If you need to have sewer pipe, water supply line, or other underground pipe replaced at your home, talk to your plumber about going “trenchless”. A relatively recent development in pipe replacement technology, trenchless pipe replacement is an excellent option for homeowners who want to avoid damage to lawns, driveways, and other landscaping features.
Traditionally, replacing a sewer line or water supply line meant digging a trench and burying the new pipe. At a minimum, there will be significant damage to the lawn where the new pipe is laid. In many cases, there will be additional damage to landscaping features, driveways, sidewalks, and other hard surfaces.
Trenchless excavation techniques minimize the damage because only two small holes need to be dug – one at each end of the pipe. A cable or chain is fed through the old pipe or sewer line and a steel “pipe bursting head” is attached. A flexible replacement pipe is attached to the bursting head and the cable or chain is used to pull the bursting head through the old pipe. As it travels through the old pipe pulling the pipe behind it, the bursting head breaks up the old pipe and pushes the pieces out into the soil. The result is a new pipe installed where the old pipe used to be without digging up your yard.
In addition to minimizing damage to your landscaping, driveways, and other hard surfaces, trenchless pipe replacement can usually be accomplished in less time than it would take using traditional digging methods. Trenchless pipe replacement can even save you money by eliminating the cost of repairing the damage to driveways and landscaping features.
