One of the challenges that most homeowners have to deal with is leaking or broken sewer pipes. They can begin slowly as pinpoint leakages and gradually develop into larger issues, or can suddenly burst, flooding your home.
Usual wear and tear, ground shifts, and tree root growth, can cause serious sewer pipes problems. Thus, property owners need to occasionally check over their sewer pipes and ensure they are in good shape.
If an inspection discovers leakages, the property owner has to choose between pipe replacement or repair. The homeowner can do any of these using the traditional excavating method or the least invasive trenchless sewer pipelining technology.
Solving a sewer pipeline problem can be destructive to your property and yard. In the past, it was common to destroy landscaping and yards by digging the trenches required to access and fix the sewer line as they are underground. Nowadays, however, reputable plumbers, use modern techniques of trenchless sewer system repair, making the process less damaging and less intrusive.
Trenchless sewer pipelining techniques do not involve digging and removal of large sections of flooring, foundation, and walls, to reach the sewer pipeline system. Instead, these pipe repair techniques involve restoring existing pipes using the old pipes as a host, other than the expensive and disruptive excavation of trenches; this is then followed by conventional pipes repair and fixing affected surfaces such as foundation, floors, walls, and walls cabinetry.
Benefits of a trenchless sewer repair include:
- Less destructive
- One day completion
- It saves time and money
Unlike traditional repair options, trenchless methods are faster because they need less work. Before, having a sewer required sparing time to fix the yard yourself or a landscaper, courtesy of the excavation necessary by old repair methods. Nowadays, many homeowners go for trenchless sewer repairs since they save money and time.
Trenchless Sewer Repair Methods
The three popular trenchless sewer repairs are pipe bursting, cured-in-place pipelining, and slip lining. Nonetheless, not all trenchless repair methods are appropriate for various types of lines. Multiple factors such as age, the type of pipe your home has, and its surroundings can restrict your choices. The following is a brief description of these methods.
Pipe bursting
The process of pipe bursting utilizes a bursting head to pass through a damaged sewer line. Plumbers fix a new set of pipes to the lead in this method and then pull through the old line. The old set of pipes is smashed, pushed away, and displaced by the new tube as it moves through the sewer line. One advantage of this method over other sewer line replacement methods is replacing the old piping, ultimately installing a larger sewer line. Additionally, while pipe bursting does not require excavation, it needs less digging compared to ancient trench-utilizing methods.
Cured in place pipelining
The method uses epoxy to reinforce and seal a broken pipe internally. A plumber uses an appropriate tool for inflating a liner, with wet epoxy in the broken sewer pipe. When the epoxy dries, it seals the smashed pipe wall and fixes any leaks due to cracks or pipe damage. The trenchless repair technique is significantly affordable compared to other methods of pipeline repairs since it does not require excavation.
Cured-in-place repairs may have the same life span as new sewer pipes. However, they reduce the diameter of pipes. Therefore, this method may not be appropriate for a pipeline that plumbers have repaired many times or in circumstances where the original lines are not adequately wide to function effectively after the repair is complete.
Slip Lining
This sewer system repair method is the original trenchless technique of sewer line system repair. The method involves putting a liner into a broken pipe to seal leaks. Slip lining, just like pipe bursting, requires two holes for the pipe exit and entry to be repaired.
The Best Branchless Repair Method
The best trenchless repair method for you best addresses your situation, preferences, and budget.