You stop wondering when the next backup will hit. No more slow drains, no more sewage smells creeping through your floors, no more calling emergency plumbers at midnight because raw sewage is coming up through your shower.
When we replace your failing cast iron pipes with PVC, you get water pressure back. Your drains actually drain. Your water stops tasting like rust.
More importantly, you protect your home from the kind of water damage that costs $30,000 to fix after insurance denies your claim. Most Florida insurers won’t cover cast iron pipe failures anymore, and the ones that do cap it at $10,000. That doesn’t come close to covering the destruction when a 50-year-old pipe finally gives out under your slab.
You’re also protecting your family from exposure to sewer gases and bacteria that come with deteriorating cast iron. This isn’t just about plumbing. It’s about whether your home is safe to live in.
Drain Wizard is a fully licensed and insured plumbing contractor serving Bellwood and Brevard County. We’ve been replacing cast iron sewer lines in older Florida homes for years, and we know exactly what you’re dealing with.
Brevard County has thousands of homes built before 1975, which means thousands of homes sitting on top of corroding cast iron drain pipes. Florida’s humidity, salty air, and aggressive groundwater make cast iron fail faster here than almost anywhere else in the country. We see it every day.
Our team handles the entire job from inspection to installation. We don’t subcontract the hard parts. Carl personally oversees every cast iron pipe replacement project to make sure it’s done right the first time and fully compliant with Florida plumbing codes.
We start with a camera inspection of your sewer line. That camera shows us exactly where your cast iron pipes are failing, how bad the corrosion is, and whether tree roots have broken through. You see what we see on the monitor.
From there, we map out the replacement plan. In most cases, we’re replacing the drain lines running under your slab from your home to the street. Depending on your property and the pipe location, we may use trenchless methods or hydro-excavation tunneling to avoid tearing up your floors.
Once we’ve accessed the old cast iron, we remove it and install new PVC piping. PVC won’t corrode, won’t rust, and will last 50+ years without the problems you’ve been dealing with. We pressure test the new lines, inspect everything with the camera again, and make sure your system is sealed and code-compliant before we’re done.
The timeline depends on your home’s layout and how extensive the damage is, but most residential sewer line replacement projects take a few days to a week. We keep you updated at every step so there are no surprises.
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You get a complete camera inspection before we start any work. That video documentation shows you exactly what’s happening inside your pipes and gives you a clear picture of what needs to be replaced.
We handle all the permitting and make sure everything is up to code with Brevard County regulations. You’re not dealing with inspectors or paperwork. We take care of that.
The replacement itself includes removing all failing cast iron pipe sections and installing durable PVC from your home to the street connection. If your water lines are also cast iron and showing signs of corrosion, we can replace those at the same time.
We also handle the restoration work. If we have to cut into your slab or dig up part of your yard, we repair it. You’re not left with a torn-up property and a list of contractors to call.
In Bellwood and throughout Brevard County, we’re seeing more homeowners deal with this issue as homes from the 1960s and 70s hit the 50-year mark. The pipes that were supposed to last a lifetime are failing at 30 years because of Florida’s climate. If your home was built before 1980 and you’re having drain problems, there’s a good chance cast iron corrosion is the cause.
Most residential cast iron sewer pipe replacement jobs in Brevard County run between $15,000 and $50,000 depending on the size of your home and how much pipe needs to be replaced. A typical 2,000-square-foot house with full under-slab replacement usually falls around $30,000 to $40,000.
That number includes removing the old cast iron, installing new PVC lines, any necessary excavation or tunneling, permits, inspections, and restoring your property afterward. If we can use trenchless methods or if only a section of your line has failed, the cost can be lower.
The price also depends on how accessible your pipes are and whether we’re dealing with a straightforward layout or a more complex system. After the camera inspection, we give you an upfront estimate so you know exactly what you’re paying before any work starts. No surprises, no hidden fees.
If your drains are slow, you’re dealing with frequent backups, or you’re smelling sewer gas inside your home, those are all signs your cast iron pipes are failing. You might also notice low water pressure, discolored water, or wet spots on your floors or in your yard.
The only way to know for sure is with a camera inspection. We run a camera through your sewer line and you can see the inside of your pipes on a monitor in real time. If the pipes are corroded, cracked, or collapsing, it shows up clearly on the video.
Most cast iron pipes in Florida start failing around the 30 to 40-year mark. If your home was built before 1980 and you’ve never had the pipes inspected, it’s worth doing. Waiting until a pipe fully collapses or a backup floods your home costs a lot more than catching the problem early.
In many cases, yes. We use hydro-excavation tunneling to access pipes under your slab without destroying your tile, hardwood, or concrete floors. This method uses high-pressure water to create a tunnel beneath your foundation so we can remove the old cast iron and install new PVC without ripping up your entire house.
Trenchless pipe lining is another option for some situations, though it’s not always the best long-term solution depending on how badly your pipes have deteriorated. If the cast iron is severely corroded or collapsed, full replacement is usually the smarter move.
Every home is different. After we inspect your system, we’ll tell you which method makes the most sense for your property and your budget. Our goal is to get the job done with the least amount of disruption to your home and your life.
Cast iron corrodes. PVC doesn’t. That’s the short version.
Cast iron was the standard for drain and sewer lines for decades because it’s strong and durable, but it breaks down over time, especially in Florida’s humid, salty environment. As it corrodes, the pipes develop rough interior surfaces that catch debris and cause clogs. Eventually, they crack, leak, or collapse entirely.
PVC is a modern plastic pipe that doesn’t rust, doesn’t corrode, and isn’t affected by the same environmental factors that destroy cast iron. It’s also lighter, easier to install, and costs less. PVC drain lines can last 50 years or more without the constant maintenance and repairs that come with aging cast iron.
When we replace your cast iron with PVC, you’re upgrading to a system that will outlast the original pipes by decades. You also get better water flow, fewer clogs, and no more rust contaminating your water.
Probably not. Most Florida insurance companies have added exclusions for cast iron pipe failures, and the ones that still cover it usually cap the payout at $10,000. That doesn’t come close to covering a full replacement, which typically costs $30,000 or more for a standard home.
Insurance will sometimes cover the water damage caused by a sudden pipe failure, but they won’t cover the cost of replacing the pipes themselves if the failure was due to age or corrosion. They consider that a maintenance issue, not a covered event.
If you’re dealing with a pipe failure right now, it’s worth filing a claim to see what your policy covers. But don’t count on insurance to pay for the replacement. Most homeowners in Brevard County end up paying out of pocket, which is why catching the problem early and planning for it makes a big difference.
Most residential cast iron sewer line replacements take between three days and a week, depending on the size of your home and how much pipe we’re replacing. If we’re only replacing a section of your line, it can be faster. If we’re doing a full under-slab replacement, it takes longer.
The timeline also depends on the method we’re using. Trenchless or hydro-excavation jobs tend to move quicker because there’s less demolition and restoration work. Traditional excavation through the slab takes more time because we have to remove flooring, cut concrete, replace the pipes, pour new concrete, and then restore your floors.
We’ll give you a clear timeline before we start so you know what to expect. And we work efficiently to get your plumbing back up and running as fast as possible without cutting corners. You shouldn’t have to live somewhere else for months like some companies require. We get in, get it done right, and get out.
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