Pipe Bursting: When to Choose Trenchless Sewer Replacement
With older technology, repairing a broken or punctured sewer line meant a week of excavation, laying new pipe and repairing the damage left by the dig. New trenchless sewer replacement technology, known as pipe bursting, makes it possible to place new higher-quality pipes without the messy excavation.
This replacement process involves running a cone-shaped bursting head through the old damaged pipe. The bursting head breaks apart the old pipe and pulls new pipe into place at the same time. Although pipe bursting isn’t feasible in every case, it’s ideal for a number of situations.
- Minimize digging – With only two small access holes required, trenchless sewer replacement saves you from a week or more of dealing with equipment and mess on your property. This reduced disruption is especially helpful for replacing pipes under paved or landscaped surfaces, under bodies of water, in Delaware’s environmentally sensitive areas such as near estuaries and in contaminated soil.
- Reduce costs – Replacing pipes with the pipe bursting method typically costs around 40 percent less than conventional excavation and pipe-laying methods. You’ll also avoid the expense of having to clean up the dig site and repair damaged landscaping.
- Improve pipe life span – Older sewer lines are made of cast iron, concrete, clay or PVC pipes, all of which are prone to breakage and punctures. With trenchless sewer replacement, the pipe used is seamless HDPE, or high-density polyethylene. It’s stronger than traditional pipe material and can function problem-free for up to 50 years.
- Best in areas with few underground utility lines – As the bursting head passes through the old pipe, it uses physical force to break the pipe apart. Utility pipes or wires very near the sewer line may be damaged by pieces of old sewer pipe. That means this technology is only appropriate in areas that are relatively clear of utility lines.
To find out if pipe bursting technology is right for your situation or for guidance on other plumbing or HVAC issues, contact us at Sobieski Services.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).
Image Credit: Vienze Ziction