Cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) technology enables plumbers to perform water line and sewer pipe repairs with minimal disturbance to landscaping, sidewalks and streets. After a new line is installed, a mechanically controlled cutting device reconnects a sewer pipe to the main line. The new epoxy pipes are corrosion resistant and have no joints, unlike conventional pipes.
Earlier this year, a North Carolina homeowner noticed leaks in his basement. A subsequent camera inspection showed a hole in the sewer pipe the size of a fist. The pipe was buried 17 feet below the ground in his front yard. This meant that conventional digging to get to it would involve special equipment, an astronomical price tag and large amounts of dirt on the sidewalk and street. Plus the dig would have destroyed his front yard.
A highly rated local plumber came to the rescue and offered a trenchless “no dig” gas line and sewer pipe repair. The plumber says his company performs a number of trenchless repairs utilizing CIPP technology to reline damaged pipes.
The process involves fiberglass tubing, coated with epoxy resin, being inserted into the damaged sewer pipe. It is then blown up like a balloon. The epoxy hardens after a few hours, creating a pipe-within-a-pipe which is stronger and better than the host pipe. The procedure can be compared to a medical angioplasty, where a doctor repairs part of an artery from the inside.
The delighted homeowner not only paid a fraction of the cost of a conventional dig, but there were no major disruptions to his yard.
