Fixing a broken soil pipe - advice please

[option click]

As part of recent bathroom renovations, our soil pipe was replaced with a plastic one.
The new pipe has been attached to the old pipe at ground level, but just beneath the join, the top 'collar' of the original pipe (disappearing underground) is broken.

I assume it's a case of excavating to reveal the extent of the damage to the original pipe, and replace somehow.
Is this something that is best left to the pros, or is it a straightforward job for a reasonably competent DIYer?

Edited by option click on Friday 6th May 10:01

[Mr GrimNasty]

If you can get the rest of the cast iron stub out and clean out the mortar without damaging the vitreous pipe then you should be able to extend the plastic straight in and seal with some plumbers' mastic/putty. Any decent plumbers' merchant should have a suitable PVC/vitreous socket adapter if it won't slot straight in. If the vitreous china pipe collar is cracked then you'll have to excavate/cut off and extend/join using a suitably sized flexible adapter (similar to that currently joining your plastic to cast iron).

[option click]

Thanks for that. Just to check - the vitreous pipe; is that the darker coloured bit under the mortar in the second pic?
If so, that's broken too - I can see straight into the pipe.

Think I'd better get digging.
What would you recommend to cut the pipe?

[dave_s13]

Angle grinder with a diamond blade is what I used when laying new waste into the old clay stuff.

You might have to dig back a fair bit to expose the old pipe.

You can get bandseal thingies that allow you to join an old clay pipe to a new plastic jobby.
http://www.buildingplasticsdirect.co.uk/wpscripts/...

That link above is th3e cheapest place I found for waste pipes and fitting btw.

It's not rocket science but can be a bit messy.....make sure you and the family have abluted prior to cracking on with it!

[Mr GrimNasty]

Wot he said. Although you could replace the visible clay 'broken' pipe with something like http://www.screwfix.com/p/87-5-double-socket-rest-... at the bottom of the stack and then join the clay to the plastic pipe at a more convenient point.

Edited by Mr GrimNasty on Friday 6th May 19:07