If you have recently discovered a broken sewer pipe, you are probably in a panic. After all, that couldn’t be a good thing. You know what’s going through that pipe and you certainly don’t want it running under your home or out in the yard.
And speaking of your yard …. What kind of damage is going to happen when you have that sewer pipe repaired or replaced! But then a neighbor recommended going with a trenchless sewer pipe replacement and you’re wondering if that is an option for you.
There Goes the Landscaping!
In the past, when you had a sewer and water line replacement or repaired, it meant disaster in many different ways. The traditional trenching required digging up the driveway, parking lot, and/or street. It also meant that any hardscaping or landscaping would be destroyed and traffic sometimes had to be rerouted as repairs were happening. The process could cost as much as $20,000 or even more.
For the past 15 years or so, a new process has been used. Using a camera and locating of sewer and storm lines, then a trenchless sewer pipe replacement has replaced the old method. It isn’t near as expensive as the traditional ditch digging. And it doesn’t destroy your driveway, hardscaping, landscaping, and/or parking lot either.
This is a method that more and more pipe & plumbing contractors are using. It is non-corrode replacement pipe method and commercial building owners and homeowners love it. Well, as much as you can love having sewer pipe issues that are.
What Is It Exactly?
Trenchless sewer pipe replacement is when a pipe liner, commonly referred to as a cured-in-place pipe. It is a resin coated flexible tube that is blown, pulled, or pushed into the damaged pipe and inflated.
The resin coating hardens and creates a pipe inside the damaged pipe. It is resistant to corrosion and is jointless, meaning that future problems are eliminated. While it does make the inner diameter smaller, it doesn’t affect the waste going through it.
Because this trenchless sewer pipe method only involves one hole to be dug, the outer area surrounding the pipe is not damaged. And because there is just the one hole being dug and one hole to be filled in, the labor needed is less.
Trenchless Isn’t For Every Pipe Situation
However, not all pipe repairs or replacements can be done by this method. Some of the original pipe structure needs to be in place in order for the liner to work. Another method may be considered is pipe bursting method if any of the original lines are collapsed.
If the contracting plumber is able to pull a cable through the busted pipe, they may be able to pull a new pipe through as they simultaneously fracture the old pipe. This method does require holes to be dug on both sides of the lateral pipe.
Does One Function Better Than The Other?
Professional pipe and plumbing contractors that have studied these methods claim that pipe bursting and pipelining are equal in durability. The costs for either will vary based on the part of the country you’re in and the cost of the materials used. Things like soil type and depth of the sewers are contributing factors as well.