If you’re dealing with a slow drain, foul odors, or worse, a backed-up sewer in your Houston home, the thought of your yard being torn apart for a sewer pipe replacement may seem like a nightmare. Fortunately, there’s a much better way to tackle Houston sewer repair.
Trenchless sewer repair offers a less disruptive solution to fix your sewer line issues without the extensive digging you might expect. This method provides a way to entirely replace your damaged sewer pipes with minimal disruption to your property.
At Santhoff Plumbing, we provide fast, trusted, and expert sewer repair services in Houston. If you’re facing a sewer problem in your home, call us today for a quick and reliable sewer line assessment.
Excavating Sewer Lines is Highly Disruptive
When there’s a problem with your underground sewer pipes, the traditional fix is to excavate the ground above the damaged section in order to fully reach the pipe below. This means bringing in heavy equipment to dig a trench, sometimes a long and deep one, right through your yard or even through your driveway or sidewalks. Depending on the location of the sewer line, you might also need to deal with permits and inspections, adding another layer of complexity.
This digging process can cause significant damage to your property. Your carefully maintained landscaping can be destroyed, concrete can be broken, and your yard can be left looking like a construction zone. Beyond the visual damage, it’s also a time-consuming process. The digging itself takes time, and then there’s the repair work, followed by the often costly and lengthy process of putting everything back together. If you are a Houston homeowner with established landscaping and mature trees on your property, the thought of this traditional Houston sewer repair is extremely daunting.
Trenchless Sewer Repair Minimizes Digging
Modern trenchless repair allows your Houston plumbing company to fix or replace your damaged sewer lines without the need for extensive digging. This means less mess, almost zero impact on your property, and a faster turnaround time.
The core idea behind trenchless technology is to work within your existing pipe system through very small access points. Instead of digging a large trench to expose the entire damaged section, specialized tools and techniques are used to repair or replace the pipe from the inside out.
Types of Trenchless Sewer Repair in Houston
There are two main types of trenchless sewer repair: pipe lining and pipe bursting.
Pipe Lining (Cured-in-Place/CIPP)
Pipe lining like putting a brand-new pipe inside your old, damaged one. It’s an excellent option for pipes that have cracks, leaks, or root intrusion.
To start the CIPP process, a specialized tool is sent down through an access point to remove any debris, roots, or buildup inside the old pipe. This cleaning is crucial to make sure the new lining will stick properly.
Next, a flexible liner saturated with a strong adhesive resin is carefully inserted into the damaged pipe. This is done by inverting it (turning it inside out) using air or water pressure, or by pulling it into place. Once the liner is inside the damaged section of the pipe, it’s inflated to press it against the inner walls of the old pipe. The resin is then cured using heat or ultraviolet (UV) light, causing it to harden and form a solid, new pipe lining within the old one.
If there were any connections from your main sewer line to other pipes (like for your toilets or sinks), these connections are carefully reopened using specialized robotic cutting tools that are also inserted through the access point.
Pipe Bursting
Pipe bursting is used when the existing sewer pipe is too damaged to be lined. This method actually replaces the old pipe with a new one, all without significant digging. It’s ideal for replacing severely damaged or collapsed pipes. It may even allow for an increase in the diameter of the sewer pipe, which can improve flow in your home plumbing system.
Small access points are created at two ends of the damaged sewer line and a tool called a “bursting head” is inserted and attached to one end of the old pipe. Then it is pulled through the old pipe towards the other access point. As it moves, the bursting head literally breaks apart the old pipe. Simultaneously, the new pipe, which is connected to the back of the bursting head, is pulled into the exact same space that the old pipe occupied.
Once the new pipe is fully in place, it’s connected to the existing sewer system at both ends. The result is a brand-new sewer line without the need to dig up the entire length of the old one.
Straightforward Cost for Sewer Line Replacement
While the initial cost of trenchless sewer repair per foot might sometimes be slightly higher (ranging from approximately $60 to $250 per foot), the overall cost can often be lower than traditional methods in the long run. Traditional sewer repair in Houston can range from $50 to $450 per foot, not including the costs associated with digging and restoring your property. These additional costs for traditional repair can quickly add up, including:
- Excavation costs: The cost of renting equipment and the labor for digging a trench.
- Landscaping repair: Replacing grass, plants, trees, driveways, sidewalks, or patios that were damaged during excavation. This can range from a few dollars per square foot for basic landscaping to much more for hardscaping.
- Backfill materials: The cost of new soil and materials to fill the trench.
- Potential damage to other structures: Digging can sometimes unintentionally damage other underground utilities or structures.
Trenchless repair minimizes or eliminates these extra costs because it requires very little digging. While there’s the specialized equipment and expertise involved in trenchless methods, you avoid the often substantial expenses of property restoration.
Expert Sewer Repair for Your Houston Home
Don’t let sewer problems disrupt your beautiful Houston property. Santhoff Plumbing offers fast, minimally invasive trenchless sewer line repair. Protect your landscaping and get expert service from our team of professional plumbers.