# Cast Iron Stack Replacement NYC | Drain & Vent Stacks | NYC Repipe & Repair > Cast iron stack replacement in NYC: cracked drain and vent stacks replaced in cast iron, or PVC where code allows up to five stories. Free estimates. URL: https://nycrepipe.com/cast-iron-stack-replacement/ # Cast Iron Stack Replacement in NYC For houses and small apartment buildings whose original cast iron drain and vent stack is cracking, rotting through or leaking at the hubs. Get a free estimate → [☎ Call (929) 659-6658](tel:+19296596658) By NYC Repipe & Repair · Last reviewed October 19 A section of corroded cast iron stack removed from an opened chase in a rowhouse. Illustrative. [NYC Repipe & Repair](https://nycrepipe.com/) replaces cast iron drain, waste and vent stacks in New York City houses and small apartment buildings: the vertical pipe that carries every toilet, tub and sink down to the house drain, and the branches that feed it. Cast iron stack replacement is the fix when the pipe has cracked, rotted through along a horizontal run, or keeps leaking at the hubs. The new stack is cast iron, or PVC where the 2022 NYC Plumbing Code allows plastic: residential buildings of five stories or fewer. ## What happens on the first visit 1. A camera inspection from an accessible cleanout, where there is one, to see the inside of the stack and house drain. 2. Every stain, odor and slow drain mapped to the stack and branch it sits on. 3. Building height and occupancy confirmed, which decides whether PC 701.9 allows PVC. 4. A written, itemized price with the wall and ceiling openings marked, before anything is booked. ## How cast iron stacks fail A stack is the vertical drain and vent pipe that every toilet, tub and sink on a line drains into. In New York City houses and walk-ups it is usually cast iron, joined at hubs packed with oakum and lead, and in most prewar buildings it is original. City property records (MapPLUTO) show **74% of Brooklyn’s one- to four-family houses were built before 1940**, and the Bronx has 72% of its five-plus-unit buildings in the same era. Drain pipe that old fails in a few recognizable ways: - **Cracks along the length of the pipe**, often on a vertical run behind a wall, showing up as a stain on the ceiling below a bathroom. - **Rot along the bottom of horizontal sections**, where water and waste sit, until the pipe wears through from the inside. - **Leaking hub joints**, where the oakum and lead has dried out and lets water or sewer gas through. - **Recurring clogs and slow drains**, from rough, scaled interior walls or a sagging section in the cellar that holds waste. If the leak itself hasn’t been found, [water leak detection](https://nycrepipe.com/water-leak-detection/) is the place to start, and a buried line under the cellar floor is covered under [slab leak repair](https://nycrepipe.com/slab-leak-repair/). ## Cast iron or PVC: what NYC code allows New York City limits plastic drain pipe more tightly than most of the country. Under [PC 701.9 of the 2022 NYC Plumbing Code](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/codes-pdf/cons_codes_2022/2022PC_Chapter7_SanitaryDrainageWBwm.pdf), plastic drain, waste and vent piping may be used only in **residential buildings five stories or less**. A brownstone, a two-family house or a five-story walk-up can take a PVC stack. A six-story apartment building, or any building outside that residential exception, stays in cast iron. Where PVC is allowed, cast iron is still worth pricing in stacked bathrooms and next to bedrooms, because it is quieter. The same chapter rules out the shortcut. PC 701.10 states that cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) and epoxy spray lining systems shall not be used, so a lining quote for a stack in NYC is not code work. [Pipe lining vs repiping](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/pipe-lining-vs-repiping/) explains the ban and what it means for a damaged drain. ## How the job runs A stack is replaced in sections, usually from the top down. Each length of old cast iron is cut out, supported and removed while the pipe above and below is held in place with riser clamps, and new pipe is joined with listed couplings or hubs. Fixtures on the line are out of service while their section is open, so the work is sequenced bathroom by bathroom. Drain work doesn’t touch the water supply, so the house normally keeps running water throughout. Openings are planned in the same chases and stacked walls a supply repipe would use. That’s why stack work and a [whole house repiping](https://nycrepipe.com/whole-house-repiping/) are often priced together: one set of wall openings and one restoration bill covers both. The same logic applies during a renovation; see [repiping during renovation](https://nycrepipe.com/repiping-during-renovation/), [brownstone repiping](https://nycrepipe.com/brownstone-repiping/) and [two family house repiping](https://nycrepipe.com/two-family-house-repiping/). A full stack is well beyond the 10-foot limit for ordinary plumbing work, so it is filed in DOB NOW: Build by a NYC Licensed Master Plumber. The code also requires altered plumbing systems to be tested, with DOB witnessing the test ([PC 108.4.1, ch. 1](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/codes-pdf/cons_codes_2022/2022PC_Chapter1_AdministrationWBwm.pdf)). The [permit guide](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/repiping-permit-nyc/) covers fees and penalties. ## What it costs, and when it grows The one published NYC figure on the drain side is **$2,500 to $6,000 for a single drain branch** ([handyman-new-york-city.com](https://handyman-new-york-city.com/guides/cost/pipe-replacement-costs-nyc/)). No NYC source publishes a sourced range for a full stack, so the estimate prices it from the site visit. The main drivers are: - **Height:** number of floors, and whether PC 701.9 allows PVC. - **Access:** open chases versus tiled walls and plaster ceilings. - **Fixtures:** how many branches tie into the stack. - **The cellar:** whether the house drain and trap under the floor need replacing too. A stack serving multiple apartments is a building project, and in co-ops it usually belongs to the board’s capital plan alongside [water riser replacement](https://nycrepipe.com/riser-replacement/). For a house, see [cast iron stack replacement cost](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/cast-iron-stack-replacement-cost/), the [Brooklyn](https://nycrepipe.com/boroughs/brooklyn/) page for rowhouse stock, or take the [repipe assessment](https://nycrepipe.com/tools/repipe-assessment/) to see whether the supply side needs work too. ## What's included - Cast iron, or PVC where PC 701.9 allows it - Listed couplings or hub joints at every connection - Riser clamps and supports at each floor - New branch connections for each fixture on the stack - Vent connections carried through to the roof - DOB NOW filing by a NYC Licensed Master Plumber - Drainage test witnessed as the code requires - Removal of the old cast iron from the building > A stain under the bathroom and a sewer smell you can't place? A camera down the stack shows what's cracked. [(929) 659-6658](tel:+19296596658) Calls answered 24/7 Leak right now? Shut the main valve by the meter, then call. [☎ (929) 659-6658](tel:+19296596658) Get a free estimate Spec
MaterialType L copper
CodeNYC PC T.605.4
Lead-freeNSF/ANSI 372
TransitionsASSE 1079
PermitDOB NOW · LAA
[Free tool Repipe cost estimator → Your house, your number, in under a minute.](https://nycrepipe.com/tools/repipe-cost-estimator/) The permit trail ## What a legal NYC repipe *leaves on the record* Every permitted repipe produces the same paper trail at the Department of Buildings. It's what a buyer's attorney, a co-op board or a lender will look for later. 1. DOB NOW: Build Filed Limited Alteration Application Filed by the Licensed Master Plumber, with the scope and the job cost. 2. DOB Issued Work permit Issued in real time for most repipes, and posted at the job. 3. On site Installed Type L copper in Run alongside the old pipe and switched over section by section. 4. Plumbing Code §108 Tested Pressure test The whole new system holds under test before walls close. 5. DOB Signed off Inspection and sign-off The job closes cleanly on the building's DOB record. Three ways it gets done ## Patch, cheap repipe, or permitted copper Three ways NYC pipe work gets done. Only one survives a co-op board, a refinance and the next winter. | What matters | DIY patch | Cheap operator | Permitted copper job | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pipe material | Whatever the hardware store sells, often PEX | PEX or thin Type M copper to save money | Type L copper, listed in NYC Plumbing Code Table 605.4 | | Fittings | Push-fit connectors (prohibited, PC 605.9) | Mixed: some push-fit, some solder | Soldered or permanent press joints; dielectric unions at steel | | Who may legally do it | Not the owner: NYC requires a Licensed Master Plumber | Often unlicensed, or a licence borrowed for the filing | A NYC Licensed Master Plumber, or a crew under one | | Permit | None | Often skipped (penalties start at $520, or $6,000 in 3+ family buildings) | Filed in DOB NOW and signed off | | Pressure test | None | Rarely | Whole system tested before walls close | | Co-op or condo board | Will not approve | Usually rejected at the insurance-certificate stage | Meets typical alteration-agreement requirements | | At sale or refinance | Unpermitted work can surface in inspection | Open DOB issues can delay closing | A clean DOB record for the job | Sources: [2022 NYC Plumbing Code, Chapter 6](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/codes-pdf/cons_codes_2022/2022PC_Chapter6_WaterSupplyWBwm.pdf); NYC DOB LAA fee and penalty charts ([1–3 family](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/laa_category_2_fee_chart_1-2-3_family.pdf), [other buildings](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/laa_fee_chart_other.pdf)). From the field ## What cast iron stack replacement looks like in an NYC house Illustrative photographs of typical conditions and the copper that replaces them. Answered ## Cast Iron Stack Replacement, answered Can I replace my cast iron stack with PVC in NYC? Only in residential buildings of five stories or fewer. PC 701.9 of the 2022 NYC Plumbing Code says plastic drain, waste and vent piping shall not be used except in that case. A brownstone, a two-family house or a five-story walk-up can take a PVC stack; a taller building is replaced in cast iron. Cast iron is quieter, so it's worth pricing next to bedrooms anyway. Can a cast iron stack be lined instead of replaced? No. PC 701.10 of the 2022 NYC Plumbing Code states that cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) and epoxy spray pipe lining systems shall not be used. That rules out the lining quotes common in national advertising. In NYC, a failed cast iron stack is replaced, either in sections where the damage is local or as a full stack. How much does it cost to replace cast iron drain pipe in NYC? The one published NYC figure is $2,500 to $6,000 for a single drain branch, from handyman-new-york-city.com. No NYC source publishes a sourced range for a full stack, so it is priced from the site visit. Height, PVC versus cast iron, tiled or plaster walls, the number of fixtures and the cellar drain all move the number. Does replacing the stack mean replacing the water pipes too? No. The stack is drainage; the water supply is a separate system with different code rules. They do share the same chases and stacked bathroom walls, though, so when a house still has galvanized supply, pricing both together means one set of openings and one restoration bill. The house normally keeps running water during stack work. Who actually does the plumbing work? In New York City, permitted plumbing work must be performed by a NYC Licensed Master Plumber or by workers under an LMP's direct supervision, and the LMP files the permit in DOB NOW. Ask any contractor for the LMP's licence number before work starts, and check it on the DOB's public licence search. Further reading ## Related answers - [What Is the Cast Iron Stack Replacement Cost in NYC?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/cast-iron-stack-replacement-cost/) - [Pipe Lining vs Repiping: Can You Line Pipes in NYC?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/pipe-lining-vs-repiping/) - [Does Repiping Require a Permit in NYC?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/repiping-permit-nyc/) Related work - [Whole House RepipingEvery supply line from the meter to each fixture, replaced in Type L copper for 1–3 family houses, brownstones and rowhouses.](https://nycrepipe.com/whole-house-repiping/) - [Repiping During RenovationOpen walls are the cheapest time to repipe. Coordinated with your GC and architect, and filed correctly.](https://nycrepipe.com/repiping-during-renovation/) - [Water Riser ReplacementBuilding riser projects for co-op and condo boards and managing agents, sequenced line by line to keep apartments on water.](https://nycrepipe.com/riser-replacement/) Get your cast iron stack replacement priced in writing Pressure measured, pipe identified, an itemized price including the DOB permit.