Sewer Line Repair Options/Alternatives

Excavation

For many years plumbers relied on excavation to repair all sewer line problems. On the outside, a backhoe or other heavy-duty excavation equipment was used to expose, access and replace problem areas. Inside, floors were saw cut and jack hammered and walls cut. Recent advances in sewer repair technology have made it possible to avoid trenching and cutting. Trenchless sewer line repair procedures do not destroy yards, devastate driveways, cut up houses or ruin parking lots.

CIPP

Cured in place pipe lining is a trenchless technology utilized when the pipe is still mostly open or can be opened with mechanical cutters. This process can fix missing pipe, separations, offsets, cracks, breaks, leaks on pressurized lines, pin holes, root breaks, ground water infiltration, and rough metal pipe, which causes backups due to improper flow characteristics.

The process of using cured in place piping is as follows:

An onsite evaluation is completed to locate connections into the drain system and where drainage is located in the property. Next we perform a sewer camera inspection of the drain system to find problem areas and connections to other plumbing appliances. Once located, documented and problems diagnosed, we utilize the most effective method and equipment to clean the pipes. These processes include hydro jetting, cable cleaning, robotic cutting, sanding, high speed chain cleaning, vacuuming or a combination. Once the line is clean, we measure the pipe diameter and build a structural drain liner that passes government required ASTM D1790 or F1216 standards. The felt liner is cut to length and bladders assembled. The felt is vacuum impregnated with the epoxy and/or resin specified for the application. After the felt is saturated, it is rolled through a pinch roller to the thickness that meets ASTM standards.

The bladder is inserted into the felt liner and the liner is inserted into the pipe utilizing one of two methods:

Pull in Place

The epoxy saturated felt liner is folded and taped, making it easier to install. It is pulled into the cleaned pipe system using access points that include cleanouts, manholes, vent stacks, toilet flanges and excavations. The liner can bend through elbows, T’s and Y’s. The bladder is inflated, which pushes the epoxy liner against the internal circumference of the pipe. The epoxy cures within hours. The bladder is removed, leaving a strong, seamless, structural pipe within the host pipe. A final camera inspection is performed to verify liner quality. Pull in place is used for spot repairs and complete line restoration..

Inversion

Inversion is utilized when there is only one access point or if a longer straight run of liner is needed. The liner preparation is similar to pull in place as far as installing the epoxy/resin into the felt. Once the felt is ready, it is loaded into an inversion machine that utilizes air pressure to blow the inverted liner into the drainage pipe. After the felt liner is installed, the bladder presses out against the internal circumference of the host pipe, creating a smooth seamless pipe.

Both inversion and pull in place can be cured off ambiently. Hot water or steam can also be utilized to cure the epoxy resin at a faster rate. We use a variety of epoxy types to accommodate weather conditions, 45 and 90 degree bends in the pipe, connections, chemicals, temperatures and discharge from appliances to provide you with a long lasting solution to every drainage system.

Pipe Bursting

Pipe bursting is a method of sewer line replacement utilized when the pipe is collapsing or needs to be up sized. This method requires two small excavations—one at the point where the replacement begins and one at the end, usually the city sewer main. Once the sewer pipe has been exposed, a section of pipe is removed at the start and end excavation. A steel cable is inserted through the old pipe, with one end attached to a cone shaped bursting head. A new high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe is attached to the back side of the bursting head. A hydraulic ram is attached to the other end of the cable. Once set, the hydraulics pull the bursting head through the old pipe causing it to fracture and break apart. As this is happens, the new HDPE pipe is pulled into place behind the bursting head. This method can be used on cast iron, clay, transit, cement and ductile iron pipes.

Some advantages to pipe bursting are:

• Replace collapsing pipe with new full diameter pipe
• Replace a smaller diameter pipe with a larger pipe (e.g. 4” to 6”)
• Can be used to burst one pipe and pull in 2 new pipes behind it to separate a single service lateral to multiple houses
• More cost effective than CIPP in some instances

In most cases, cured in place pipe (CIPP) or pipe bursting is going to be the best solution.These processes typically take as little as one day to complete and cost significantly less than the traditional excavation sewer line repair method.