How Does Trenchless Sewer Pipe Repair Work?

When you first discover that you need sewer pipe repairs, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when you start to think about how extensive of a job it can be – your entire yard will need to be to be ripped apart, right? Not necessarily! There are ways to repair your pipes without digging up the beautiful landscape that you’ve worked so hard to maintain! With trenchless sewer pipe repair, you can restore the integrity of your sewer pipes without damaging your landscape, hardscape, driveway, sidewalk, and other structures around your home.

As a plumbing company that specializes in trenchless sewer pipe repair, we’re here to ease your mind and let you know that repairing your sewer pipes isn’t as difficult as you may think after all! Below, discover more about how this process works, and reasons why trenchless sewer repair is so appealing to many homeowners today.

How Trenchless Sewer Pipe Repair Works:

Barker & Sons Plumbing & Rooter uses a state-of-the-art “no dig” sewer relining system to clear and restore your broken Orange County sewer pipe.

This video above explains the entire trenchless pipe lining process, step by step, including the following:

    1. Initial pipe inspection: The first step a professional plumber takes when repairing or replacing a damaged sewer pipe is to inspect the pipe using a small camera connected to a video monitor. An opening must be made in the pipe to insert the camera but this can be done by accessing the sewer line before it leaves the home or by digging a single small hole in the yard. The information relayed by the camera can be used to determine if the pipe is crushed, broken, clogged with tree roots or otherwise obstructed. Read more on the benefits of video camera sewer pipe inspections.
    2. Cleaning: Prior to relining, the inside surface of the pipe may require cleaning or other preparation to ensure that the liner adheres properly.If the sewer line is found to be blocked by tree roots, a rotating blade can be inserted inside the pipe to cut the roots that extend inside. This is the simplest method of repairing a sewer pipe and is most effective if the vegetation that produced the roots has been removed.
    3. Pipe lining: In many cases, a sewer pipe can be relined if the damage is not extensive. The liner, which is similar to a deflated fire hose, is coated in a special epoxy and placed inside the sewer line. A long tube, called a bladder, is inflated inside the liner, pressing it against the inside of the existing pipe. After the new liner has cured and hardened, the bladder is removed and the sewer pipe is ready for use with a smooth, intact surface.
    4. Final inspection: A post lining video inspection is performed to ensure that the repair meets exacting quality control standards. Once quality control is assured, the line is reconnected, the access hole is filled, and full service is returned to the property. The new relined pipe will now provide a minimum of 50 more years of service life.

If a pipe is too badly damaged to reline, it can be completely replaced using a method called pipe bursting. In this procedure, a cone-shaped bit is pulled through the old pipe. The bit destroys the existing pipe while a new pipe is laid in place just behind the bit. This method requires more time and effort than relining but is still far less invasive than digging a trench to replace a damaged pipe. Read more on Pipe-lining vs. Pipe-bursting.

If you’re located in Orange County, California and suspect that your sewer line is in need of some TLC, call us at 714.630.8766 or contact us online to request service today!