Pipe / roof / gutters problem

[lizard89769]

Hi,

There is a large black metal pipe attached to the back of my house going from the ground right up to the roof. It does not connect to the guttering and looks like it may have been there since the house was built. The tiles around where it attaches to the roof have come loose and I want to fix them, I think the sensible thing would be to get rid of the pipe if I can :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoczoVWWT-A

My questions are :

1. Is it serving any purpose, like stopping the house from subsiding (there has been some long term structural movement near where it is)

2. How much would it cost to remove ?

3. Could it have any residual scrap value ?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

It is a vent for the drains. Doubtful its having an effect on subsidence, unless there is a (leaking) connection below ground level. Without knowing the layout underground of the drainage system its difficult to say if its removal will cause problems or not.

It is Cast iron, so will be heavy! Cast will have some scrap value but on its own it would be questionable whether the value would outweigh the cost of taking it to be weighed in. Local scrapman will happily take it away FOC I have no doubt! Cost of getting it taken down, difficult to say. Depends how much making good is required to the wall once the fixings are removed, and you'll need to seal the drain off at floor level.

 

[lizard89769]

After a lot of deliberation, I think I would prefer to keep it attached and just replace the broken / loose slates around it where it meets the roof then maybe just repaint it :

However, my only concern is that if I ever want pebbledashing redone behind it, this wont be possible without removing the pipe ; is this true ? I ask because as you can see in the video that for some reason they didn't pebbledash behind it when the pebble dashing was last done.

Maybe it was just a bodge job though because generally the pebbledashing seems pretty bad and is loose / falling away on other exterior walls.

Thanks for your help so far !

 

[Nige F]

However, my only concern is that if I ever want pebbledashing redone behind it, this wont be possible without removing the pipe ; is this true ? !

Yes

 

[BethesdaSlate]

It's a soil ventilation pipe (SVP) you can't remove it, unless you replace it with another one.

Note that the one next door has a bend on it to prevent it from going through the roof, this is a good idea. You can have it taken down when you want to pebble dash the walls, and replace with a bend at the bottom to bring it out a little, replace with a plastic one if you want to save a few quid on buying cast iron 's' bends.

 

[johncombs]

I had the same problem, this pipe has to be replaced completely.
I recommend hiring residential roofing contractors to handle the job. It's batter than having to deal with it yourself.
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[lizard89769]

Would it be possible to replace it now with a plastic one that can be easily unattached and reatached when/if the pebble dashing is re-done ? I can't afford to re-pebble dash at the moment but would like to fix the loose tiles now.

 

[Nige F]

Entirely possible and a good idea you`ll be able to get a new flashing for the roof penetration too - or you might get away with a stub stack and an AAV - I`m looking @ the vent on the house next to you - but a drain survey would be needed - ie. lift a manhole or 2 and look down

 

[Nige F]

. It's batter [/url]

I like SPAM in batter - deep fried

 

[GutterSupplies]

If you do decide to replace it with plastic, which is a simple enough job once the old one is down, you will need a special plastic to cast adaptor at ground level. i'd also reiterate that you'd be better to use two offset bends to take the pipe around the roofline at the top, rather than going through the slates.[