How Trenchless Sewer Repair Can Save You Time and Money

Executive Summary

• Damaged or age-worn sewer systems can cause leaks that lead to water damage or sewage backups that can cause disease. Have a professional inspect your sewer to determine when you need a sewer line replacement.
• Traditional sewer repairs involve digging trenches to replace old pipelines, disrupting landscapes. Trenchless methods like pipe bursting, horizontal drilling, and pipe lining use advanced technology to avoid extensive digging.
• Trenchless sewer repair can have many benefits, including less interference with yards and infrastructure, quicker and easier repairs, lower costs, increased longevity, and less environmental impact. 
• Trenchless sewer repair may not be possible if the existing sewer line is severely damaged or improperly installed. A skilled professional should assess and choose the best method to minimize risks to surroundings.

Understanding How Trenchless Sewer Repair Can Save Time and Money

If your sewer system is broken or worn down, it can cause water damage to your property or create a backup of sewage. Coming into contact with sewage or contaminated surfaces can cause dangerous illnesses like gastroenteritis.

Repairs and sewer line replacements are essential to property maintenance because they prolong the lifespan of the sewer system, minimize the risk of expensive emergency repairs, and safeguard the health of occupants by preventing contamination and sewage backups. Furthermore, having efficient sewer systems can increase property value.

Nevertheless, traditional sewer repair methods involve digging trenches to replace old or damaged pipelines, making the process disruptive and time-consuming. In contrast, trenchless sewer repair uses pipe bursting or lining approaches that minimize disruption to landscapes and sidewalks. By avoiding the need for extensive digging, trenchless sewer repair is typically more cost-effective than traditional sewer repair techniques.

How Does Trenchless Sewer Repair Work?

Traditional sewer repair techniques require workers to dig access trenches to manually fix, remove, or replace outdated or damaged pipelines. However, trenchless sewer repairminimizes the need for digging by using tools like pipe-bursting heads and small cameras to survey sewer systems and execute sewer line replacements.

Each property may require a unique approach to trenchless sewer repair. Still, environmental professionals will usually start by feeding a camera into your sewer system to examine the pipes, evaluate damage, and devise a repair plan. Afterward, they will usually try one of the following techniques.

Pipe Bursting

During this process, a professional will use a pipe-bursting head to break the original sewer line. To do this, the specialist will likely create two small access points at the beginning and end of the old pipe. Then, the bursting head attached to the new pipe is forced through the old pipe, breaking it apart and discarding old fragments while simultaneously moving the fresh pipe into place.

Pipe Lining

Like pipe bursting, cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) lining requires less excavation than traditional sewer repair methods. During this process, a professional will insert an epoxy resin-soaked felt or fiberglass pipe liner into the preexisting sewer pipe. The liner is inflated and pressed against the interior of the host pipe before being exposed to heat or ultraviolet light to dry and harden. After curing for 4 to 24 hours, the liner will create a new pipe within the old one.

Horizontal Directional Drilling

This process begins with excavating, sending and receiving pits at specific points along the intended path. Then, a drilling rig is used to create a tunnel underground that is typically larger than the diameter of the new pipe to allow for its insertion. Lastly, the new sewer pipe is pulled through the drilled path, and the sending and receiving pits are filled back in. This method is excellent for efficiently laying pipes under existing infrastructure or environmentally sensitive areas with less surface disturbance than traditional trenching approaches.

All trenchless sewer repair methods offer minimal disruption to landscape and infrastructure, making these options beneficial for many property owners.

Advantages of Trenchless Sewer Repair

Trenchless sewer repair can offer many advantages by circumventing the need for extensive digging. Some examples of benefits of trenchless sewer repair are:

• Reduced disruptions – Trenchless sewer repair helps preserve landscaping, sidewalks, driveways, and structures by avoiding large-scale excavation.
• Time efficiency – Since workers do not have to dig through the yard and painstakingly repair each pipeline, trenchless sewer repair is typically faster than traditional methods, minimizing downtime and inconvenience.
• Financial savings – Compared to traditional sewer repair methods, the cost of trenchless sewer repair is usually cheaper because it requires less labor, materials, and property restoration expenses.
• Longevity – Trenchless sewer repairs frequently use durable materials like epoxy resin or HDPE liners, which can last for several decades due to their resistance to corrosion and fatigue, minimizing the need for future repairs.
• Mitigated environmental impact – Trenchless sewer repair methods can result in less soil displacement and reduced waste by reducing digging and material usage, which can preserve plant life and underground systems.

Although trenchless sewer repair offers many benefits, it may not be the best solution for every property.

What Are The Cons Of Trenchless Sewer Repair?

Knowing the disadvantages of trenchless sewer repair is essential to understand whether it fits your sewer system well. You should consider the following drawbacks before committing to trenchless sewer repair.

Trenchless Sewer Repair is Not Always Possible

If the existing sewer line is severely damaged or collapsed, there may not be enough intact pipe for lining. Additionally, if the original pipeline was installed incorrectly, has an inadequate slope, or features sagging or deflection, it can complicate trenchless sewer repair. Consult a qualified environmental remediation company to know if your sewer system could benefit from trenchless repairs.

Pipe Bursting Can Damage Surroundings

Although specialists will take a calculated approach to pipe bursting, the fragments of old pipes can still damage nearby utilities, necessitating additional trenching. In general, CIPP lining poses less risk than pipe bursting, but it requires the existing pipe to be in decent condition. Talk to a trustworthy environmental remediator to determine which approach to trenchless sewer repair is the best for your property.

Trenchless Sewer Repair Requires Expertise

Trenchless sewer repair technology is advanced and relatively new—these methods have only been around since the late 1900s. Therefore, successful sewer line replacements depend heavily on the expertise of the hired professionals. Properly diagnosing sewer line issues is vital to effective trenchless sewer repair, requiring a higher skill level than traditional trenching and replacement methods.

Having an experienced environmental consultant survey your property and investigate your sewer system complications is an excellent way to determine how and when to perform a sewer line replacement.

When Do I Need Trenchless Sewer Repair?

Monitoring your property’s sewer system is essential to maintaining its function. You should look out for indications that imply you need trenchless sewer repair. Some examples of scenarios where trenchless sewer repair may be beneficial are:

• If you have aging or deteriorating pipes.
• If you notice frequent sewage backups.
• If you detect sewer line leaks or accompanying water damage.
• If you discover root intrusion or blockages in existing pipes.
• If your property has minimal space for excavation.

The best way to know if your sewer system needs trenchless repair is to schedule a sewer inspection with an experienced environmental remediation team. By inspecting your sewer system with cutting-edge technology like small cameras, professionals can identify sewer-related problems and craft a repair plan.

Is Trenchless Sewer Repair Worth It?

For many property owners, trenchless sewer repair is worth it. Compared to traditional, dig-heavy sewer repairs, trenchless alternatives offer superior quality and are typically quicker and more cost-effective, thanks to the cutting-edge tools that may be used. These methods can help you preserve landscapes and require less excavation, making them environmentally beneficial. 

Trenchless repair techniques are a smart and sustainable investment for many residential and commercial properties. They prolong the lifespan of pipes by utilizing materials that are meant to last, like epoxy resin, which provides endurance against rust, corrosion, and root invasions.

How Affordable Is Trenchless Sewer Repair?

The cost of trenchless sewer repair can vary significantly depending on several factors, including the size and condition of the original pipe, obstacles on the property, local labor rates, and the type of trenchless technique used, such as pipe bursting or lining. Depending on these factors, average trenchless sewer repairs usually cost anywhere from $1,900 to $6,000 but can reach $25,000 for complex projects. Still, because they require less money for excavation and repair, trenchless sewer repair frequently turns out to be more economical than conventional techniques.

Why Choose Alpha Environmental for Trenchless Sewer Repair

Sewage backups and leaks caused by outdated or damaged sewer systems can result in water damage and health hazards. It is crucial to have a professional evaluate your sewer system and perform repairs as needed. 

While trench excavation is used in traditional sewer repairs, trenchless techniques like pipe bursting, horizontal drilling, and CIPP lining use cutting-edge technology to minimize excavation. The potential benefits of trenchless sewer repair include less damage to surrounding areas, quicker fixes, lower costs, longer pipe lifespans, and fewer environmental effects.

The highly qualified environmental remediators at Alpha Environmental can help you pinpoint any issues with your sewer system and carry out necessary repairs. We have substantial experience performing sewer services in Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding area. Our familiarity with local ordinances and trenchless sewer repair allows for quick, smooth sewer line replacements.

Contact Alpha Environmental today for expert trenchless sewer repair services.