Few things alarm a home or business owner more than finding out that their underground sewer line needs to be repaired or replaced. Thanks to an array of modern sewer repair techniques, however, many jobs can be completed without using an excavator, a trenching machine, or even a hand-held shovel. These techniques also preserve landscaping and hardscaping while reducing time and hassle.
The Need for Underground Sewer Repair Services
Sewer piping has an average service life of between 50 and 100 years, which means the lines connected to homes in many older American neighborhoods have already reached or even surpassed their expected lifespans. In addition to age-related deterioration, the structural integrity of a sewer line can be compromised by heavy overburden, corrosive soil conditions, invasive tree roots, and differential settling. Fortunately, home and business owners have several options for repairing or replacing old and damaged sewer lines.
Trenchless Sewer Pipe Relining
Trenchless pipe relining is the least invasive underground sewer repair technology currently available. As the name suggests, trenchless sewer relining involves little pipeline excavation from 
the ground surface. Instead, a new epoxy-coated liner is fed into the existing pipe and filled with air or water until it’s fully expanded. The new liner then cures for a short time before the pipeline is returned to service. This technique is ideal for repairing lines with minimal cracking, localized tree root penetration, and other minor damage. It’s generally ineffective when applied to sewer lines with severe cracking or extensive settling.
Sewer Pipe Bursting
Pipe bursting relies on technology developed and perfected by the mining industry to replace sewer lines that are completely crushed, extensively settled, or too small for the amount of wastewater that they need to contain. This underground sewer repair strategy is an excellent option for use in areas with extensive paving, elaborate landscaping, or irreplaceable historic or culturally significant surface structures. The cost of sewer pipe bursting is higher than for trenchless relining due to the specially designed drilling equipment required to break up the existing pipeline and pull the new line into its place. However, it’s still an appealing option for property owners who wish to reduce impacts at the ground level.
Standard Pipeline Excavation and Replacement
Extremely damaged, settled, or undersized sewer pipes located in areas where above ground access is not a problem are usually good candidates for traditional pipeline excavation. This underground sewer repair method requires mobilization of heavy equipment and follow-up property restoration work, but it’s generally less expensive than subsurface pipe bursting.
Seek a Professional for Underground Sewer Repair
Tackling even a seemingly minor sewer repair project is no time to go it alone. If you suspect that a subsurface pipeline at your home or business is leaking, damaged, or collapsed, call in an expert with the right equipment and experience to inspect the line and immediately handle any necessary underground sewer repair work.
