Gutting a business for pipes...how much to charge?

With a building of that age it's more likely that they used either lead,galvanized, or black iron (steel) for the hot and cold water pipes.

The steam pipes were most likely black iron.

The sewer pipes were most likely cast iron with bell ends where they were fitted together. They used to chink the bell connections with a combination of wool like fiber & white lead. That old cast iron is harder than a boiled owl so it's useless to try and cut it with a sawzall. You can either smash it with a three pound maul like you would a bathtub -or- cut it with a 4" angle grinder that has a metal cutting wheel installed. Another thing that would work well in some situations is a circular saw with a metal cutting blade installed. When the blade wears down to a point that it's too small for the skill saw put it on the angle grinder. ( Saves a ton on blades cause you use em' twice !)

Looks like they've got carbide tipped sawzall blades out on the market now. They cost a bit more but might hold up better than the regular blades ? Haven't tried em' yet.



You might keep an eye open for copper sewer pipes. They're not that common, but some places were plumbed with it. The 4" - 6" diameter copper pipes with brass fittings would be a nice bonus on the job.

Originally Posted by Scrappah

Looks like they've got carbide tipped sawzall blades out on the market now. They cost a bit more but might hold up better than the regular blades ? Haven't tried em' yet.

You might keep an eye open for copper sewer pipes. They're not that common, but some places were plumbed with it. The 4" - 6" diameter copper pipes with brass fittings would be a nice bonus on the job.

They also have carbide chainsaw blades too .

The question is why are the removing all of this and is it only stuff easy to access (not in the walls). If that's the case grinde it and move on.

Also the large Cu pipes for drain lines were more used in retrofits where it was easier to instal.

Eric

Originally Posted by Scrappah

It sounds like they're doing a re-hab of a 100 year old apartment building. Best way to approach it would be to completely gut the building right down to bare studs and start over from there. The mechanicals like plumbing,electrical, & heating would be ancient. Building codes in almost any major city would require that all the old stuff be removed & everything updated to meet current code.

Phew ... i hear you about retrofitting with copper on the drain lines. I had to pipe up an upstairs bathroom with cast iron drain line back in the mid-90's. That stuff is uncommonly difficult to work with !

I can see why it evolved from steel & iron pipes to copper. By the late 90's they had transitioned from copper to everything plastic in this area. Plastic is much faster to install and works better than everything that came before it.

@ Burly .... If it was an old steam boiler they might have still been using the old cast iron radiators in the building. I don't know if it still holds true, but at one time there they were in demand just like the old clawfoot tubs were. It's a maybe .....
http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...radiators.html

Thanks for that info! I have submitted a quote, now it is hurry up and wait...