Sewer line repair is costly in more than just price. After hundreds of dollars spent on piping, digging, and labor replacement hours, you can be left with thousands more in landscaping to restore your yard to normal. Unfortunately, a broken sewer line can affect your entire house, leaving you with backed up sinks, and overflowing appliances. The traditional method of repair requires costly excavation and installation of new pipe. Removing the old pipe from the ground damages your yard and can take days to finish repairing. Fortunately, newer technologies and advancements in epoxy materials have given us not one, but two methods for replacing underground sewer and drain pipe without major excavations.
Pipe Pulling
The first technique is known as pipe-pulling or pipe-bursting. It gets this name because the new pipe is pulled through the old pipe’s location, while breaking up the old and damaged pipe. By digging a hole at the start and end points of the damage pipe, a new pipe can be lowered into place and pulled through the space occupied by the older pipe. As the new pipe is pulled forward, the installation head (a large, cone-shaped bit) breaks up and pushes aside the older pipe.
Once the installation head is pulled free through the end, the new pipe has completely replaced the damaged section and can be connected the main plumbing system. While some yard restoration work is required, it’s far less expensive to restore your yard to its original state. Trenchless pipe restorations are usually a 30-50% more expensive than a standard repiping of your sewer line, but the savings from landscaping fees more than make up for the difference.
Pipe Relining (Cured-in-Place Pipe)
The second method often only requires a single access point for entering the damaged or old pipe. Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) uses a strong epoxy to line the interior of the old pipe with a brand new one. The new lining is held in place by an air-filled bladder until the epoxy sets. The epoxy takes only a few minutes to line the walls of the pipe and will cure within 3-4 hours.
After the epoxy has cured, the bladder is removed and a robot is sent into the pipe to open branches and visually inspect the pipe to ensure quality. When all is said and done, a single piece of epoxy pipe has fully replaced your old sewer line. The new pipe can last for at least 50 years, and will last longer with proper maintenance. The lack of joints, seams, and connections in the pipe prevent roots and plants from intruding and damaging the pipe as well, preventing future problems.
Benefits to Pipe Relining:
- Single Access Point Required
- 200ft of Pipe in Seconds
- Prevents Future Root Intrusions
- Stops Leaks
- Strengthens Old Pipes
You always have a choice, no matter the repair. If you’re looking at major landscaping to fix a pipeline, give us a call at (302) 368-3848 for any of your Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania home service needs — plumbing, electrical, HVAC, propane, and more!
Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer any questions you might have.
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