Unfortunately this more than likely will not be covered by home insurance. This is a maintenance issue. Unless you can prove this loss is sudden and accidental I don't see it being covered. So sorry.

I'm sorry this happened. It does not cost 20 thousand dollars to replace pipes. I have repiped several houses for around 5 grand, but those did have crawl spaces. I can't imagine it will be four times more though because you have concrete. Call some more plumbers, particularly well-respected longtime independent plumbers. Maybe some portions can be rerouted with Pex. I don't know.

You can fix all this; it will take time.

Do NOT call your insurance company. This is not an insurance issue, it is not a loss from an accident or Act of God. Just find a decent plumber.

Did you have an inspection before you bought the house? Did the inspector note the cast iron pipes? That might be your only recourse if he didn't note them and the possibility of them failing.

I also am mystified by the 20K. I live in a townhouse built of poured concrete on slab, and the average price I've been given to totally replumb is around $4K. Now this is only a 2 bedroom, about 1100 sf, but I still don't see why it would be that much more.

Trust me, I am not pleased with the 20k quote either but I have them in writing, The cost Stems from having to tear up and replace the concrete. The first plumber I talked to says that the pipes themselves are roughly 3-5k. The rest is concrete, We have had 3 plumbers who come with great reputations all say the same thing, At this point if someone came by and said oh yeah I can do it for 5k I would be a little suspect. :(

@cpartist. Yes we had 2 inspections. One we paid for and then one from FHA and a 3rd inspection from FHA for a follow up for some minor repairs that needed to be done, Not once were cast iron pipes mentioned or potential plumbing issues,

I absolutely believe the 20k quote although 50k seems high . As the OP stated above, it is not just to fix the pipes. They have to dig up concrete floors and anything that is on top of those floors whether it be tile, hardwoods etc and the yard as well to put all new pipes in. This is not a small job. The home we just sold in Florida has cast iron pipes. My husband mentioned this exact same scenario to me as a possibility when we bought 8 years ago. We never had an issue but have heard of it happening. I have no idea if it was written in the inspection done on our home by the buyers either. Our neighbor had badly corroded pipes and he installed a sheath inside his pipes . Would this be an option for you or is it too late? Unfortunately either way I think you are going to be looking at a hefty price to fix it. Im sorry :(

When our water pipes, within a concrete slab, went bad new plumbing was installed in the attic. No flooring or concrete had to be removed. Total was under $1,000.00. (Sewage and drain pipes were not involved in our case.)

I will defiantly ask them if they can install pipes in the attic. But i think we also need to make sure there is no potential threat of water leaking elsewhere from broken pipes, We are also in Florida and right now the pipes leading to the main bathroom are caved in and full of sand and dirt. The 50k was just a high ball price which could change because we also have to put tile and showers and new toilets and they have to cut out certain parts of the walls, all our new hardwood and carpet will have to be taken up,,,,,,,im so ready to just walk away and go back to renting

@ Saltidawg. whatever pipes that are inside our house that go outside , The plumbers say they are cast iron pipes, I have no idea what is what. We dont have use of our laundry facilities, our kitchen sink or the master bath at this time which includes toilet , sink and shower. They spend a lot of time just making bubbling sounds, We have use of 1 bathroom and sink on the other side of the house.

It sounds like a very big and expensive job. Is it possible that the sellers knew of this issue?

Its always possible but they deny it. It was an estate sale, Thier elderly mother passed away and they handles the sale and minor FHA repairs from another state

Oh. Then it's highly possible that they knew nothing of it. That's a good thing, I think. It means you can get on with thinking forward rather than thinking backward if that makes sense.

Angel did they have someone come in with a camera and look down the whole system? Sometimes if there is enough pipe left they can jet the dirt and whatnot out and you could possibly do what my neighbor did and sleeve it. I dont think you can do the attic route because you are not talking water lines but sewer lines.

Sounds like it is the sewer line. We had ours scraped with a high speed chain thing, and then high pressure water cleaned for 500.00. Was told by 2 plumbers that there was probably a collapse, but there wasnt.

Did they look at it with a camera? I had 2 plumbers say mine were caved in, after looking at video, but it was yrs of lime scale, crud build up.

Whatever you do, don't call root rooter. They will tell you the pipes need to be replaced. See if you have a BioRemedies in your area. They did a great job, and are national, I think.

Insurance won't normally cover it.

The bank is not going to want you to walk away. I would call them. You mentioned FHA, I think there is some kind of remodeling/home improvement loan that FHA does and they may be willing to redo your loan and include this. It is worth at least asking.

I have found when I can get someone to come from the next town/county over then the costs are much lower). Also found that the smaller the company the lower the overhead, however make sure you get a licensed person with really good reputation from people you know. What area of FL are you in?

What if you did one area at a time? I assume you have to do the outside portion that connects to the street, then you pick one area inside to fix for now and do the others later. If you have one working bathroom even for a large family you can survive... laundry at the laundry mat not convenient but it works. Would it be less expensive if you moved your sink to another part of the kitchen... Ikea cabinets/sinks are cheap. Can you live with polished concrete for awhile if the hardwood can not be saved.. Just brainstorming some ideas.

I think I would be hiring some muscles and renting some power tools ..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYZpkW3vdTU

Do you have a Mr. Rooter near you? We use them instead of Roto-Rooter. They are much more reasonable. I think you need to try having your lines cleaned. We have cast iron pipes and I have had the laundry- kitchen one cleaned a few times and we used to have to clean the main line from the house to the street for tree roots until the tree died. They use a big coil of wire that twists around and cuts and pushes the clog out. The laundry water usually has lint in it and the sink water has grease and that combines to make the best glue you have ever seen. If you have tree roots in the main line they catch everything and clog it.

Yes, if you could afford it, tearing everything out and going new would be great. (Think Flip or Flop show) We can't. I cannot see that you have to tear everything out. Get someone to clean the lines first.

They go down the vents on the roof of your house to feed the line down. Like Elpaso said, there was also the lime and rust crud built up in the pipe.http://www.mrrooter.com/residential-services/

"but we start to have some plumbing issues 3 plumbers later and they all say the same thing."

No, No lets have the get 5 or 6 more plumbers out there people. If 3 plumbers all independently same the same thing it ain't gonna change.

I didn't and elpaso didn't recommend a plumber. We suggested a DRAIN CLEANING company. While Mr Rooter does plumbing also, they are mostly a cleaning company. I would spend the money to clean the drains first, before I tore my house apart! Our house was built in 1965 and we have lived in it since 1980. It has cast iron pipes and has only had to be cleaned a few times. Our washer drains past the kitchen sink before joining the line that the main bath drains into. This is the one that clogs the most and when I had it cleaned in July it was $112.50 to clean that line and the main line from the tub.

if we don't get this fixed we may have to walk away

Quite honestly this may well be your best option. If you happen to be in a non-recourse state it is probably the best option. It is hard to give advice of this kind even with full information and I have next to none. I am not sure where you are or what your financial situation is but do make sure you protect your future. If you want to send me a message about your location and financial particulars I can try to help you but I completely understand if you don't want to.

We tried roto rooter and they were a complete joke. The 3 plumbers we had come out besides them did try and use a camera. They went in through the vent in the roof and could only go as far as 6 feet then met resistance, tried again and can see where it is collapsed, We have a claims adjuster coming monday, he feels that we have a good claim for the insurance company to pay for after the fact damage, im not sure,

As far as an FHA loan to tie into my mortgage I cant afford to pay more than what we are paying now, I probably wont walk away but we have 6 people using 1 bathroom, the whole house smells like sewage and i just dont know what to do ,

NO! Not ROTO ROOTER. They are awful. MR ROOTER.

Oh yeah roto rooter was ridiculous, The first time we called them out they were just going to snake the line because at that time we thought that it was a quick fix issue, Then he told me he had to remove the toilet etc and the price was going to be 565. I felt like i had no choice at that point, So we went ahead with it, And he said AFTER the line was snaked that it was just plugged up and if i had a Clean out then the price would have been cheaper. But it cost so much since he had to remove the toilet and out it back.

3 days later we have to call them back. They set an apt for Saturday, I take the day off work because they said they will be there between 9 and 12. They never show up. I call about 2 pm and was told, Oh I am sorry but they are really busy and cant get there till 4. Ok whatever, im off work all day anyway, so 5 pm rolls around no roto rooter, I call them they apologize and now say 7 pm, I said no, I have running around to do with kids that need to be done im tired of sitting around waiting all day, They set an appointment up for Sunday, I have to take another day off work and she assures me they will be there, No one shows up , So i call back and the lady says Oh you dont have an appt , we dont have them in your area on Sunday they are only in Orlando, Ugh, Im so mad at this point, So we set an appt for Monday,I have this day off but i also have a real life and need to get stuff done. this is thier last chance, Guy shows up promptly at 9 am and says that he has to take the toilet out and this will be an extra charge,,,,i said no way, you are going to look for a clean out and go that way, he finally agreed and what do you know,,,,,a clean out 47 feet from the main toilet. At this point I want a refund on the extra charges for them taking the toilet out when they didnt need to, So he snakes it, cant fix it, says we need a camera but the guy is in orlanda and cant be here for an hour, No problem, They promise they will be there before noon. They never showed till 7 pm, I did file a complaint, and eventually got my money back but I will never use them again.

Our Mr Rooter here in town, comes anytime no extra charge, holiday or weekend, and comes when they say. They have never taken the toilet out. All your sewage drain lines have a vent on the roof. They go down through that. In my house, there is one for the washer/kitchen sink, one for the main bath, and one for the master bath. The master bath is the last before the line goes out of the house to the front yard. we did have a cleanout put in outside for the main line in the yard, but then the tree that was clogging the line with roots died and we haven't needed it!

If the collapse is in the yard, I would only fix that and just clean the other lines. (Unless the insurance pays of course!)

Never use Roto Rooter. They are way overpriced, as you discovered, and only a few of them have the skill to do anything. Call a good independent Plumber (find reviews, and also check permits to see who is doing all the high end work) or you can try a very well-respecteddrain cleaning company, if it is indeed, your drain lines. That was unclear to me.

I can't believe they removed your toilet! Goodness.

Angel I urge you to get another plumber out there who can use the camera. Just because he couldnt go further does not mean it is collapsed. it could be stuff that needs to be cleaned out. Read elpaso's first post. Maybe a pipe is collapsed but maybe not. Im glad you have an insurance adjuster coming out.

How old is this home? Is it on a slab?

Trenchless sewer line repair

Geoffrey, yes she said it was a slab. That is a fantastic way to put in a new line.

Here is Elpaso's first post: Sounds like it is the sewer line. We had ours scraped with a high speed chain thing, and then high pressure water cleaned for 500.00. Was told by 2 plumbers that there was probably a collapse, but there wasnt.

Did they look at it with a camera? I had 2 plumbers say mine were caved in, after looking at video, but it was yrs of lime scale, crud build up. That is what it sound like happened to us. What ever you do, please stay away from lye drain cleaners like Drano. They don't work and will eat away at your pipes.

Is this house in a neighborhood of similar-age homes -- presumably all with cast iron piping? Have you talked to your neighbors or to the city?

Our town requires cast iron plumbing -- water and sewage -- and has done so for a century. I don't hear of people needing to replace an entire system. Our DS owns in Chicago. His house was built in 1910. He replaced water pipes because he wanted more water pressure. He didn't replace sewage piping.

Just wondering what the insurance adjuster said?

Pricing for repipe jobs vary widely it depends on access what type of construction are the walls sheet rock or plaster? If the pipes were run in concrete, then rerun them some where else with better access. (if possible)

if the attic is small and cramped it's probably not going to work. Crawl spaces under the home are typically tighter.

What materials will be used for repipe? pex? cpvc? copper? all have pros and cons.

copper with soldered joints will last the longest with rarely a problem, but it is tedious high labor that requires skill not to mention common sense or your house will get burned down. There are solderless fittings that can be used with copper, and these may reduce the cost... but if those fittings fail at some point it's more headaches than the savings would be worth in my opinion.

cpvc is a newer material but been around for a while. Some areas may restrict it's use. (codes) over time it can become brittle and may need to be replaced again.

pex is newer flexible plastic. This would be the cheapest option, but the verdict is still out on this. The materials used to make it may leach chemicals into the water. It's cheaper mostly because it's flexible and can be easily snaked thru tight access places.