Express Sewer & Drain Blog

Pipe bursting? What is that? It’s no surprise to us that many of our clients are new to pipe bursting; as just one of many techniques modern trenchless technology bring, the name of this solution alone may be cause for confusion. Why would I want to burst my home’s pipes?

The truth of the matter is, however, that bursting your pipes with this trenchless technique may be the smartest plumbing decision you can make when dealing with severely damaged pipes. Pipe bursting is a full pipe replacement method… that just so happens to eliminate the hassles of large-scale digging, and cut back on long labor hours and high overhead costs.

1.) How Exactly Pipe Bursting Works

First up for those new to trenchless pipe bursting technologies is understanding the innovative ways bursting drastically simplifies all pipe replacement tasks. With conventional pipe replacement jobs, plumbing specialists and laborers would have to spend long hours digging out your existing pipe, causing extensive lawn damage and costing your heaping sums in landscaping and hourly work costs.

Pipe bursting is completed using small entrance holes, allowing access to your damaged pipes, through which a bursting head and replacement pipe (physically attached to one another) are fed. The bursting head’s sturdy, conical frame physically fragments and pushes away your existing pipe, seamlessly installing an all-new pipe in its place. Pulled by  hydraulic power, the bursting head physically clears the way for the replacement pipe it is attached to, allowing for quick and painless subterranean installation.

2.) It’s the Most Efficient Replacement Method

The incredible ease with which specialists can complete pipe bursting have made it one of the most efficient renovation techniques available today. Traditionally, you would have to hire a full crew to excavate, remove and replace severely damaged pipe sections (pipe sections so thoroughly damaged, that repairs are rendered impractical); however, this is not longer necessary with trenchless pipe bursting, as the entire process takes place underground.

What this creates is an incredibly efficient process, which can be completed in a span of a few hours, as opposed to multiple days. You can probably tell from here that this efficiency translates into huge labor savings, in addition to minimal landscaping requirements (the entire process is done through small entry holes).

3.) Benefits You’ve Probably Never Considered

Beyond efficiency, trenchless technologies and pipe bursting bring a number of additional benefits you may have never considered when going over replacement options for your home pipe system. Truth is, there’s much more to trenchless pipe bursting than initially meets the eye (and even then, what does meet the eye is lucrative in itself):

• A much safer process than digging replacement techniques; avoids potential for mold and asbestos exposure
• Increased productivity with minimal harm to your lawn
• Reduced trench settlement
• Guaranteed pipe performance for decades to come; most new pipes are guaranteed to perform at their peak ability for 50+ years

4.) It Can Even Improve Your Pipe Performance

Despite the above benefits of trenchless pipe bursting, one that often flies under homeowners’ radars is that this technique, and the innovative technologies that make it possible, can actually let you improve on your existing pipes by installing larger-diameter replacements.

This means you can get all the benefits of an increased water flow and performance, with the same easy installation as pipe bursting.

5.) There Are Other Trenchless Options, Depending On Your Circumstances

However, maybe your unique circumstances do not call for full-fledged pipe replacement… maybe a repair would be more practical. Even in these cases, there are trenchless technologies available that can fully perform your pipe repair needs.

For one, lateral lining can fully repair any minor to moderate pipe damage by sealing over damaged areas with cured-in-place, epoxy Perma-liner solutions. Cured over damaged sections by air pressure, pipe relining is the most efficient and safe way for homeowners to see to their pipe renovation needs.

Even for localized, smaller damages, there are trenchless technologies and techniques available that can help restore your pipes to full working order in minimal time, and at minimal cost. Sectional point repair is trenchless technology’s answer to smaller damages, and uses the same technique as relining, but in smaller, more focused areas of pipe, such as specific joints or isolated cracks.

The range of what renchless repair and replacement solutions can handle is virtually limitless, from faulty pipe installation to corrosion, and everything in between. If you feel you may need to replace your home’s pipe lines, or seek answers for the best solutions in your unique plumbing damage circumstances, contact us right away.