BENEFITS FOR CHOOSING TRENCHLESS SEWER LINING
Drain issues are not something you should ignore. While clearing the clog is only the first step, the second is to figure out where the root of the problem is. The best way to do so is with a camera inspection of your drain and sewer lines
When the primary cause is a damaged or deteriorating sewer pipe, or if tree roots are making their way into your host pipe, that’s where trenchless sewer lining comes into play.
In the most basic terms, trenchless sewer lining is the process of creating a new pipe inside the existing host pipe. A resin-saturated felt tube made of polyester is inserted or pulled into a damaged pipe. The lining hardens making the inside of the pipe ‘as good as new’. Little to no digging is involved in this trenchless drain lining process, making for a more environmentally friendly method than traditional “dig and replace” sewer. Trenchless sewer and drain rehabilitation methods are generally more cost-effective than traditional exhume (dig) and replace methods. Many people are now looking to trenchless pipelining as an alternative to traditional sewer and drain repair.
Less Damage to Your Landscaping
We’ve all seen big trenches dug through a neighbor’s yard from the house to the city main out near the street. Thanks to the minimal need to dig, your landscaping won’t need a total to revamp. First, we clean out the host pipeline with our rooter machine. Next, a special pipe camera is used to confirm whether the pipe can receive lining or not. If it can, all it will take is just one small pothole (4ft. x 3ft.) to expose the pipe, followed by the lining being inserted and “cured-in-place”. Of course, the alternative would be to dig and replace large (or complete) parts of the pipe, leaving you with a ripped up yard.
It’s Faster and More Cost-Effective to Fix Rather Than “The Dig and Replace” Method
With expert knowledge and careful process, sewer lining can be done within a few hours, leaving you with pipes in almost brand new condition. Another major plus is that by identifying the area that needs fixing, you don’t have to worry about an expensive, massive pipe replacement. Certainly, we can fix the area in question, line the pipe and bring it to where it needs to be, without the extra waste of product and time (which saves you money in the process).
TYPES OF TRENCHLESS SEWER REPAIR METHODS: WHICH ONE IS IDEAL?
The repair of sewer lines is time-consuming, costly, and disruptive to day-to-day activities. Traditional sewer repairs involve trenching. As such, you have to dig deep trenches in the street next to your home, driveway, pavements, car parks, or your back or front yard. Instead of rerouting traffic and paying lots of money to dig up such areas, you can opt to use trenchless sewer repair methods to avoid disruptions.
THE PIPE BURSTING METHOD
The pipe bursting trenchless sewer repair method involves inserting and pulling high-density polyethylene pipe (HDPE) through an old damaged pipe. The inserted pipe bursts open or fractures the damaged pipe without removing it. You have to dig holes on both ends of the lateral pipe before inserting the HDPE pipe. You have to connect a ‘bullet’ or ‘bursting’ head to the HDPE pipe and pull it through the old pipe
SLIP LINING, PIPELINING, OR CURED IN PLACE PIPE (CIPP) METHOD
The slip lining sewer repair technique allows the installation of an epoxy liner into a damaged lateral sewer line. The repair creates a pipe within another pipe. The sewer lining or ‘cured-in-place pipe’ is tube coated with flexible resin. This lining gets pulled through the broken sewer line and inflated to harden and create a new pipe lining within the old damaged pipe.
IS THE CHOSEN METHOD FRIENDLY TO THE ENVIRONMENT?
Pipe bursting is a sewer repair method that is more friendly to the environment than CIPP. If not used well, the slip sewer lining method can release pollutants into the ground and utility lines. Research shows that some CIPP repair works have led to the release of styrene into storm-water. Styrene is a hazardous pollutant. Pipe bursting is thus safer than CIPP because it doesn’t involve the use of any chemicals with contaminants.
WHICH TRENCHLESS SEWER REPAIR METHOD IS MORE DURABLE?
Pro plumbers hold that both the sewer pipe lining and pipe bursting methods are long-lasting. CIPP sections last for at least five decades, and this can give you peace of mind. But the slip lining method may not last as long as the pipe bursting method because of the reduction of the diameter of the original sewer piping. But the pipe bursting method establishes a whole new pipe that can last longer than the ‘pipe within a pipe’ under the CIPP method.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SEWER REPLACEMENT COMPANY
When it comes time to replace your sewer system, you want to make sure you choose the right sewer replacement company for the job. Whether you own a home or business, replacing your sewer lines is a large investment and you want to make sure you are getting a quality sewer system that will last you for decades to come. Before hiring just on price, take the time to find a company that has experience, stands behind their work and offers the most reliable sewer replacement technology that will save you money not only now, but in the long run.
Check the Sewer Replacement Company’s Credentials
The first step in choosing a sewer replacement company is to find a company that is properly licensed and insured who also has extensive experience and an excellent reputation. Check with the local city, county and state licensing agencies to make sure the company you are considering hiring has the proper licenses for a sewer contractor
Are they a Registered Side Sewer Contractor? In Seattle, to work on side sewer that are in the public right-of-way, you must be a Registered Side Sewer Contractor or RSSC. If a company is a RSSC, they have successfully completed an exam on public side sewer repair and have the proper city and state contractors licenses.
Are they accredited with the Better Business Bureau? Many complaints of poor work or service by businesses are filed with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Make sure the company you are hiring is accredited with the BBB and in good standing
Do they stand behind they work? Ask any company you are considering hiring for a sewer replacement what type of guarantee they offer on their work. They should stand behind the quality of their work and offer some kind of guarantee.
PIPE BURSTING: WHEN TO CHOOSE TRENCHLESS SEWER REPLACEMENT
With older technology, repairing a broken or punctured sewer line meant a week of excavation, laying new pipe and repairing the damage left by the dig. New trenchless sewer replacement technology, known as pipe bursting, makes it possible to place new higher-quality pipes without the messy excavation.
Minimize digging – With only two small access holes required, trenchless sewer replacement saves you from a week or more of dealing with equipment and mess on your property. This reduced disruption is especially helpful for replacing pipes under paved or landscaped surfaces, under bodies of water, in Delaware’s environmentally sensitive areas such as near estuaries and in contaminated soil.
Reduce costs – Replacing pipes with the pipe bursting method typically costs around 40 percent less than conventional excavation and pipe-laying methods. You’ll also avoid the expense of having to clean up the dig site and repair damaged landscaping.
Improve pipe life span – Older sewer lines are made of cast iron, concrete, clay or PVC pipes, all of which are prone to breakage and punctures. With trenchless sewer replacement, the pipe used is seamless HDPE, or high density polyethylene. It’s stronger than traditional pipe material and can function problem-free for up to 50 years.
Best in areas with few underground utilities lines – As the bursting head passes through the old pipe, it uses physical force to break the pipe apart. Utility pipes or wires very near the sewer line may be damaged by pieces of old sewer pipe. That means this technology is only appropriate in areas that are relatively clear of utility lines.
Is Trenchless Pipe Repair Always the Best Solution?
Yes, going trenchless is the best choice
Normally, offering such a blanket answer might seem foolish. But we’ve been in the business for a long time and know the benefits of choosing trenchless technology for pipe repair. The alternative to trenchless is the old-fashioned method of digging up the ground to reach the buried sewer or water line to fix or replace it. Trenchless offers so many advantages compared to the old techniques that there’s little question which one is the best
For example:
Trenchless pipe repair takes less time. Using excavation methods can require a day, or sometimes days, to complete. Trenchless repairs can usually be completed in a few hours when you hire the right people.
Trenchless pipe repair is more cost-effective. It’s faster and less labor-intensive, with much smaller crews required to do the work.
Trenchless pipe repair is far less disruptive to a home, business, or facility. There’s no need to tear up a whole parking lot, lawn, or another part of the property just to access the broken pipe. Many trenchless jobs can be done without any digging at all. Those that do require digging only need one or two small pits excavated.
Trenchless doesn’t mean only one technique
There are choices involved when it comes to trenchless repair services. Most of them you can leave up to the professionals handling the job. Before starting the repairs, the trenchless experts will inspect the pipe to find out the extent and type of damage so they’ll know the best way to fix it. These inspections are also part of trenchless technology: push-cams inserted into the pipeline which send back images to monitors where technicians can observe the pipe interior. Using these push-cams eliminates an enormous amount of guesswork and saves time—the technicians know exactly what type of work they need to do, where to do it, and how to do it.
Once the inspections are complete, the technicians will decide on whether the best way to fix the pipe is pipelining or pipe bursting. Pipelining fixes a leaking or decaying pipe from the inside by sliding a liner into the pipe and setting it in place. Pipe bursting involves slipping a new pipe into the old one, then expanding it to shatter the old pipe and replace it.