In the past, when sewer lines broke down and had to be replaced, it meant digging up the entire length of the existing line and replacing the line. This meant that lawns and landscaping would be torn up and damaged. It was even worse when sewer lines ran under buildings or other structures. Fortunately, new methods and technologies have made the whole process much quicker and much less destructive to everything above ground.
A new sewer line replacement method is the pipe bursting operation which is designed to save both time and money. The benefits include the fact that trenches are not required to replace existing lines. By foregoing digging a trench the time spent on the project is reduced and so is the clean up time.
This type of operation makes use of five parts which include an expander head, a pulling machine, pulling rods, a hydraulic power pack and a retaining device. Once the parts have been collected the first step is to dig two pits, the first is an insertion pit and the second is a reception pit. The pits provide a starting point for operators to insert the extender head and an end point where they retrieve the head unit.
New lines are attached to the equipments trailing end and are installed as the old ones are burst. The two ends are comprised of leading and trailing ends that are used to guide and break up the old pipes. Leading heads are a new addition in recent times and have drastically improved the operation.
The operation begins when the lead unit is inserted into the lines and then pulled through the lines by a power machine. The trailing end has the replacement lines and expander attached so as it breaks the old lines it replaces it with new ones. When the project is completed the equipment is removed via the reception pit.
With the addition of this new technology, companies are now using it to expand the capacity of existing lines. Two industries which are making use of these operations are gas and water companies. They are able to remove the existing lines and replace them with larger ones, if needed.
Sewer repair projects such as pipe bursting are revolutionizing the line replacement industry. As this technology advances so does the efficiency that it provides. Future endeavors will only improve the overall process and help to reduce costs.
