Cast Iron Sewer Pipes in Plano and Richardson Homes Built Before 1980

Why so many pre-1980 homes here have cast iron

Cast iron was the standard drain pipe under slab homes through the 1960s and most of the 1970s. Plastic (ABS, then PVC) took over during the late 1970s and 1980s. Those dates are general trade history; individual builders switched at different times, so a camera inspection is the only way to be sure about your house.

Both cities did most of their early growing in exactly that window:

Richardson grew first. Northern Hills was the city’s first postwar development, Richardson Heights started in 1954, and the Terrace Addition, The Reservation / Estates North (1962) and Canyon Creek (mid-1960s) followed. Nearly all of these homes were built in the cast iron era.

Plano was a small town of 17,872 people in 1970. It reached 72,331 by 1980 and 128,713 by 1990. Its older neighborhoods include:

• •Old Towne (1947–1970): cast iron (or older)
• •Haggard Addition (1952–1970): cast iron
• •Belle View Estates (1958–1965): cast iron
• •North Forest Estates (1962–1963): cast iron
• •Briarwood (1962–1973): cast iron
• •Dallas North Estates (platted 1970–1975): mostly cast iron
• •Park Forest and Los Rios (1970s–early 1980s): mixed, cast iron or early plastic

That 1970-to-1980 jump means thousands of Plano homes were built in the last years of cast iron.

How to tell if your house has cast iron

1. 1Look at the vent pipes in the attic or garage. Heavy black or rust-colored metal pipe is cast iron.
2. 2Check the cleanout outside. A metal cleanout with a brass or iron plug usually means cast iron; white or black plastic usually means PVC or ABS.
3. 3Check the build year on your appraisal district record (Collin CAD or Dallas CAD).
4. 4Get a camera inspection. That’s the only way to see the material and its condition along the whole run. A camera inspection starts with a $97 diagnostic and a written quote.

What you own

In both cities, the line from your house toward the street is the homeowner’s responsibility. Plano: the property owner owns the sewer service line from the house to the City main. Richardson: the homeowner owns the line from the house to the City’s two-way cleanout. Everything under your slab is yours in both cities.

Your options

1. 1. Camera and monitor. If the pipe is scaled but still sound, a camera inspection can tell you whether cleaning and monitoring is enough, or whether replacement is the better long-term fix.
2. 2. Spot repair. One localized break in otherwise sound pipe can be fixed through a single access hole ($1,150) plus the tunnel needed to reach it ($425 per foot).
3. 3. Full under-slab replacement. If the scale and channeling run the length of the line, replacing it with PVC is usually cheaper than repeat repairs. We tunnel under the foundation from outside, so your floors, tile and cabinets stay where they are. Where a yard section is still round and the route is open, trenchless pipe bursting can replace it without a full-length trench.

Selling or buying a pre-1980 home?

Have the sewer line cameraed before listing or during the option period. A standard home inspection usually doesn’t put a camera down the main line. Finding failing cast iron before the buyer does keeps the negotiation in your hands. A camera inspection starts with a $97 diagnostic and a written quote; we quote before we start.

Planning foundation repair?

Have the drains tested and cameraed first. Leaking cast iron can be what’s moving the slab, and lifting a slab can crack old cast iron. Fix the plumbing, then level the house.