Is sewer pipe lining a good idea?

[Bobber]

I have cast iron belly rot for 55 feet from house all the way to the main sewer under the street. Replacing the pipe will require tearing up the street (about 10 feet of the asphalt street). Lining the pipe would cost less but is it reliable long term? Any other comments about pipe lining in my situation?

 

[Twowaxhack]

Replace the pipe. Correct the belly.

 

[Bobber]

So you are saying don't use the pipe lining approach? Why not?

 

[dmmsr]

I have cast iron belly rot for 55 feet from house all the way to the main sewer under the street. Replacing the pipe will require tearing up the street (about 10 feet of the asphalt street). Lining the pipe would cost less but is it reliable long term? Any other comments about pipe lining in my situation?

What do you mean by belly rot? If you mean it is holding water above the camera when inspecting and you come out of the water further on then it has to be dug up. If it is just the bottom of the pipe worn out and does not hold water or some but not much is because of the zippering then it can be lined. We line sewers all the time. The material is seamless and will become the new pipe. Townships also sub out to have their water mains lined. It is 100 percent durable. If you have that option I would recommend it. I would rather line or burst (semi trenchless replacement) then digging it. You wont have as much of a mess on your property and it is no chance of root penetration because of being seemless and no joints.

 

[Bobber]

Thanks for your reply, dmmsr. The guy who scoped it said the bottom of the pipe was rotten. It wasn't holding water above the camera as far as I know.

 

[dmmsr]

Thanks for your reply, dmmsr. The guy who scoped it said the bottom of the pipe was rotten. It wasn't holding water above the camera as far as I know.

If it were me I would line it then.

 

[Geofd]

Pipe lining can be more expensive but much less evasive we have co that does it for us when needed looks like PVC when done

 

[dmmsr]

Pipe lining can be more expensive but much less evasive we have co that does it for us when needed looks like PVC when done

You're right, but there are times it is cheaper. When digging in the street or taking out a driveway or other landscaping that costs more to have put back. It may end up cheaper at times. Especially some areas with road openings. The cost of cops is not cheap.

And when it comes to digging around with a lot of utilities in one area you have to contend not only hand digging 2 ft on each side of the mornings but not being able to shore the excavation properly. If you have some streets marked out by the utility companies it looks like a graffiti artist was there. This makes it nearly impossible to dig legally. And roads are nor easy hand digging either.

I really prefer it more from a companies stand point because less liability. As long as you have certified techs in charge of the jobs there is a slimmer chance a liner will fail.

Another great option we are getting up to speed with is brush coating. You can repair any line from 1 1/2" on up without opening walls or ceilings.

 

[Geofd]

Never heard of brush coating, I'll look it up

 

[dmmsr]

It's a great alternative. Especially when you have satck lines going through multiple floors with tie-ins. Or a zippered kitchen sink line on an outside wall tith kitchen cabinets that you don't want to remove. You basically coat the interior of the pipe with resin almost the same as the epoxy used in liners.

I was just informed of a lock and load system. It can make spot repairs easier with little down time. Takes about 45 minutes. You can repair 3 inch to 36 inch pipe. The application is limited to straight runs. They come in 2 ft sections and supposedly can fix small back pitch as well.

Here is a brochure on a different brand called snap lock. Don't know if it something I would want to get into but it's interesting.