The Job That Helped Us Decide to Stop Doing Spot Repairs on Cast Iron (2015)

Why This Case Matters

This job happened in 2015 — very early in our evolution as a company specializing only in cast iron sewer replacement.

At that time, the industry still treated spot repair as normal.

This project was one of the real-world examples that helped change how we operate today.

The Situation

Several years before we were called, another contractor had tunneled roughly 12 feet from outside the home to replace a short section of deteriorated cast iron branch line serving the kitchen area.

On the surface, it probably looked like a reasonable decision:

Fix the known problem
Limit excavation
Lower immediate cost

The problem was — the rest of that pipe system was the same age, same material, and in the same environment.

So the failure was never going to stop at that one repaired section.

What We Found When We Got There

When we evaluated the system years later:

• The remaining kitchen branch line was failing
• The washer branch tying into that line had issues
• Bathroom lines also showed deterioration
• The previously replaced 12 feet did not help solve the overall system problem

But here’s where this job became important.

The Better Solution That Should Have Happened Earlier (For THIS Specific House)

For this particular home layout, a better long-term solution at the time would likely have been:

👉 Reroute the kitchen line outside the slab
👉 Avoid tunneling under the house entirely for that branch
👉 Put that section of pipe somewhere serviceable long-term

Instead, tunneling was used to replace part of the original under-slab branch line — but not all of it.

That created a future problem.

Because later, when the rest of the system had to be addressed, that same tunnel path would have had to be opened again.

What Happened Next

When we designed the correct long-term solution, we rerouted.

That meant:

The previously installed replacement pipe had to be abandoned.

Not because it was installed wrong.
Not because it failed.

Because it was never part of the correct long-term system design.

So the homeowner effectively paid once for a repair —
Then paid again for the real solution.

The Hard Truth This Job Taught Us

In cast iron systems:

Spot Repair or partial replacement will cost more than full replacement over time.

Not always immediately.
But over the life of the system — very often.

And sometimes, like this case, the earlier repair money creates zero long-term value.

Why This Became a Turning Point for Us

This job was one of many early examples that pushed us toward where we are today:

Replacement only. No cast iron spot repair.

And this is important:

Financially, we would likely make MORE money long-term doing spot repairs.

Spot repairs create repeat work.
Replacement solves the problem.

From a pure business standpoint, spot repair could keep work coming for years.

But we made a decision based on what we would do for:

• Our own homes
• Our families
• Our friends

If we wouldn’t spot repair our own cast iron system, we won’t recommend it to customers.

The Reality Most People Don’t Think About

At some point, all cast iron systems in DFW will be replaced.

And when that happens, companies that only do cast iron replacement (like us) will have no work available.

If we were only thinking financially, we would spot repair forever.

We don’t.

Because we believe doing the right thing matters more than stretching work out over decades.

Important: Every Home Is Different

This example does NOT mean every situation will play out exactly like this one.

Some may be worse.
Some may be less severe.
Some layouts don’t allow rerouting.

But what is consistent is this:

Cast iron systems fail progressively.

And repairing one section rarely stops future failures.

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