I recently discovered what appears to be an old septic line running through my window studs, and I'm not sure if this was a mistake. The house is now connected to the city sewer, so this line isn't in use anymore. The stud is notched but not fully cut. Should I go ahead and remove the old septic line and replace the studs? This wall has been like this for over 50 years, so I'm wondering if it's actually safe or if I need to take action to do it the right way.
3 Answers
It sounds like that pipe might actually be a vent pipe that's still connected to your plumbing system, even if it was once part of the septic setup. It's not the best situation, but I've seen similar setups. In my older home, they also ran this type of pipe through the studs without cutting perfect holes. It’s not ideal, but it might be okay as long as it’s vented properly.
I’m a little surprised it’s lasted this long. I probably wouldn’t feel good about how that’s set up. If I were you, I’d look into doing it right, just to be safe. It might be a pain, but who knows what could happen down the line!
Honestly, that's not a great job if it’s a load-bearing wall, especially since it's an exterior one. If it is load-bearing, then it definitely needs to be corrected. But if you can confirm that it's not, then you might be safe just leaving it. I’ve even seen places where people removed entire facades without issue!