Dig or line?
Dig or line? Three methods, six questions
No method is best for every pipe. The camera footage picks one, and we put the reason in the report.
| What it costs you in | Open trench | Lining | Bursting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your lawn | Open trenchA cut as long as the bad pipe, a spoil pile, and sod to relay | LiningOne or two small pits, usually at the cleanout and near the street | BurstingAn entry pit and an exit pit, one at each end of the run |
| Time on site | Open trenchDays, and longer if it rains or the pipe is deep | LiningCamera and cleaning first, then the liner cures in the pipe for hours | BurstingPit work, then the new pipe is pulled through in one pass |
| Tools in the yard | Open trenchExcavator, trench box, dump truck and a compactor | LiningCamera, jetter, liner and a cure rig; no excavator for most runs | BurstingWinch, bursting head, new plastic pipe and a fusion machine |
| What it can't fix | Open trenchNothing, but it takes the most lawn, trees and time | LiningA collapsed pipe, or a dip that holds water | BurstingA line too close to another pipe or a footing to burst safely |
| What it fixes | Open trenchAny pipe, including a collapsed line or the wrong slope | LiningCracks, root entry and open joints in a pipe that still holds its shape | BurstingCrushed or collapsed clay, Orangeburg or cast iron on a straight run |
| What stays in the ground | Open trenchNothing; the old pipe is dug out | LiningThe old pipe, now the host for the new one | BurstingBroken pieces of the old pipe, pushed into the soil |
Open trench
When a trench is still the answer
If the pipe has collapsed flat, sagged into a dip that holds water, or has the wrong slope, there is nothing for a liner to hold on to.
A trench is the only repair that can change the slope. We mark the line first, keep the cut as short as the footage allows, and tell you where the sod and the roots stand.
What points to a trench
Collapsed or bellied pipe
Wrong slope or a bad connection to the main
A pipe too damaged to line or burst
Bursting
New pipe pulled through the old one
Pipe bursting breaks the old pipe outward and pulls a new plastic pipe into the same path.
It suits crushed or collapsed clay, Orangeburg and cast iron on a straight run, and it can step up one pipe size. It needs a clear path, and it can't work close to other lines or a footing.
What it looks like
An entry pit and an exit pit
New plastic pipe, fused in sections above ground
Side connections reconnected after the pull
Reading the footage
What we see, and what it points to
Five things the camera finds most often and the method each one usually leads to. A second look can change the answer.
- Lining
Roots at a joint, pipe still round
Clear the roots, then line to seal the joint and the cracks around it.
- Lining
A long crack, pipe still round
Line the full run so the crack is covered end to end.
- Bursting
Pipe crushed or collapsed on a straight run
Burst the old pipe and pull new pipe through the same path.
- Open trench
A dip that holds water
Dig that section to restore the slope, then line or tie into the rest.
- Open trench
A wrong turn or a failed tie to the main
Open the ground only where the footage shows the fault.
Next step
Start with the camera
The footage stays with you. After it, we write the plan with the reason beside each step.