# Cast Iron Drain line in apartment building CA.



## James Furman (Apr 10, 2020)

Hi All!
Im trying to find out if it is legal (by code) to replace exposed lateral cast iron drain lines with CPVC or ABS in an apartment building in Southern California. Someone told me that the first 2 floors of a condo or apartment building used to have to be cast iron. I see through internet searches that abs, pvc, and cpvc are all approved waste line materials. But I cant find any info specific to apartment building or condos. Any input or direction would be much appreciated. Thanks!


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## fatboy (Apr 11, 2020)

Not CA specific, but I don't know of any prohibition of cast iron pipe use. 

But then, you are talking about California.


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## ICE (Apr 11, 2020)

It's not a problem with cast iron.  The problem is with ABS.  There used to be, and perhaps still is, a prohibition of more that two floors of ABS within a building.  I have done a word search on several versions California Plumbing Code and can't find anything.


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## fatboy (Apr 11, 2020)

Maybe one of those "best practices", that every assumed was code?

Like mid-span bridging in dimensional floor framing? When I first go into inspecting, I was surprised to find it was not a code requirement.


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## cda (Apr 11, 2020)

””But I cant find any info specific to apartment building or condos”””

Sometimes codes call out specific requirements for some occupancy types,

More than likely no special ones for apartments, that is why you are not finding it.


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## cda (Apr 11, 2020)

Repeat


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## James Furman (Apr 11, 2020)

Thanks for the replies so far! I appreciate it.


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## cda (Apr 11, 2020)

James Furman said:


> Thanks for the replies so far! I appreciate it.




Why the question??

Sometimes that helps answer the question


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## James Furman (Apr 11, 2020)

The cast is starting to show signs of rusting. Gonna need to replace some lateral sections


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## cda (Apr 11, 2020)

James Furman said:


> The cast is starting to show signs of rusting. Gonna need to replace some lateral sections



If you give it to maybe Tuesday 

There are some calif people on here.

Plus  anonymous call to building Dept with the question


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## James Furman (Apr 11, 2020)

cda said:


> If you give it to maybe Tuesday
> 
> There are some calif people on here.
> 
> Plus  anonymous call to building Dept with the question


Great. Thx!


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## e hilton (Apr 12, 2020)

Cast iron drains are generally quieter, don’t hear the water flowing as easily.  But cavitation tend to erode the inside of the pipes over time, especially bends.  Inwas manager of a 5 story commercial building built in 65, somewhere around 05 we had to replace a lot of pipe sections.  After we removed them, you could poke a screwdriver through some places.


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## ICE (Apr 12, 2020)

I'm pretty sure that there is a code section somewhere that addresses this.  It will come out sooner or later.


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## cda (Apr 12, 2020)

ICE said:


> I'm pretty sure that there is a code section somewhere that addresses this.  It will come out sooner or later.




On new construction commercial non high rise,,,,

What is allowed ??


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## mark handler (Apr 12, 2020)

2019 CPC. *[HCD 1 & HCD 2]* 701.2 ABS and PVC installations are limited to not more than two stories of areas of residential accommodation


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## Mark K (Apr 13, 2020)

Also check California Building Code (CBC) Section 903.3 and CRC R313.

The limitation does not appear to apply to non-residential occupancies.

A little history.  City of Lancaster adopted a prohibition which was litigated.  Then the Legislature adopted California H&SC 17921.7 and the state adopted the current language in the CBC and the CRC


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## James Furman (Apr 13, 2020)

Mark K said:


> Also check California Building Code (CBC) Section 903.3 and CRC R313.
> 
> The limitation does not appear to apply to non-residential occupancies.
> 
> A little history.  City of Lancaster adopted a prohibition which was litigated.  Then the Legislature adopted California H&SC 17921.7 and the state adopted the current language in the CBC and the CRC


Thank you, Mark!


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## James Furman (Apr 13, 2020)

Thanks everyone for the comments. I really appreciate it! Now here's the rub on this--the apartment building has 2 livable stories, but they are built on TOP of the garages. So it looks like a 3 story building. But the garages are on ground level and the 1st and 2nd story are built on top of that. Still technically a 3 story apartment building? Or would the 2 livable stories qualify, under the 2-story rule, for ABS and PVC?
Thanks again, everyone, for the input so far!!


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## classicT (Apr 13, 2020)

James Furman said:


> Thanks everyone for the comments. I really appreciate it! Now here's the rub on this--the apartment building has 2 livable stories, but they are built on TOP of the garages. So it looks like a 3 story building. But the garages are on ground level and the 1st and 2nd story are built on top of that. Still technically a 3 story apartment building? Or would the 2 livable stories qualify, under the 2-story rule, for ABS and PVC?
> Thanks again, everyone, for the input so far!!


Here is the full code section....

*701.2 Drainage Piping*
Materials for drainage piping shall be in accordance with one of the referenced standards in Table 701.2 except that:

No galvanized wrought-iron or galvanized steel pipe shall be used underground and shall be kept not less than 6 inches (152 mm) aboveground.
ABS and PVC DWV piping installations shall be installed in accordance with applicable standards referenced in Table 701.2 and _the fire stop protection requirements in the California Building Code_. Except for individual single-family dwelling units, materials exposed within ducts or plenums shall have a flame-spread index of not more than 25 and a smoke-developed index of not more than 50, where tested in accordance with ASTM E84 or UL 723. These tests shall comply with all requirements of the standards to include the sample size, both for width and length. Plastic pipe shall not be tested filled with water.
_
*[HCD 1 & HCD 2]* ABS and PVC installations are limited to not more than two stories of areas of residential accommodation.
*[OSHPD 1, 1R, 2, 3, 4 & 5]* ABS and PVC installations are not allowed.
_
No vitrified clay pipe or fittings shall be used aboveground or where pressurized by a pump or ejector. They shall be kept not less than 12 inches (305 mm) belowground.
Copper or copper alloy tube for drainage and vent piping shall have a weight of not less than that of copper or copper alloy drainage tube type DWV.
Stainless steel 304 pipe and fittings shall not be installed underground and shall be kept not less than 6 inches (152 mm) aboveground.
Cast-iron soil pipe and fittings and the stainless steel couplings used to join these products shall be listed and tested in accordance with standards referenced in Table 701.2. Such pipe and fittings shall be marked with the country of origin, manufacturer's name or registered trademark as defined in the product standards, the third party certifier's mark, and the class of the pipe or fitting.
Per this section, specifically subset #1 of item #2, "_ABS and PVC installations are limited to not more than two stories of areas of residential accommodation"_. The plumbing for the units is presumably only (2) stories; therefore it should be acceptable. 

Although, I would think that any drainage piping within the garage area would remain as iron for the sake of impact protection.

And beyond the plumbing code, I presume and hope that you have kept firestopping in the forefront of your thoughts? You will most likely need to revisit the firestopping materials used for penetrations of your horizontal assemblies for the piping. A firestop may work with iron (non-combustible), but may not work with PVC (will burn/melt away).


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## James Furman (Apr 13, 2020)

Ty J. said:


> Here is the full code section....
> 
> *701.2 Drainage Piping*
> Materials for drainage piping shall be in accordance with one of the referenced standards in Table 701.2 except that:
> ...


Thanks so much "Ty J" for taking the time to put together that reply. Very very helpful!


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## mykohsu (Nov 2, 2022)

James Furman said:


> Hi All!
> Im trying to find out if it is legal (by code) to replace exposed lateral cast iron drain lines with CPVC or ABS in an apartment building in Southern California. Someone told me that the first 2 floors of a condo or apartment building used to have to be cast iron. I see through internet searches that abs, pvc, and cpvc are all approved waste line materials. But I cant find any info specific to apartment building or condos. Any input or direction would be much appreciated. Thanks!


903.1.1

[HCD 1 & HCD 2] ABS or PVC installations are limited to not more than two stories of areas of residential accommodation.

903.1.2

[HCD 1] All malleable iron vents shall be galvanized.

903.1.3

[OSHPD 1, 2, 3 & 4] ABS and PVC installations are not allowed


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