Clay vs. Cast Iron vs. PVC: Know Your Sewer Pipe

Knowing what your sewer line is made of tells you a lot about how — and when — it's likely to fail. Here's a quick guide to the pipe materials under New Jersey homes.

Clay (Vitrified Clay Tile)

Common in homes built before the 1970s. Clay is tough and corrosion-proof, but it comes in short sections with many joints, and those joints crack and separate as the ground settles — the classic entry point for roots.

Cast Iron

Durable and quiet, but cast iron corrodes from the inside out. After 50–80 years it scales down, develops rust tubercles, and eventually perforates. Descaling can restore a scaled-but-sound line and postpone replacement.

Orangeburg

A tar-impregnated wood-fiber pipe used mid-century. It delaminates and collapses with little warning. If your NJ home has Orangeburg, plan on replacement sooner rather than later.

PVC and HDPE

Modern lines are smooth-walled plastic — corrosion-proof, with far fewer joints. Properly installed, they're good for 50–100 years. This is what we replace failed pipe with.