Many of the homeowners especially in US do not give the necessary attention when it comes to plumbing; they do so only after it has started to cause problems. One of the major plumbing problems is pipe breakage, and this may be as a result of a variety of problems. If an underground pipe gets to break or has a hole, especially if it is a sewage pipe, then it may result into a big trouble. The soil may enter through the openings and cause pipe blockage. Roots may also penetrate through these openings and cause lots of problems to the already damaged pipe.
Methods of repairing broken Pipes
We have three popular methods of fixing broken sewage pipe problems namely:
Trench method-
this method involves digging up the broken pipes and replacing them with others. Then we have the trenchless pipe repair techniques which are:
Trenchless pipe bursting- this involves replacing the broken pipes without necessarily digging them up.
Trenchless relining- this is where a certain substance is blown inside the broken pipe until a new lining is formed on the inside after it has hardened.
The problem pipe may be situated in a place where nothing cannot damage it is easily, where even digging is impossible, and then the best method to use in this situation is the trench method since it is very affordable.
However, we may encounter other situations where the pipe passes through a line of many trees or it passes under some driveway, then the trench method cannot be used in this particular situation. In such a situation, the pipe bursting and relining methods are the most ideal.
Relining Costs vs. Pipe Bursting
Is relining more expensive than pipe bursting? If we look at both techniques from the same angle, then we will realize that each of them costs the same. Pipe bursting normally costs between $60-$200 per foot, this simply means that if you are required to carry out a whole repair, then you will have to spend around $3,500 to $20,000.
When it comes to pipe lining, it usually costs around $4,000-$2,000 for the standard sewers. However, most homeowners normally pay about $6,000 to $12,000 for serious sewer connections.
Some of the advantages of Pipe Relining
Despite having the same similarities when it comes to pricing, pipe relining is seen to be less costly in the end due to the following factors.
After the lining has hardened, it will be much stronger than the PVC as it gets a lot support from the older pipe, and this makes it to be 2-times stronger. This implies that the chances of the pipe breaking are very minimal; hence there will be less breakage of pipes, less maintenance, and thus less expense.
The cleaning up of the retrieved pieces of the old broken pipe during bursting would require additional costs for you.
In case your sewage gets to break, you will be required to get it replaced or repaired fast. If we consider the three methods of repair, pipe refilling proves to be more cost efficient if it is properly done.