Sewer Repair
Sewer repair can be an extremely expensive and time-consuming problem that countless property owners must deal with. When disaster strikes it is easy to hit the panic button. Typically the bathrooms are rendered out of order until the repair is made. You may be hearing weird noises or smelling strange smells inside and or outside of the property. Puddles of raw sewage and wastewater may be forming in the yard, driveway, or parking lot. In a worst-case scenario you may be experiencing the invasion of raw sewage in your residential, commercial, or industrial property through the toilet bowls, water faucets, and or drains in the sinks, tub, or shower. None of the scenarios listed above are pleasant, and some are down right dangerous.
Did you know that exposure to raw sewage and wastewater can cause severe health issues for humans and pets? It is also causes damage to the environment, and can even enter into the city/town drinking water supply. When sewage related catastrophe does happen it is tremendously important to keep a level head in order to have the situation resolved in the most cost effective and timely manner possible. The best way to stay calm in these circumstances is to be prepared ahead of time. Knowing your options certainly goes a long way in accomplishing that. There are actually a few sewer repair methods available to property owners as outlined below.
The Traditional Excavation Method
The traditional excavation method has been used for years and a great deal of plumbing contractors still use it to this day. It requires the excavation of a large, destructive trench in order to expose the sewer pipeline for repair. The trench destroys everything in its path. Keep in mind that sewer pipes typically run under lawns, trees, driveways, patios, walkways, and parking lots. Once the sewer repair work is complete and the trench is filled back in with dirt, the landscaping and hardscaping must be repaired. Since that aspect is not the plumbing contractors responsibility, the property owner must hire additional contractors or do the work themselves. Either way the property looks like it is in a war zone after the sewer repair job is done.
Trenchless Sewer Repair
Trenchless sewer repair incorporates the use of technology instead of excavation. There are actually two approaches depending on the condition of the sewer pipeline as explained below:
Trenchless Pipe Lining
Trenchless pipe lining is used if the existing sewer pipeline is in decent shape. It requires the plumbing contractor to make a small access hole at one end of the existing sewer pipeline. A high-tech machine uses the access hole to apply a wet epoxy resin to all interior surfaces of the pipeline. The epoxy resin cures in place to form a liner or brand new pipe within the old one.
Any cracks, leaks, or rotten spots in the existing sewer pipeline are completely sealed. The new liner prevents these problems from happening again in the future. It will last for a minimum of fifty years. The entire trenchless pipe lining process can take as little as a day to complete from start to finish. It is also approximately fifty-percent more cost effective than the traditional excavation method
Trenchless Pipe Bursting
Trenchless pipe bursting is used if the existing sewer pipeline is broken to the point that it needs to be replaced. It requires two small access points, one at each end of the existing sewer pipeline. A different high-tech machine uses the access points to install a one-piece plastic PVC pipe through the old pipeline.
As the new PVC pipe is being pushed through the old sewer pipeline it breaks the old pipe in an outward motion. The pieces are disbursed into the ground where they are left to harmlessly rot away. The new PVC sewer pipeline will last for well over fifty years. The entire trenchless pipe bursting process takes a day to complete from start to finish. It is significantly less expensive than the traditional excavation method.
Please contact Smith Plumbing for more information or a free estimate regarding sewer repair and all of your other plumbing related needs. We look forward to working with you.
