Should I keep or flip rental that needsCast Iron Plumbing Repair?

Should I keep or flip rental that needsCast Iron Plumbing Repair?

Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 0 votes

I purchased a SFH in Dallas 2 years ago. So far I've made 15% cash on cash return after repairs and vacancy. However, the house has cast iron plumbing and has been having sewer problems ever since I got it. Both toilets, shower, kitchen sink, AC drain line, and laundry drain line all have been clogged up at least once. I have cut down 2 trees near the toilet, and have used rotor rooter which seems to have stopped toilet drain problem for the past 18 months. However, the kitchen sewer line is not so lucky. According to a plumber isolation test, the kitchen drain line is completely corroded that the bottom of the pipe is gone. The plumber's recommendation is to replace the 34 feet of kitchen sewer plumbing with PVC through tunneling, which would cost $13k (This cost is the equivalent of flushing 2 years worth of cash flow down the drain.) The sewer line is in such bad shape that cured-in-place-pipe without digging is not an option anymore. Due to the location of a drive way, rerouting is not an option either. The tenants are understanding and plan to stay for another 3 years, although I am only counting on 1 year at a time, as that is our least term.

My concern is how will this impact foundation? Does this mean the toilet drain line will need replacement too at some point? Should I be better off just selling it? I assume these are issues that require disclosure though.

I am really scared of the money pit potential although it's been making $7k a year right now. What would you do? 

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Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y

First thing, get another opinion from a sewer contractor.  I own lots of older housing stock (typical of older cities) and I have lots of experience with drain issues.  

Your diagram is helpful.  Something seems wrong here.  Did you put a sewer camera into through the whole kitchen to see precisely where the breaks are?  I find it unlikely that the whole thing is rotten.  That long distance to the main sewer line is an inherent problem as there is grease and foot particle buildups from kitchen sinks.

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  • Real Estate Broker · 3412 S. Harlem Avenue Riverside, IL 60546 · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    6y

    @Jason Gore are you referring to drain lines inside the home, or outside of the home? If the drains are inside the home, I would make repairs to the corroded sections of drains. If you are referring to exterior sewer lines needing to be changed, then this is a different story. With older plumbing, it often times makes sense to get multiple opinions. I also have had a lot of success babying this older plumbing. Many plumbers will offer only the 100% guarantee solution which involves a massive plumbing job for them. Very few plumbers here in Chicago enjoy repairing old plumbing as the materials are not as easy to work with as the newer materials they learn to use (pvc, pex, copper, etc). 

    You also may want to find a local handyman that knows how to work with older plumbing. I rarely pay an actual plumber to clear a drain as my guys will charge anywhere from $40-60 per hour while a plumber in the Chicago suburbs almost always tries to charge closer to $150 per hour. 

  • Real Estate Broker · Buena Vista Colorado · Member since 2018 · 9 posts · 4 votes
    6y

    Hi Jason,

    Keep in mind if you sell the property, you will disclose this problem. Any buyer will want it fixed or at least definitively know how much it will cost to bring it up to snuff. Pay me now or pay me later. I am with John, get a second opinion or two. If you are replacing the exterior line, get a bid from an excavator. Excavators know how to lay new sewer lines, plumbers often have to sub-out to an excavator, they know how to dig better than plumbers do.

    I hope this helps.

    Ritchie

  • Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 0 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @John Warren:

    @Jason Gore are you referring to drain lines inside the home, or outside of the home? If the drains are inside the home, I would make repairs to the corroded sections of drains. If you are referring to exterior sewer lines needing to be changed, then this is a different story. With older plumbing, it often times makes sense to get multiple opinions. I also have had a lot of success babying this older plumbing. Many plumbers will offer only the 100% guarantee solution which involves a massive plumbing job for them. Very few plumbers here in Chicago enjoy repairing old plumbing as the materials are not as easy to work with as the newer materials they learn to use (pvc, pex, copper, etc). 

    You also may want to find a local handyman that knows how to work with older plumbing. I rarely pay an actual plumber to clear a drain as my guys will charge anywhere from $40-60 per hour while a plumber in the Chicago suburbs almost always tries to charge closer to $150 per hour. 

    This is for the sewer line under the slab foundation. Here is the diagram on where the plumber recommend replacement through tunneling. Will this be super bad for foundation?

  • Real Estate Broker · 3412 S. Harlem Avenue Riverside, IL 60546 · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    6y

    @Jason Gore I haven't dealt with slabs much personally so I am not sure how this would affect the foundation. I can tell you that you should get lots of opinions on something like this so that you can make a very educated decision. If the house was vacant, I would imagine the best thing would be to jack hammer and install new pvc waste. With tenants in place, I would try to keep babying it until you get a vacancy. You may be able to clean it out and keep it clean over time without replacing too. It is hard to say.

  • Investor · Burlington, NJ · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 34 votes
    6y

    Not to hijack the post, but does replacing sewer lines or drain lines with newer updated piping increase the value of the home or no because it’s a requirement?

  • Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    First thing, get another opinion from a sewer contractor.  I own lots of older housing stock (typical of older cities) and I have lots of experience with drain issues.  

    Your diagram is helpful.  Something seems wrong here.  Did you put a sewer camera into through the whole kitchen to see precisely where the breaks are?  I find it unlikely that the whole thing is rotten.  That long distance to the main sewer line is an inherent problem as there is grease and foot particle buildups from kitchen sinks.

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