No one likes a damaged or failed sewer pipe. Besides being a frustrating experience, traditional repairs can be a destructive and expensive inconvenience. Luckily, traditional methods can be left in the past!
With trenchless pipe lining solutions, you can receive efficient pipe repair without spending thousands of dollars. Trenchless solutions like the cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) method are available for residential, municipal, and commercial pipe repair.
What Is Pipe Lining?
Also known as cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), pipe lining is a type of trenchless technology that offers a long-term solution to plumbing issues. Trenchless pipe lining is the most sophisticated, cost-effective, and efficient method of rehabilitating old or failing sewer pipes.
Since trenchless pipe lining methods do not require digging, they are a non-destructive solution. While other methods, such as snaking or hydro-jetting are a temporary fix, pipe lining is a long-term solution and is more cost effective than conventional re-piping.
Who Needs Pipe Lining Services?
With trenchless technology, such as pipe lining, it’s possible to repair many common pipe issues or even completely replace a pipe without having to disturb landscaping and surrounding roadways and sidewalks. This makes pipe lining a great option for residential, commercial, and municipal properties, whether it’s a minor or major plumbing job.CIPP trenchless methods allow professional plumbers to work on a large variety of pipe lengths and diameters. Since trenchless technicians can repair sewer lines as small as a couple of inches in diameter, pipe length is no concern for trenchless solutions.
Besides commercial and residential pipes, CIPP offers solutions for municipal sewers, from smaller laterals to city mains. For municipal sewer repairs, pipe lining technicians access sewer pipes through manholes and rehabilitate them underground with minimal equipment and impact. Roads typically do not have to be closed, and if they do, it's only for a very short period of time. Trenchless jobs can be completed in hours, as opposed to traditional methods that take days or even months to finish!
Three Signs You Need Sewer Repair
There are several indicators that you need to re-line your pipes. If you are experiencing any of these problems, don’t ignore them! It will just cause the issue to worsen, resulting in potentially more expensive damage and repairs.
Consistent Clogging
Are clogs just not going away? These persistent clogs are not just annoying, but they can be indicators of more serious problems in your pipes. If you have multiple clogged drains, you may have a major pipe blockage that will need to be addressed.
Aging Pipes
Eventually, even the strongest pipe materials will weaken and crack, breaking apart due to pressure or root intrusion. Check the age of your pipes, especially if you live in an older home.
If your pipes are over 50 years old, it’s time to consider pipe replacement. Even if they appear to be working fine, it’s only a matter of time before they crack and cause damage to your home and yard.
Tree Root Invasion
Trees may be beautiful yard accents, but they can wreak havoc on your pipes. Tree roots love the nutrients and water in pipes and can invade cracks to cause major sewer line damage,
For moderate to low intrusions, many homeowners turn to trenchless pipe lining as an effective long-term solution to tree root intrusion.
Common Sewer Line Repair Options
There are several sewer line repair options available to property owners. Traditional sewer line repair involves excavation to dig up sewer lines to repair or replace them. For years, this was one of the only repair options for plumbers. Heavy duty excavation equipment, such as a backhoe, would dig up pipes — destroying yards, sidewalks, and roads in the process.
Nowadays, solutions such as trenchless technologies have made it possible to avoid digging up parking lots and driveways when restoring sewer pipes. Two of the more common trenchless sewer pipe repair methods are CIPP pipe lining and pipe bursting.
Pipe bursting involves destroying the old, busted pipe and replacing it with a completely new pipe. A steel bursting head is inserted into the pipeline at one entry point. A chain is run from the head to a designated exit point. Once in place, the bursting head is used to fracture the old pipe to create an end result of a new pipe.
On the other hand, CIPP pipe lining reinforces existing pipes and repairs gaps, cracks, and other faults by feeding an epoxy-coated liner into the existing pipe and curing it to the walls of the pipe using an inflatable bladder. Essentially, CIPP lining is like installing a brand-new pipe inside the existing pipe.
Both options are worth considering, but it’s important to look at all the aspects of your sewer repair needs to make the right decision.
Three Risks of Delaying Trenchless Pipe Lining
Don’t delay trenchless pipe lining! By putting off fixing your sewer pipes, you run the risks of increased damages and expensive repairs.
Burst Pipes
Ignoring your sewer pipe problems will only make them worse. Cracks in pipes may seem like minor problems, but if not fixed, they can cause the pipe to collapse.
Collapsed sewer pipes can have devastating results on your property. Besides overflowing drains, your lawn may become soggy with contaminated water. This will all require expensive repairs, which could be avoided by fixing your minor cracks early on.
Health Risks
Damage to your sewer pipes can result in health risks for your household from mold and mildew. These two forms of fungi leave a musty odor and grow in dark, moist environments — which is often the case with pipe leaks.
Mold exposure can result in several adverse health effects, including severe respiratory illness. If you smell a musty odor, or are aware of cracks in your pipes, then you want to address this problem as soon as possible. Even if you can’t smell the mold and mildew, you’ll still likely have water damage or pockets of moisture build-up due to leaky and cracked pipes.
Higher Costs
Delaying fixing your pipes with a long-term solution can accrue high costs that will hurt your wallet. Collapsed pipes will be a more expensive repair than minor cracks, as well as cause more water damage.
In addition, pipe breakage will result in a much higher water bill. While your monthly water bill may vary between $10 and $15 a month, a leaky pipe will result in an excessive increase in your water bill costs.
How Does Trenchless Pipe Lining Work?
CIPP lining essentially installs a brand-new pipe inside the existing pipe by reinforcing the existing pipe. An epoxy-coated liner is led into the existing pipe, curing to the pipe walls using an inflatable bladder. This coats any damages or cracks in the pipe walls, effectively fixing the original problem.
One advantage of CIPP lining is that the old pipe can act as an extra layer of protection for the new lining. When compared to other trenchless technologies, such as pipe bursting, CIPP lining may be less costly and invasive and can quickly solve simple problems, such as small gaps and cracks.
Five Benefits of Trenchless Pipe Lining
There are numerous advantages to choosing trenchless pipe lining! Here are five significant benefits:
Durability
CIPP pipe lining lasts for over five decades guaranteed! Whether you’re a homeowner or in charge of county or municipal water and waste, planning for the future is always a boon to your budget and reputation.
Affordability
Pipe lining is cost effective in the short and long-term, requires less manpower (reduced labor overhead), and is impressively sustainable.
Eco-Friendliness
The exclusive epoxy resins that compose the pipe liner (the material that relines the old sewer pipe from within) can be formulated for local soils for more environmentally harmonious, clean results.
Versatility
Many trenchless products are designed with specific problems in mind. For example, there are products designed for pinpoint repairs, others designed for massive city repairs, and then more for everything in between!
Non-Destructive
Because there is no digging involved, it means no headaches, no additional expenses due to repair, no interruption to commerce because of detours, and less environmental risk from unearthing threatening toxins.
The Cost of Trenchless Pipe Lining in Sacramento County
CIPP lining services are a more cost-effective, long-term solution for your sewer pipe problems. The method removes the most expensive components of traditional pipe repair methods, which are the hard labor, displacement of earth, and long hours spent by technicians restoring the damaged pipe.
By removing these extraneous costs, CIPP pipe services typically cost 25 to 30 percent less than traditional pipe repair.
Here are some quick, hard facts:
- Traditional, dig-and-replace pipe repair: $50 to $250 per foot, resulting in roughly $3,000 to $6,000 for small jobs, and $5,000 to $13,000 for repairs over 50 feet. Remember, any additional landscaping, road closure, and labor will contribute additional steep costs.
- Trenchless pipe lining: Relining your damaged lateral or sewer pipe will typically cost $80 to $250 per foot, with an average of around $160 per foot. For standard sewer lines, repair costs can vary between $4,000 and $20,000, depending on circumstance. In most cases, homeowners pay between $6,000 and $12,000 to repair critical sewer connections.
- Small-scale pipe lining applications: For broken pipes below 50 feet in length, pipe lining repairs can typically be completed for around $3,000 to $4,000. Again, this depends on the location and depth of the pipe.
Since total repair costs are entirely circumstantial, it’s important to receive an estimate from a trenchless pipe repair expert to inspect your pipes. With video inspections, they can help you identify the most affordable repair option for your home, commercial properties, or municipal sewer lines. 
How to Find the Right Sewer Pipe Lining Companies in Sacramento
While there may be plenty of sewer pipe lining companies in your area, you’ll want to find a contractor who is experienced with the latest techniques. Here are some tips to keep in mind when looking for the best pipe lining contractor.
Research Trenchless Pipe Lining Reviews
You may need to do some online sleuthing to research the professional reputations of local contractors. One of the best ways to do this is by reading the trenchless pipe lining reviews left by other customers.
Looking at customer reviews will allow you to hear feedback from other people’s first-hand experiences. This can give you valuable insight into whether the sewer pipe lining companies in question have the experience you need.
Ensure They Are Licensed and Insured
Sticking only to licensed plumbers ensures you’re receiving the most responsible and very best service. In fact, making sure your plumber is properly licensed and insured is one of the most important requirements when looking for a CIPP pipe lining contractor.
It’s California law that a plumber must have a current license to operate, to ensure they have the right training and are properly educated on California laws and codes on plumbing procedures.
It’s also wise to look for a plumber with worker’s compensation and liability insurance with a $500,000 minimum. Why does this matter? If you hire an uninsured plumber who gets hurt on the job, the property owner would be the one responsible for their injuries!
Ask If Work Is Guaranteed
Why does it matter to ask plumbing companies if they offer guaranteed services?
Guaranteed work answers these questions:
- What would happen if the problem returned?
- Will the plumber fix it again?
CIPP lining contractors who offer guaranteed work will make sure you’re satisfied with the final results, and they will continue to work until you are.
Start Trenchless Pipe Lining With Express Sewer & Drain
Our trenchless pipe lining experts service any location within Sacramento County, as well as the suburbs, including:
Ready to fix your pipes in a fast, effective way? Contact us today to get started with the ultimate sewer repair solution!
