<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations . Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations . (July 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> Cast iron pipe is a pipe which has had historic use as a pressure pipe for transmission of water, gas and sewage, and as a water drainage pipe during the 19th and 20th centuries . It comprises predominantly a gray cast iron tube and was frequently used uncoated, although later coatings and linings reduced corrosion and improve hydraulics . Cast iron pipe was superseded by ductile iron pipe, which is a direct development, with most existing manufacturing plants transitioning to the new material during the 1970s and 1980s . Little cast iron pipe is currently manufactured . </P> <P> The oldest extant cast iron water pipes date from the 17th century and were installed to distribute water throughout the gardens of the Chateau de Versailles . These amount to some 35 km of pipe, typically 1m lengths with flanged joints . The extreme age of these pipes make them of considerable historical value . Following extensive refurbishment in 2008 by Saint - Gobain PAM, 80% remain original . </P> <P> Cast iron proved to be a beneficial material for the manufacture of water pipes and was used as a replacement for the original elm pipelines laid in the ground earlier . These water pipelines were composed of individually cast pipe sections, often termed sticks, jointed together by a bell and spigot joint . Here one end of the pipe stick is flared, termed the bell or socket, to enable the opposite end of the next stick, the spigot end, to be inserted to create a joint . The gaps in these joints were sealed with oakum to prevents the water leaking out . A molten - lead joint was then run around the socket to ensure that the oakum seal remained in place . </P>

When did they stop using cast iron pipes