The Orangeburg Connection

advertisement for orangeburg piping

Or non-connection I should probably say. Orangeburg is a type of sewer piping used while building many MCM homes. Sometimes known as "Bermico" piping, Orangeburg is a fiber pipe that gets its name from the city in which most of it was manufactured; Orangeburg, New York. It was was a low cost alternative to metal piping and since there was no PVC in that era it was a popular choice for builders. It was touted as being "root proof."

"Root resistant" would have been a better moniker. Orangeburg did have some root issues, but the main problem is that it does not stand up well to the weight of the dirt on top of it. The fiber pipe would sometimes collapse into an egg shape. While it can last 50 years, it has been known to last as little as 10. 

This summer, there was a backup incident in our MCM. Bill the plumber came to the rescue and found....roots. He roto rootered it out and it works fine now, but we all know the time will come soon when there will be another backup. Roots continue to grow you know. The orangeburg had to go. As I said in the beginning of this blog, we will not eschew all things 21st century. Love me some PVC pipe. 

what happens under pressure

the big dig in back yard

So begins our first major project. Replacing the orangeburg with PVC. After the dig began we found out that most of the orangeburg had been replaced with PVC but from the house to about 8 feet out (where the cleanout was) it was the dreaded fiber orangeburg piping. 

The best part about this project? Not a whole lot I can do myself. It had to be hired out to the sewer experts. A day or two later, and a few thousand dollars lighter, our MCM is orangeburg-free and the waste flows a slick as a whistle. Not an improvement that can be noticed visually, but one of those "must do" jobs to keep the place livable. And keeps us out of knee-deep you know what.