How do you do a lead and oakum joint?

After setting the pipes together, workers pack oakum into the joints, then pour molten lead into the joint to create a permanent seal. The oakum swells and seals the joint, the “tar” in the oakum prevents rot, and the lead keeps the joint physically tight.

How do you use OKUM?

Linda Cottin

Step 1: Remove lead and oakum remnants from the joint to be packed.
Step 2: Loosely roll the oakum to form a workable length.
Step 3: Insert the smaller pipe into the hub.
Step 4: Use a packing iron, dull chisel or wide, flat screwdriver to pack the oakum evenly into the pipe joint.

How do you caulk a lead joint?

After the lead has solidified, the joint must be caulked to “set” the lead. Using your outside caulking iron, place the iron against the inner edge of the hub and caulk the lead completely around the circumference of the joint. After caulking with the outside iron, you are ready to caulk using the inside iron.

What is the best tool to tighten hubless couplings?

The PLUMB-PRO® 2-N-1 Torque Wrench is preset for installing screw driven couplings and assures proper coupling tightness for strong, leak-free joints. It is ideal for No-Hub Cast Iron Soil Pipe Couplings, ABS No-Hub Adapters, Flexible Pipe Connectors, and bands that have a 3/8″ drive. Professional quality.

What type of joint uses lead and oakum?

A caulked joint is made with molten lead (We didn’t invent the joining method. It’s nuts) and oakum caulked with caulking irons to make the joint water tight.

Is oakum still used?

Oakum is still used in traditional cast iron pipe / bell joint connections.

How is cast iron plumbing connected?

If you have cast iron drain (waste) pipes they are likely joined with a lead & Oakum seal. Oakum is a hemp material coated in tar, it is placed into the joint to seal it (Oakum expands when it gets wet to seal the joint).

What is a no hub torque wrench?

The plumbing torque wrench has a T-shaped handle that is preset to the desired level of torque strength, eliminating guesswork in No Hub soil pipe installations. This ensures proper coupling tightness for strong, leak-free joints.

What is a no hub torque wrench used for?

What do plumbers use hemp for?

Traditional plumbers hemp for packing out and sealing pipe threads. Supplied in a handy dispenser.

How is oakum packed in cast iron pipe?

Oakum is placed in the joint using a yarning iron and then packed to the proper depth by using the packing iron. For specifying depth of lead for each size and class see table below. Molten lead is then poured into the joint. The molten lead is brought up to the top of the hub.

How much lead is needed to caulk a cast iron pipe?

Lead and Oakum Required to Caulk Cast Iron Soil Pipe Joints. Lead quantities can be roughly estimated by rule-of-thumb as 12 ounces per inch of diameter as a minimum. Thus a 4 inch diameter pipe would require 3 pounds of lead as a minimum. An 8 inch diameter pipe would require 6 pounds of lead.

What kind of lead do you use for caulking?

Lead for caulking purposes should contain not less than 99.73 percent of lead and no more than the following maximum allowable impurities: .08 percent copper, .002 percent zinc, .002 percent iron, .25 per cent bismuth, .02 percent silver, and a total of not more than 0.15 percent arsenic, antimony and tin.

What can I use to fix lead in plumbing pipe?

‘ Old screwdrivers make good improvised caulking irons. Pack each with several turns of oakum so as to make a relatively solid joint between the pipes. These layers are continually hammered into the joint, around and around, until there’s only one inch of space between the top of the oakum and the rim of the hub. Fill the last space.

What kind of oakum is used for plumbing?

There are two types of oakum used to make plumbing joints. Is hemp fibers that have been soaked in petroleum based pitch to make it water resistant and to protect it from waste water. Some definitions say it is untarred Is hemp fibers but that is only partially true.

What kind of lead do you use for plumbing hub and spigot?

White oakum is the preferred oakum used for hub and spigot cast iron. The lead is heated on a plumber’s lead furnace (See picture of plumber’s pot and furnace) and poured into the joint with a ladle. Lead should be heated until it is hot enough so that it does not stick to the ladle, but it should never be overheated.