Material on cast waste lines - what is it?

[Terence McCann]

Howdy all:

More that once I've seen a tar like material applied to cast waste lines. It sometimes has a blue outer covering and it looks cracked in places, this is where you can see what appears to be a tar base substance.

Is this a leak repair method?

TIA

[Chad Fabry]

Iron lines can be ordered coated with an asphalt emulsion to slow corrosion from agressive soils...is that what you're talking about?

[Terence McCann]

This was on a waste line in the basement however, it was up towards the floor joists of the first floor and was a wye fitting. The cast that connected to it and ran into the floor did not have this material on it.

Perhaps the plumber, at the time, only had this fitting with this material on it when he was working on the home.

BTW, the home dates to 1919.

Note to self: Take better pictures.

[kurt]

It sounds like the wye had the emulsion on it; the plumber probably didn't have anything else in the truck.

[Brian G]

I don't know if they ever made a similar plumbing product, but I can't help thinking of plaster-bond when I read the part about the blue coating. Electrical is usually gray, used for harsh enviroments. You don't suppose someone used that instead...?

Brian G.