Most of us don’t have to spend a lot of time thinking about what happens after we flush our toilets; the 730,887 Americans who work for the 104,852 plumbing and sewage companies across our nation do that thinking for us. Unfortunately, sewer-related issues can cost American households hundreds if not thousands of dollars if left unchecked due to leaks. Here are some ways to make sure your lines are clear and functional.
The Sources of Sewer Problems
Up until the 1980s, sewer lines consisted of clay piping that was durable, but corrosive over time. These pipes have a typical lifespan of around 40 years, so it is expected that older sewer lines should need replacing. The bane of plumbers and homeowners everywhere is tree roots in sewer lines. In their never-ending thirst, tree roots instinctively are drawn to the moisture found in sewers. Over time, they are able to slowly break through the delicate clay pipes, causing homeowners to waste hundreds of gallons of water in leaks caused from tree roots in sewer lines.
Trenchless Sewer Replacement
Although many fear the inevitable damage that plumbers wreck on lawns to get to the subterranean sewer lines, many readers may be surprised to learn that trenchless sewer repair and replacement services can reduce landscaping damage by up to 90%. For sewer lines that are in need of minimal repair, pipe lining is an easy repair method where a cure in place resin is affixed to an inflatable bladder and lead through a pipe line; warm water or steam heats up the resin while inflating the bladder, resulting in a seam-tight lining for any sewer line. Pipe bursting on the other hand uses a similar process to guide a pulling rod through the existing pipeline in need of replacement; once it has reached the other side, a pulling machine pulls the new pipe along with an expander head which simultaneously destroys the old pipe and replaces it with a new one. Both pipe bursting and lining are equally durable and may come with warranties ranging from 10 to 50 years.
