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I'm in the process of ripping out an old cast iron drainage stack that runs clear from the roof to the basement with a few elbows and wyes in the mix.

I'm in Portland, Oregon (west coast USA), and my question is basically "is this cast iron worth keeping intact?" If the answer is "no", then I can save myself some time and just go at it with a sledgehammer and bust it all up. But, since I'm on a tight budget with this remodel, if I can recoup some of my expenses by cleaning up and reselling the cast iron, I would like to do that. There is a total of perhaps 2 wyes, one cleanout wye, two closet elbows, and two 90" elbows, and about 18ft of straight pipe (HxS).

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  • It is pretty much trash
    – Jack
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 4:16

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I am in Portland too. Hardly anyone uses cast iron pipe anymore, so there is little demand for it. Possibly you could donate it to the Rebuilding Center (on N. Mississippi) and take a tax deduction for it. Otherwise, it is scrap cast iron.

There is wide variation of pricing between scrap buyers.

Bulk prices nationwide are estimated at $205 to $235 per metric ton, or $0.09 to $0.106 per pound. It does not matter how big or small the pieces are.

None of the Portland area scrap dealers advertise their prices online. Here is a list of contacts so you can call around and/or visit.

However, in negotiating a rate, it is better that the cast iron be relatively pure and free of mud, crud, waste, and other metals. Hosing it down should be good enough.

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Save your energy. The only value of cast iron is for scrap metal recyclers - they pay by weight. It's so heavy and not worth much so I just found someone who would take it away for a nominal fee.

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Cast iron is known as a quiet piping system - if you enjoy peace and quiet then you may want to rethink tearing out cast iron. It's a sustainable building product as well and it is non-combustible. PVC is made from PolyVinyl Chloride which is known to cause cancer.

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    You've provided no sources for the claim that PVC is carcinogenic, and the original question was not "should I remove it?", that had already been decided on.
    – William S.
    Commented Feb 7, 2015 at 22:37

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