing the risks of waiting — gives you the knowledge to make the right decision for your home’s long-term health.

Curious about what’s happening under your home?

We’re always happy to answer questions and provide guidance without pressure. If you’re preparing to move forward soon, we can help you with a detailed estimate when the time is right.

Reach out to In-House Plumbing Company today and start planning with confidence!

Understanding Cast Iron to PVC Conversion: What Homeowners Should Know

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If your home was built before 1986, there’s a good chance your plumbing system includes cast iron pipes. Over time, cast iron deteriorates, leading to leaks, backups, and costly damage. That’s where cast iron to PVC conversion comes in.

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) piping offers several advantages: it’s resistant to corrosion, it’s smooth on the inside (helping waste flow better), and it has a lifespan of 50-100 years. When we perform pipe replacement services, switching from old cast iron to PVC gives homeowners a long-term solution.

The process often involves underground pipe replacement, especially for homes where the sewer lines run beneath the slab foundation. While the cast iron pipe replacement cost may seem significant at first, it can actually save thousands by preventing foundation repairs or severe backups in the future.

When planning for an old cast iron pipe replacement, it’s important to understand that no two homes are exactly alike. Soil type, home layout, and pipe depth can all affect the project scope.

Educating yourself now can help you make confident decisions when it’s time to replace your system. A knowledgeable plumber should always walk you through your options clearly, so you understand exactly what’s happening under your home.

Thinking about your options?

Whether you’re gathering information or preparing for a future project, we’re happy to offer advice. If you’re ready to move forward soon, we can schedule a detailed estimate to fit your timeline.

Contact In-House Plumbing Company today to start the conversation!

What Makes Cast Iron Pipes Fail Faster in North Texas?

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Most cast iron pipes were designed to last about 50 years — but in North Texas, it’s common to see deterioration starting between 35 and 50 years, and sometimes even sooner.

Several factors contribute:

  • Soil Acidity: Our local soils can be surprisingly acidic, speeding up the exterior corrosion of underground pipes.
  • Household Chemicals: Over time, drain cleaners, soaps, and other chemicals flow through the pipes, breaking down the interior walls.
  • Manufacturing Flaws: When cast iron pipes are made, they’re spun in molds, often resulting in one side being thinner. If the thinner side was installed facing down, it’s more vulnerable to early failure.
  • Water Leaks: Moisture under the slab can also worsen corrosion, although swelling clay soil itself doesn’t directly damage the pipes.

Understanding why pipes fail can help you plan ahead before you face major problems.

Wondering about your pipes?

We’re happy to answer questions and explain what’s happening beneath your home — no pressure, just honest advice. If you’re planning to act soon, we’re ready to help with a detailed estimate.

Talk to In-House Plumbing Company today and stay one step ahead!

Determining Cast Iron Pipe Integrity

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At In House Plumbing Company serving you is our business. We service the following areas of Texas: Plano, Richardson, Garland, Dallas, and surrounding cities. We Specialize in Cast Iron Sewer Pipe Replacement.

Today, I want to talk about determining the integrity or condition of the cast iron sewer pipe currently under your home’s foundation. We get asked all the time if we can run a sewer camera and determine the integrity of that cast iron. In short, the answer is no we cannot. It’s a horrible idea and we are going to show you why in this video.

Cast iron pipe was designed to last 50 years, and the overwhelming majority of the cast iron still present in homes today has already reached, or are coming real close to reaching that lifespan. The last cast iron installed in the DFW area was about 1986. By that time, most cities had already done away with allowing new cast iron pipe to be installed, back to as early as 1975.

We’ve seen our fair share of cast iron pipes, and what I can tell you about cast iron is if it’s not bad yet, it’s going bad, and it needs to be replaced. That’s just a plain and simple fact. If I know one way to look at this is, if you were going to buy a house that had cast iron pipe, we would tell you not to buy it without taking into consideration that you will have to replace it.

We have come across instances where a 20 year old pipe had the bottom completely rotted and rusted away, rendering that pipe no good at all. We have also had instances where a pipe that was 50 years old was still okay. The truth is, if it is a cast iron pipe, it’s going to go bad and there is no doubt it will have to be replaced at some point.

There have been many situations when we would go in and try to repair a cast iron pipe, only to find that the pipe would be brittle and many times would crumble with just the touch of someone’s hand. After spending the time and money to try to repair the pipe, we ended up having to replace the pipe anyway on many occasions, costing the homeowner more money than if they just would have replaced it in the first place. In the situation where we got out with just a repair, many times it took more to repair the pipe than we thought before the job was started and the bottom line is whatever you repair today on a spot repair, you are going to replace later, making it a total waste of time and money. It just does not make sense to repair cast iron pipe in DFW today.

With that in mind, we made a decision, in 2019 or so, that we were no longer going to spot repair, or just fix one or more leaks in cast iron. Because inevitably, recurring repairs cost our customers more money in the long run and replacement is a better, more sustainable solution.

Since that decision, our company will only replace under slab cast iron sewer pipe

Let’s take a second to make sure you understand the difference between repair and replacement. Let’s say you have 60 feet of pipe under your home’s foundation, a repair would be to fix 1 or more spots by replacing 1 to 3 feet of pipe at each spot. A replacement would be to replace all 60 feet of pipe.

You should also know that many times there are multiple options as to how the pipe can be replaced. We prefer to reroute the sewer pipes if possible when replacing them, which in a normal situation saves tunneling. Tunneling is the most expensive part of cast iron sewer pipe replacement under slab foundations and our rerouting method trades that tunneling for a trench in the yard.

Rerouting could save you a significant amount of money and is always the best option if possible, however, not all houses can be rerouted. When having your cast iron pipes evaluated, make sure to ask if rerouting is an option. and hire someone who has your best interest at heart, not theirs. A trustworthy sewer repair company provides you with all of the best options available for your situation and needs.

With all of that in mind, part of what I want to show you in this video is that the sewer camera shows that the cast iron is rusted. Some would say that in this situation, it’s still in good condition because it doesn’t appear to have any cracks, breaks, or holes in it.

The camera may show the inside of the pipe, and it may look okay, but one thing to consider with a sewer pipe is that you’ve got a lot of buildup on the inside of this pipe. So, even if running a camera through it, most of the time you can’t actually see the inside of the pipe anyway due to the soap scum buildup, sewer buildup, and all kinds of materials that are just caked to the inside of the pipe. Another reason why there is no way to determine the integrity of the pipe by putting a camera inside the pipe.

Regardless, it doesn’t matter what it looks like on the inside. One thing to really consider is the thickness of the pipe. With it being cast iron, if the inside is showing rust, so will the outside. Rust, and other factors from the pipe being in the ground, eats away at the pipe and makes it thinner and more susceptible to breaking. In short, it’s been rusting since the minute they put it in the ground!

There are essentially two things that matter. First, that it is working properly. Working properly means when you flush the toilets, run the sinks, the dishwashers, the washing machines, showers, tubs, and all the things inside the house, that the sewer and water runs into the sewer line and it’s functioning. It’s working properly when the water and waste flow through your line, underneath the house, and out into the pipes in the yard.

Secondly, what matters is if it is leaking. If so, what’s creating the leak? Is there a crack or break or hole in the sewer line? When the leak is under the slab it’s going to cause structural damage. It can lead to a damaged foundation, soggy carpet, cracked tiles and more. Another good reason for having your pipe rerouted is that the yard does not have a structure on it, so there’s no reason to worry about the types of structural damage these leaks can cause!

There is no way a camera can determine if there is a leak in a sewer system. How can you determine by putting something inside the pipe that water is escaping on the outside of the pipe? You can’t. It’s just not possible.

This is a huge misconception that our industry has done to people. I can say that at least 95% of our industry tries to find leaks with a camera, and tries to determine the integrity of the cast iron pipe with a camera. It is false. It is completely and totally junk science. Don’t fall for it.

The bottom line is, it doesn’t matter what the inside of your cast iron pipe looks like because it does not give a full picture of what could be going on. Fixing a spot now could mean it puts stress on other areas of the pipe and then you’ll have another problem. Plainly put, it’s difficult to know the line’s integrity and how much longer it’s going to last.

Watch the featured video for this post to learn more about cast iron pipe issues. In this particular video, we will be showing you an instance of just how deteriorated a cast iron pipe can get.

Every house is different and it’s important to have a full evaluation to know what you’re dealing with.
Now, let me say one other thing about cast iron pipe. The pipe that’s in the walls is different from the pipe under the house. And we’re going to talk more about that in an upcoming video.

Feel free to contact us today at 972-366-6597 should you have any questions or to schedule a free estimate and consultation for replacing your cast iron sewer pipe, also remember financing is available and we look forward to serving you soon.

Cast Iron Pipe Replacement Buyer Beware of Companies Just Replacing Gut or Main Sewer Lines Only

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We are In-House Plumbing Company where serving you is our business. We service the following areas of Texas Plano, Richardson, Garland & surrounding Cities. Quickly we wanted to give you an example of something to beware of when it comes to [having your cast iron pipes replaced] but the homeowner either does not understand or the company is telling the homeowner that all, of the cast iron is replaced. Every house is different when it comes to how the sewer lines are laid out under the house, making the gut/main lines and branch lines different for each house. 

Keep in mind that rerouting the sewer pipes instead of replacing them where they lay under the foundation is always the best and least expensive option if possible, however, remember not all houses can be rerouted. Let’s walk through one example to try to help you understand and give you the best chance of getting your cast iron replaced completely, properly, and at the least expensive cost the first time so you do not have to do this more than once. 

The red lines are where the original cast iron sewer pipe was laid. The red line with pink next to it would be considered the gut or main line. The remainder of the red lines would be considered the branch lines for this home’s sewer system. The green lines are where we installed the new PVC pipe by rerouting the lines toward the outside. As you can see if the main or gut line was the only part of the pipe replaced you would still have a considerable amount of cast iron pipe under the slab. Another important thing to understand is once the main or gut line is replaced, you really box yourself into a corner when it comes to replacing the rest of the lines later, especially since all the branch lines are still connected to the main or gut line. You either must replace the branch lines right where they are or you must start completely over and do the reroute, which means everything you spent on the main or gut line replacement would be wasted. 

Unfortunately, we went to a house/not this one but like this recently where the homeowner was selling the house and a company had replaced the main line only once the main line was replaced, they determined the sewer system was still leaking on the pipes they had not replaced and so they went back to the homeowner for more money, which is when he called us for a second opinion. Unfortunately, there was just no way we could help him without starting completely over, but he still owed the current company 30,000.00 and they were not finished. Because our pricing is typically a lot less than most companies and very few of our complete reroutes cost more than 30,000.00, it is highly likely he would have paid a lot less than 30,000 to us from the beginning and got all the cast iron replaced with PVC by rerouting the pipes. 

 

Another thing to keep in mind is when replacing part of the pipes now and part later, you can end up with similar concerns to what we are discussing here as well as it will always cost you more long term to replace the pipes separately than it would to replace them all at one time. We understand not all people can do everything at once, we just want you to be informed so you can make the best decision with a long-term perspective in mind. Let’s compare some cost examples for this house. By rerouting this house, we saved a lot of tunneling, which is the most expensive part of cast iron sewer pipe replacement under slab foundations, and traded that tunnel for a trench in the yard. Our rerouting estimate was 24.5% less than replacing the pipes where they were laid originally and rerouting all the pipes was 35% more than just replacing the main or gut line in this case. Make sure you know exactly what is being proposed by the company you chose to replace your cast iron pipes and don’t forget to ask if rerouting is an option and hire someone who has your best interest at heart, not theirs when having your cast iron pipes replaced.

Feel free to contact us today at 972-366-6597 should you have any questions or to schedule a free estimate and consultation, we look forward to serving you soon.

Don’t Pay Too Much for Your Cast Iron Sewer Pipe Replacement

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Hello We are inhouse plumbing company where serving you is our business. We service the following areas of Texas Plano, Richardson, Garland, Dallas & Surrounding Cities. Don’t pay too much for someone to replace your cast iron sewer pipes. The truth is that every house is different, so when it comes to replacing the cast iron sewer pipes, the cost will be different for each house. One common misconception is that what my friend, coworker, family member or neighbor paid is what I will pay, that is a myth, 2 houses right next to each other could be significantly different in cost based on the layout of the plumbing in each house, the only way to know what your cost would be is to get an estimate, we will talk more about estimates below. With that said we are hearing and seeing a lot of information that shows people are overpaying for cast iron pipe replacement and we don’t want that to happen to you. Here are a few things to keep in mind to keep this from happening to you.

Square footage of the house has absolutely nothing to do with the price of replacing your cast iron pipes.

Where the plumbing fixtures (such as – Kitchen sink, Bar Sink, Washer, Bathroom Sinks, Toilets, Showers and Tubs) are located and what has to be done to get to and replace the pipe for those fixtures is the only thing that matters. So for example how much (tunnel, trench, excavation, plumbing labor and materials, backfill and cleanup) has to be done.

Rerouting the plumbing pipe is almost always the best and least expensive option if possible, however remember not all houses can be rerouted. One major reason rerouting is usually the best option is because it can eliminate significant amounts of tunneling and trade that tunneling for trenching in the yard. Tunneling is typically the most expensive part of cast iron pipe replacement.

Get multiple estimates. No one should pay for an estimate from a company for this type of work, so we recommend getting as many estimates as possible, it can only help you learn and likely save money in the end. Keep in mind that the cheapest estimate may not be the right estimate to go with, the old saying that you get what you pay for has a lot of truth to it and be careful of the tricks that could be played by giving a low estimate to get in the door and coming back for more money once the work is started. Also keep in mind that the most expensive estimate does not mean that company is the most experienced or going to do the best job. There are so many things to consider with pricing, that we cannot possibly list them all here, just be very careful and listen to your gut. You just want to be careful to understand each estimate, check out each company thoroughly to make sure they are going to do what they say there are going to do. The worst thing you can do is hire the wrong company, pay them and have to redo part or all of what they did which will end up costing you double or triple what you could have gotten it done for by a reputable and quality company.

Lets talk a little about average or possible cost of replacing your cast iron sewer pipes. The overwhelming majority of our estimates range from 15,000 to 25,000. Sometimes but not often we see estimates ranging from 25,000 to 35,000 and although it happens it is extremely rare to see an estimate over 35,000. In our 22 year history as a company we have only given 2 estimates at a cost over 45,000. It is our experience that many companies are charging 1 and a half to three times what a good reputable company who does this all the time will charge you to do the work, so make sure you get multiple estimates from a variety of companies and look for the companies that specialize in and do this type of work all the time.

Although using an excavation company to do the excavation work and separate plumbing company to do this work is an option we highly recommend against it as neither company is going to be able to provide you a warranty for their work, meaning you could have to redo what was done immediately after the work is finished at your cost. Obviously, it would likely be rare there would be a problem, but just make sure you factor this risk possibility into your overall decision. It is also important to note that many times two different companies charging full price for each of their work separately (remember you have a certain amount of overhead cost built into every estimate and company) can cost more than one company giving you their best cost for the whole job. Another thing to consider here is that most of the companies doing this type of work in DFW these days use a subcontracted excavation crew to do the excavation work, but the plumbing company subcontracting to the excavation company is going to pay that excavation company less money than a homeowner would because of the volume of work they give to that contractor. This means you will pay maximum price for the excavation company and the plumbing company hiring them separately. This is another reason getting multiple estimates is a good idea.

Another thing I would like to address is replacing your cast iron pipes in multiple stages. What I mean by this is doing one part of the work now and other part(s) later. We highly recommend against this if you can at all avoid it. Keep in mind that it will always cost you more money and sometimes significantly more money to do the work in stages then it would to do it all at one time. There are many reasons for this so what I will say is if you are considering this as an option call us and lets us come and look at your situation and give you an estimate and we can show you how much it would cost for all of it now, as well as part now and part later at today’s prices so you can make a good long-term decision. We understand that many people cannot afford to do all of it at once, we just want to make sure you understand it will cost you more doing it separately than all at once. Many people believe we don’t recommend this as an option because it is good for us to do it all now, the truth is we would make more money if you did the work separately, we recommend against this because we have your long-term best interest in mind not ours.

We hope this information will help you make the right long-term decision when it comes to replacing your cast iron sewer pipes. Feel free to contact us today at 972-366-6597 for a free no obligation evaluation and estimate as we will always give you our honest opinion and best price. Also please consider sharing this information with your family, friends and neighbors to make sure they don’t pay too much either. Thank you and have a great day.

Should you fix the foundation or replace the cast iron pipe first?

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Do you have foundation problems and need cast iron pipe replacement? The question is should you fix the foundation or replace the cast iron pipe first? From an honest plumber’s perspective on this, you should fix the foundation first then fix the plumbing because anytime you lift or level a foundation it is always possible to break plumbing pipes. If you fix the plumbing, then the foundation you may need to fix the plumbing a second time.

However, there is another important thing to consider in these situations. It is possible the foundation problem is completely due to the plumbing problem and if you get the plumbing problem fixed it will solve the foundation problem as well. With this in mind, we cannot tell you the answer to this question, you need to consult an honest foundation repair contractor. Explain your situation and they are welcome to contact us as well if necessary. Go with what their recommendation is with one exception. If they tell you to fix the plumbing first with a plan of them fixing the foundation within a short amount of time (say 1 week to 3 months later) and with no additional evaluation of the foundation before they do the foundation work, you have the wrong foundation company and should get a new one. The issue is, if you are going to fix the plumbing first then you need to let the soil under the foundation dry out at least a minimum of 3 months, but many foundation repair companies suggest longer than that. After it has had time to dry, you need to have the foundation re-evaluated to see what might have changed since the plumbing was fixed, maybe that evaluation will show you can go forward, maybe they will say wait a little longer and again do another evaluation to see what changed, etc.

The real answer to this question depends on many different factors but the foundation contractor should make the final decision on this and you should trust that they are making that decision with your best interest in mind. Should you have any questions on this, please feel free to contact us at any time. If you are in need of cast iron pipe replacement, feel free to call us for a free estimate and ask if we have any current discounts.

In-House Plumbing Company

972-366-6597

Serving Plano, Richardson & Garland Texas and Surrounding Cities

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Financing is Available

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