We live in an old house roughly 100 years old. We noticed that the drain in the laundry area of the basement was in bad shape and upon further inspection we noticed that the pipe was broken. My husband tore up the concrete floor and found that the pipe was made of clay and needed to be replaced in one area. We have an idea as to how to replace it in terms of what parts are needed, but we want to replace part of the clay pipe with pvc. We are thinking of using flex couplings to join the pipes but we aren't sure if we just use band clamps or if we need to use some type of cement or adhesive. Also we have no idea how to saftey cut the clay pipe so that it is not jagged like it is now. If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it. Thanks :)

I have been trying to solve a basement water leak during hard rains. I discovered that under the corner of a bathroom closet wall there is a drain to the foundation system that backs up during rains. It seems partially clogged and was covered years ago by a previous owner who remodeled and put in a bathroom and closet. My basement has a working sump system and I presume the drain leads to it. My question ... should I fill the drain as much as possible with portland cement to close it permanently? Or, should I roto-rooter it to try to get it to deliver to the sump pump whatever water that gets into it?