How Difficult Is It to Replace a Broken Sewer Line?

The sewer line that runs underneath your home and joins the municipal sewer line down the center of the street is buried in a trench. Nobody wants the sewer system of their home near to the surface, so this is the right spot for sewer line placement. However, the location does present a problem when it comes time to replace a worn-out sewer line that is starting to develop breaks and leaks. It seems like it would take an immense amount of work to reach the broken pipe, remove it, and put in the new one.

The good news is that 1) current technology has made this job much easier, and 2) you don’t have to do the work yourself. All you need to do is contact Larry & Sons, Inc. and ask about our Williamsport, MD trenchless pipe replacement services, and we will take care of everything for you, fast and accurately.

How Trenchless Technology Simplifies Sewer Line Replacement

It was once very arduous to replace and repair sewer lines, and for plumbing companies that don’t have access to trenchless “no dig” technology, it still can be. The job requires using power digging equipment to rip open a trench across the property, from the street to the edge of the house, in order to access the sewer line. The work requires days to complete and makes a homeowner’s yard look like “No Man’s Land” on the western front of World War I.

Trenchless pipe replacement has removed all of this and uses instead horizontal pipe inserts and hydraulics to perform the job. The only digging necessary are two small excavations made near the point where the sewer pipe crosses the property line and one nearer to the house. The technicians disconnect the pipe from municipal system, then attach a hydraulic device onto it. From the other point, the technicians detach the sewer line from the house and place a replacement pipe liner inside the old pipe. The hydraulic device then drags the liner all the way through the damaged pipe. A “pipe-splitter” cone travels through the new lining and expands it, shattering the old pipe and replacing it.

After the pipe replacement is finished, the technicians only need to fill in and re-landscape the small excavated area, leaving behind little trace of the work done. The entire process requires only a few hours.

Not all plumbing companies have the equipment or the training to perform trenchless pipe replacement, which is why you will still see lawns ripped up to have the work done. You can save yourself the time and the expense by making sure you go trenchless in Williamsport, MD for sewer line replacement.

Larry & Sons, Inc. is a trusted name in plumbing and has been for 50 years. We’ve kept up with the technology, and offer trenchless technology for your underground pipe replacement needs.

What Is Trenchless Pipe Replacement?

A vision many homeowners have when they think about replacing the water or sewer line that runs under their property is of a power digger ripping apart the grass of their lawn to reach down to where the pipe lies buried. The excavation work in this scenario looks as extensive as if an in-ground swimming pool were being put in…except the end result isn’t anything so luxurious.

This nightmare image isn’t far from the truth of pipe replacement. Or at least, what pipe replacement used to be. Today, you no longer have to worry about plumbers turning your yard into an archeological dig when you need to have pipe sections of your sewer or water line replaced. Thanks to trenchless no-dig technology, the job will only take a few hours and leave your yard virtually untouched.

Larry & Sons, Inc. can handle Middletown, MD trenchless pipe replacement that will make your life much easier and keep the outside of your home looking beautiful. Make us your first call for all major and minor plumbing needs.

So How Does Trenchless Pipe Replacement Work?

The core concept of trenchless pipe replacement is feeding a replacement pipe into an older pipe, then expanding the replacement segment so the outer pipe cracks apart and the new one takes its place.

To start the job, the trenchless technicians locate the two ends of the pipe section they are replacing, then dig two small access holes down to reach both ends. If one of the ends opens up inside your home, then they will only need to dig one hole. The plumbers slide the replacement pipe into one end of the older pipe, and a hydraulic system on the other end draws the new pipe completely through and into position. Once this step is finished, a device called a pipe-burster pushes through the new pipe, which expands to shatter the old pipe and fix the new one in its place. The plumbers connect the ends of the new pipe to the existing plumbing system.

The clean-up afterwards is simple: the plumbers only need to fill in the two holes and cover them over, and your yard is back to what it was before with almost no trace of the work. The whole process should only require a few hours.

Call Us for Trenchless Pipe Replacement

You no longer have to sacrifice your front or backyard to the ravages of power digging equipment that will keep the outside of your home looking like a construction site over multiple days. Just contact our Middletown, MD trenchless pipe replacement experts at Larry & Sons, Inc., and we can have the work done fast and leave you with a pristine lawn. Give us a call today to set up your next appointment.

The Basics of Trenchless Technology

What happens to your yard when you need to have major repairs or replacements to your sewer line or water main? If you immediately have a vision of something out of the front lines of France during World War I, only minus the brambles of barbed wire, then you’re almost right. The standard way of making repairs to buried pipes involves deep excavations.

But it doesn’t have to be this way! Thanks to the invention of trenchless “no dig” technology, you no longer need to have sewer or water line repairs look like the British Army has encamped in your yard to hide from German mortar attacks. Instead, professional plumbing experts with the best technology only need to make a few small holes and finish up the job in no time at all—and for a lot less money.

Larry & Sons, Inc. performs work in Charles Town, MD with trenchless technology. If you have water line or sewer line problems, call us for the clean and fast work that will restore your plumbing without shredding your property.

Wait…how does this “trenchless” repair work?

Glad you asked. It’s remarkable in many ways, and it relies on a combination of hydraulics and expanding pipe replacement liners. We’ll use the example of a leaking sewer line that needs replacement for our demonstration.

The plumbers come to your house and locate from above ground the area of pipe that is leaking and needs to be replaced. They don’t dig a huge trench to reach the buried pipe, however. Instead, they make two small holes at either end of the pipe. Usually, one of the holes will go in a spot closest to the street where the pipe is about to enter the municipal sewer system. On the other end of the pipe, the trenchless experts insert a pipe replacement line—essentially, the new pipe material that will replace the broken pipe. On the other side, the plumbers attach a hydraulic system. The hydraulic system then pulls the replacement pipe through the older pipe until it emerges on the other side. Now a “pipe burster” goes through the replacement pipe, forcing it to expand; as it does so, it causes the older pipe to shatter and… presto!, you have a new pipe in place of the old one. The plumbers then secure the fresh pipe to the rest of the system and carefully fill in the two holes and landscape them.

The process is fast and clean and leaves behind little evidence that the plumbers were ever there. Don’t let the “war zone” treatment affect your property the next time you have sewer or water main trouble; call Larry & Sons, Inc. for trenchless pipe replacement and other plumbing services in Charles Town, MD.