Established 1893 | BS 460:2002 Certified | UK & International Supply | Expert Technical Support | 0333 987 4452
Established 1893 | BS 460:2002 Certified | UK & International Supply | Expert Technical Support | 0333 987 4452
Cast iron has been the material for external soil and waste stacks on British buildings since the Victorian period. Tuscan Foundry supplies two cast iron soil systems for listed and period buildings: Traditional LCC socket-and-spigot pipe and Traditional Express push-fit pipe.
From the mid-nineteenth century, sanitary reform and the spread of the indoor WC put a cast iron soil stack on the outside of most new houses, schools and institutional buildings. Pipes were cast with a socket at one end and a spigot at the other, and jointed with yarn and molten lead. Many of these stacks survive. Where they need repair or replacement, like-for-like cast iron keeps the character of the elevation and is usually what conservation officers expect.
Cast iron matches the profile, weight and detail of the original pipework, from the socket collars to the cast ears and ornamental earbands. It is non-combustible, does not sag or discolour in sunlight, and lasts for generations with basic maintenance.
The mass of cast iron absorbs the sound of water running down the stack, which matters where a soil pipe passes bedrooms or runs inside the building.
The graphite flakes in cast iron’s microstructure also damp vibration, so a cast iron stack transmits far less noise than lighter pipe materials.
Traditional LCC is cast iron socket-and-spigot soil pipe made to BS 416-1:1990, the like-for-like replacement for an original Victorian or Edwardian stack. It comes eared or plain in 50mm to 150mm, with bends, branches, offsets, access fittings and traditional fixings such as holdfasts and ornamental earbands. Joints are packed with caulking cord and finished with a jointing sealant, and the range is supplied with a black bitumen coating. Bespoke fabrications can be made to special order.
Traditional Express is a cast iron push-fit soil system in 50mm and 100mm. Socketless pipes are joined with rubber-sealed push-fit sockets and couplings, so there is no caulking on site, and the stack can be painted, including in our linseed oil finish. It keeps the appearance of traditional cast iron where a painted stack or a quicker installation is wanted.
Browse the Traditional Express range
Not sure which to specify? Read our Traditional Express vs LCC guide, our article on traditional cast iron LCC soil pipe systems, or the soil pipe FAQs.
