Cast Iron Pipe Problems: Why They Need To Be Fixed

• Cast Iron Pipe Breaks can cause health issues such as infections from backed-up sewage, pests, and mold.

• Unfixed cast iron pipe issues will cause your home’s value to depreciate.
• Unlike people, cast iron pipes obviously don’t fix themselves.

• A cast iron pipe break underneath your house can pollute local water sources like Aquifers

There are all kinds of home repairs that can wait. Damaged drywall, paint issues, or other cosmetic repairs are not time-sensitive. This is not true for cast iron pipes. If you suspect you have a cast iron pipe leak, it needs to be addressed before you start suffering both physically and financially.

Here are four reasons why you need to get in gear and get your cast iron pipe problems fixed.

Cast Iron Pipe Breaks Can Cause Health Issues

When you have a cast-iron pipe break, the line is no longer safe for your family. The three primary issues are the following:

Class 3 Water

Class 3 water, also known as black water, is a form of dark, dirty water that can be full of backed-up sewage, bacteria, and fungi. It is unsanitary and not at all safe to use for any reason.

One of the biggest issues with cast iron pipe breaks is that if these pipes aren’t working and draining out the wastewater and semi-solid waste material, those things have to go somewhere.

Somewhere like in your home.

Backed up sinks, showers, and tubs aren’t just a sign of a damaged cast iron drainpipe, they’re a site for potential health issues as this wastewater can cause infections.

Contaminants and Pests

A break in a cast iron pipe can also allow contaminants from the surrounding soil and critters like rodents and roaches into the line. The contaminants contribute to black water and the critters can use breaks in the line to infest your home, bringing diseases into the safe and sanitary space of your home.

Mold

Because cast iron pipes are placed in dark and understandably secluded areas of the home, leaks can promote mold growth. The excess moisture gives mold the fuel it needs to grow and contaminate the air in your home.

Your Home Will Depreciate in Value

If there are cast iron pipe problems in your home, the damage that is being done will depreciate the home’s value. Mold, black water, critter infestations, and flooding will cause significant damage that is likely to make the home not only uninhabitable, but unsellable.

This isn’t a Problem That’ll Fix Itself

These types of pipe breaks only get worse as time goes on. What might start as a small crack in the line will eventually grow into holes and bigger breaks because the cast iron is deteriorating. And these issues can’t just be patched – they have to be fully repaired or replaced to avoid further issues.

Polluting Local Water Sources like Aquifers

Besides the damage to your own home, a broken pipe can spread pollutants to local aquifers (underground sources of water). This means that your broken pipe is polluting the water of your neighbors, making their homes unsafe as well.

Contact Bulldog Adjusters! 

If you have a pipe break, call Bulldog Adjusters. Our experts, with several decades’ worth of combined experience, will do a free inspection, examine your policy with a fine-tooth comb, and then file your claim. Our public adjusting experts will negotiate with the insurance company until you receive the settlement you’re entitled to!