Trenchless Sewer Line Replacement and Trenchless Water Line Overview

Trenchless sewer line replacement and trenchless water line replacement from the street to the main connection in the home or commercial property is the main scope of work we do for our clients in the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas. The process usually starts with a video scope of the main sewer line to access the “root” cause of the problem in the drain line. A video inspection is performed by a qualified technician that has an understanding of why a drain line is slow draining, making gurgling sounds or is not draining at all. Customers usually will have signs that a sewer line is problematic because they have had drain lines snaked or the sewer line has backed up in the basement or at a plumbing fixture in the home or building. 

Benefits and Advantages of Trenchless Technologies

Lets go over the reasons why trenchless sewer replacement is a benefit to the customer. The first and most important is invasiveness to the landscape on the surface. The process of trenchless pipe replacements main objective is to not disturb the property, sidewalk, driveway and expensive landscaping. Replacing the landscaping in the yard without replacing the old leaking, backing up sewer line that lies underneath the surface is a common issue. The next reason why we use trenchless pipe replacement methods is time. In most cases the sewer line can be replaced or reinstated in just one day. This can be a big benefit with a busy household or business that can not close. 

What Spokane Homes Typically Need Sewer Line Replacement in Spokane?

Shaw Trenchless does sewer and water replacement in the city of Spokane. The homes in Spokane on average are older than 50 years old. This has passed the life expectancy of most or all sewer and water lines. On the South Hill of Spokane clay tile piping is common. The Clay Tile pipe can become cracked and separate from its joints causing sewer to leach and leak into the ground. Once this occurs roots from trees will find their way to the nutrients and invade the sewer pipe causing the drain line to break and cause a blockage in the sewer line. Homes that were built in the mid 1950’s all the way to the 1990’s are commonly plumbed with Orangeburg pipe from the edge of the foundation to the main sewer line in the street or alleyway. Orangeburg’s official name is Bituminized Fiber Pipe (Black in color) and it has the nickname Orangburg because it was originally manufactured in Orangeburg New York dating back to 1927. This is found all over northside of Spokane Washington and in main parts of Coeur d’ Alene Idaho.

What’s the Problem with Orangeburg Pipe / Bituminized Fiber Pipe?

Orangeburg was never intended or designed to be pressurized. The pipe is made of layers of wood pulp. We all know what happens to wood that is in the ground for a long period of time. The wood gets rotten and loses its structural integrity. The same goes for Orangeburg pipe the pipe loses structure, breaks apart and leaks into the ground causing a sewer backup. Once the sewer backups up the sewer line is full of water and sewage the drain becomes under pressure and collapsus the Orangeburg pipe. Now the real problem has occurred: the line is no longer working and the drain backs up and out the plumbing fixtures in the home or building. Because Orangeburg does not like pressure, jetting should never be performed on an Orangeburg sewer line. At the end of the day once an Orangeburg pipe starts having issues it needs replaced as soon as possible. The line will collapse and the customer will have no service. 

Two Kinds of Trenchless Sewer Line Replacement 

Cured in Place Pipe or CIPP

There are two methods of trenchless pipe replacement that Shaw Trenchless provides. The first method is referred to as Cured in place pipe or CIPP for short. CIPP involves inverting an impregnated felt liner with resin and hardener into the existing host pipe with specialized equipment. The liner is then hardened by exposure to hot or a Ultra violet ray. This makes a smooth and hard surface and is an excellent way of creating a new sewer line from the building to the main sewer connection in the street. In order to perform this method the host pipe must be still round and not be collapsed.

Trenchless Pipe Bursting

 The second method is known as Pipe bursting. Pipe bursting is just how it sounds. Two access points must be made; the first access point is for the hydraulic pulling machine commonly placed in the ground in the street or alley because of the weight and size of the pulling device. The second access is made for the new flexible sewer line known as High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) for short. This pipe is elastic, extremely strong and is the perfect product for pipe bursting. The new pipe is then connected to a large industrial cable that is being pulled by the pipe pulling machine in the street or alley. The pipe pulling machine is then operated by a hydraulic control panel operated by a certified technician. The burst head that is connected to the new HDPE and cable splits the old sewer line into the ground while drawing in the HDPE sewer line. Once the new line has been pulled in place underground the HDPE is connected to the existing plumbing in the building and the other end where the puller is removed is connected to the main sewer line in the street or alley. 

Why Pick Shaw Trenchless for your Sewer Line Replacement Project in Spokane? 

Shaw Trenchless has qualified highly trained technicians that can accomplish trenchless projects that others may not be able to. We pride ourselves on being creative thinkers and getting projects accomplished efficiently and using cost saving methods. Shaw Trenchless has state of the art tooling and equipment that is specialized for sewer and water utility replacement. We are a local small business doing big things!