Broward · Miami-Dade · Jacksonville
Cast Iron Pipe Replacement
Cast iron pipe replacement swaps the original iron drain lines in an older home for modern PVC, a question most owners of pre-1975 Florida houses eventually face. Cast iron was built to last about fifty to seventy-five years, so pipes installed in the 1950s and 60s are now at or past their design life. We inspect what you actually have, explain its condition honestly, and can phase the replacement so the cost spreads out.
What the job includes
- Camera inspection of all accessible cast iron drains, under-slab lines included
- A written condition report: which sections are serviceable, which are failing
- Full or sectional replacement with properly sloped PVC
- Phased plans that sequence the work by condition and budget
- Coordination of slab access, wall openings, and patching
- Descaling of borderline sections when it can honestly buy time
How you know it’s time
Drains have slowed all over the house, gradually, over years
Iron rusts from the inside out. The rough, scaled surface narrows the pipe and snags paper and grease, so everything drains a little worse each year.
Repeated clogs in the same bathroom no matter how often it is cabled
A cable pokes through buildup but cannot restore a pipe whose bottom has rusted through. Recurring clogs at one spot usually mean the iron there is done.
Sewer odor inside with no visible leak
Cast iron often fails along the bottom first, where you cannot see it. Gases escape under floors or in walls long before stains show.
Rust flakes or dark water backing up into tubs and showers
Flakes of rusted pipe interior carried back up a drain are a direct message from the pipe about its condition.
When to make the call
Schedule a camera inspection when a pre-1975 home shows whole-house drain symptoms, before a bathroom remodel, or during purchase negotiations on an older house. Remodels matter most: replacing iron while walls and floors are already open costs a fraction of opening them twice. Many owners just want the condition report so they can plan a few years ahead.
Local knowledge
Cast Iron Pipe Replacement is a different job in Broward than in Jacksonville. We know both.
Broward & Miami-Dade
Cast iron is the drain line in most pre-1975 houses across Hollywood Lakes, Victoria Park, Miami Gardens, Hialeah, Coral Gables and Miami Beach's Art Deco buildings. In South Florida's warm, wet soil it corrodes from the inside faster than almost anywhere in the country. We replace it with PVC, routed to protect terrazzo and original finishes, and we tell you plainly when a line has years left and does not need it yet.
Jacksonville & the First Coast
Riverside, Avondale, San Marco, Ortega, and Murray Hill are the heart of Jacksonville's cast iron problem: block after block of homes built between the 1920s and early 1970s, still draining through their original iron. The local recipe is unkind to it — damp, sandy soil outside, constant flow inside, and oak roots hunting for the joints. If your house in these neighborhoods has never had its drains replaced, the iron under it is original equipment.
Questions
Cast Iron Pipe Replacement. Ask us anything.
Last reviewed September 16, 2026
How long does cast iron plumbing last in Florida?
Cast iron drain pipe generally lasts fifty to seventy-five years, and Florida pushes it toward the shorter end. Humid air, damp sandy soil, and year-round use all feed the rust that eats the pipe from inside. Age alone does not condemn a specific pipe, though; a free camera inspection shows where yours actually stands.
What is channeling in cast iron pipes?
Channeling is when the bottom of a horizontal cast iron pipe rusts away first, carving a groove along the floor of the pipe where water constantly flows. The top half can look solid on camera while the bottom has opened into the soil. Once a line is channeled, cleaning cannot help, because the pipe wall itself is gone.
Can cast iron pipes be cleaned instead of replaced?
Yes, when the pipe wall is still sound, descaling can remove years of rust buildup and genuinely extend the pipe's life. The honest catch: descaling a channeled or paper-thin pipe removes the crust holding it together. We camera the line first and tell you which category yours is in, and when cleaning is the right answer we are glad to do the smaller job.
How much does it cost to replace cast iron pipes in an older home?
The cost depends on how much of the system is failing, where the pipes run, and how much slab or wall access is needed. Under-slab lines cost more than crawl space lines; more bathrooms mean more pipe. That is why we offer phased plans that spread the cost over time, with a free camera-based estimate and a fixed written quote per phase.
Should I replace cast iron pipes before remodeling my bathroom?
Yes, if the iron is near the end of its life, replace it while the room is already opened up. A remodel is the one time floors and walls are open anyway, so the swap adds modest cost instead of standing alone as a major project. We can scope the lines before your remodel is planned, so the decision rests on footage, not guesswork.
Also in the family
Serving Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Jacksonville & the First Coast.