Orangeburg or fiber drain pipe, hints from a home inspector
Orangeburg or fiber drain pipe: Orangeburg
is a type of drain pipe which was primarily used in the exterior portion of a sewage or septic system. Orangeburg is a commonly used trade name for fiber pipe. If this item is marked, it indicates that there is a possibility that such a pipe type may exist beneath the ground between the city sewer and the property or between the building and its septic system. Gradually, this type of pipe tends to delaminate, or come apart, on the inside. Fiber pipe can last 30 or so years, unless tree root damage occurs. It is important that you contact the seller of the property and ascertain whether sewer problems
were are commonplace on the property. The information and past history of any plumbing problems may be a clue to the condition of the sewer line. Inspection limitation warning: whether or not this type pipe exists is impossible to ascertain with a visual inspection. Owners may or may not know that they have this type sewer line. It is the inspectors best guess based on the age and location of the property. This type of pipe was popularly used in plumbing systems of the late 40fs, 50fs, and early 60fs. A clue to previous (or existing) problems is a newer clean-out plug found on the property next to the building. Older plumbing codes often did not require this clean-out as they do now, therefore the new clean-out often catches the inspector's attention. Maintenance of this type drain line is mostly one of prevention. Certain items flushed down the drain may haunt you later. Heavy use of your garbage disposal can add to the problems. The inspector will run considerable amounts of water through each fixture in an effort to determine whether the drains are capable, in a reasonable amount of time, of handling the amount of water entering the fixture, and to assure that the fixture drain
Water lines or fittings expansion tank atop water heater expansion tank helps eliminate
problems
No water heater cold water shut off valve
Water heater drain leaking damaged
Water heater noisy mineral buildup
Seismic restraints recommended when rigid gas lines are connected to water
heater
Water heater enclosure closet damaged loose
The above information was provided by TWI Systems Copyright 1995-2007 1-800-553-5660. TWI is a fantastic company to deal with!
