There’s no doubt that pipe damage or failure for commercial properties can be a major burden; it’s very rarely something you see coming, and the high repair costs can take a significant toll on your financial security if you’re not careful. 

When it comes to gauging cost for commercial pipe repair, there are an array of things you may have never considered that contribute to a higher figure. For commercial applications, pipe repair cost can fluctuate based on:

• The physical location of the pipe on your property
• Pipe depth, since certain repair techniques are better suited for deep pipes than others
• Surface level obstructions, such as driveways, sidewalks or foliage
• Close-proximity utility lines, which may run adjacent to underground pipes and make certain repair options impossible
• The extent of damages, and their location within pipes; is it an isolated break, or a more severe pipe collapse?
• Pipe materials, which have changed drastically over time and vary widely in strength

For commercial pipe repairs, the most affordable pipe repair options are typically those that keep digging ( or “trenching”) to an absolute minimum. Within the pipe repair industry, this is most often done with what are called trenchless technologies. Applications like pipe bursting, lining and sectional point repair help commercial property owners avoid the high costs of traditional pipe repair, such as those related to landscaping and long labor hours. 

That’s not to say conventional, dig-and-replace repair methods don’t have their place; they’re just much less efficient than alternative methods in many cases. In this blog post, we highlight the pros and cons of the most common renovation options for commercial pipe repairs.

The Traditional Dig-and-Replace Method

Conventionally, damaged commercial pipe lines would have to be manually excavated and replaced. Time and labor intensive, this process was once the only means of renovating damaged pipe lines. 

While these repair methods have been largely replaced by more efficient trenchless lining technologies, they still have some merit for repairing shallow or non-obstructed pipes. It’s more cost-effective to dig out foot-deep pipe lines than it is to reline them. For commercial pipe lines in particular, however, this is not often the case, and traditional repairs would end up costing a great deal over modern solutions.

Pipe Lining Solutions

For commercial pipe repair purposes, trenchless liners have grown as a a preferred option over dig-and-replace methods. Instead of shutting down business and losing several days to repair labor, trenchless lining can be material can be installed in a single day, and requires a fraction of the labor (and related costs) as traditional repair.

Using epoxy resin material, trenchless repair experts effectively cure entire new segments of pipe within your existing line. Once cured in-place, these new pipe segments are guaranteed to last a full 50 years before showing signs of wear. 

In commercial applications, specifically, this repair technique helps property owners avoid tearing through floors and significantly disrupting business. When all the costs associated with repair add up, it’s no surprise that lining often comes up as the more affordable repair solution.

Sectional Point Repair

Sectional point repair is another type of trenchless lining that many commercial property owners embrace to resolve pipe issues, when it’s applicable. These repairs are essentially pipe lining on the small scale; lining intended for isolated pipe damage, as opposed to the entire pipe body. During these repairs, trenchless pros will use two small, possibly pre-existing entry points to access your damaged pipe, and insert sectional lining materials into the damaged section of pipe.

Like full-body lining, the curing process takes mere hours, and resulting pipe walls are expected to last many decades before wear. Sectional repair is ideal for pipes damaged by:

• Single-point root intrusion
• Faulty pipe joints
• Isolated cracking or puncturing
• Improper installation

Pipe Bursting

Pipe bursting is the trenchless pipe replacement solution, which is ideal for commercial lines that are too severely collapsed to be restored. If your commercial pipe lines have fully collapsed, or otherwise failed, and the line runs under surface level obstructions, pipe bursting will likely be the most affordable solution. 

Using spherical busting heads affixed to new pipe lines, trenchless repair workers can fragment and push away failed pipe walls, and lay in entire new pipe lines in a hassle-free replacement process. This can cost a fraction of what dig-and-replace pipe renovation would in many cases, particularly in commercial applications.

As the most practical pipe repair for commercial properties will vary for each application, the first step in renovating your pipes should be reaching out to trenchless repair team and having a professional inspection performed. These inspections, usually done via a live video feed from within your pipes, can help you make the most informed decision with regard to your damaged pipes.