With all of the benefits of trenchless sewage pipe replacement, you may wonder what are the drawbacks. There are a few, but they are not severe enough to warrant not having the procedure conducted, except for one. That sole one is if the pipe has collapsed.
When a pipe has collapsed, unless it is in a very small area, trenchless methods will not readily work. These methods need an existing, largely intact line to work with. Without that in place, trenchless methods like bursting and replacing with fed-in pipe, or lining that is blown in (cured in place pipe, or CIPP), cannot work.
Another drawback to trenchless methods specific to CIPP, but that does not affect bursting and replaced sewer lines, is that snaking and augering are now no longer available as clearing methods. Instead, hydrojetting must be used when there are any clogs.
Also, chemicals cannot be poured down the drains when CIPP has been done to the sewer lines. These harsh chemicals would eat at the lining and undo the careful installation of the protective lining.
However, keep in mind that clogs are a rarity, and snaking, augering, and chemical cleaners and clog removers won’t be needed nearly as much as they were before the CIPP was installed.
The benefits greatly outweigh the drawbacks of trenchless methods of sewer pipe repair and replacement. From the beginning of the repair work to the months and years after it is completed, there are a great many benefits gained.
With trenchless methods, your property’s appearance is preserved, and there is no or very little reconstruction required after the process is completed. Using traditional methods which require digging, excavation, and all too often, the surfacing of pieces of broken pipe, and along with those, raw sewage, the area can be left feeling like a mini-biohazard site. This does not happen with trenchless methods.
During traditional dig methods, lawns, gardens, sidewalks and walkways, driveways, and much more can be destroyed. This requires extensive restoration later, which can be extremely costly. Trenchless methods either don’t have this at all, or have very little of it.
Over time, with the use of traditional methods, the soil that is laid over replaced pipes can settle, leaving a permanent depression. Using trenchless methods can keep this type of scar from developing on your lawn. Because the soil on top is never disturbed, and the replacement pipe is of similar size, as well as the CIPP lining o the interior of the original sewage line that is left in place, there is no depression to form.
CIPP pipes are also much less likely to ever become clogged again, and tree roots will not be a problem. CIPP’s adhesive is saturated with a long lasting root inhibiting agent that tree roots avoid.
Overall, the benefits of trenchless methods far outweigh the benefits of traditional sewer pipe replacements. The drawbacks are only present in specific situations, and none of these are serious enough to warrant not using trenchless procedures to replace sewage lines that need to be repaired or replaced.