Trenchless Sewer Repair

Trenchless sewer repair is an umbrella term for methods that rehabilitate or replace underground sewer laterals and water mains with minimal excavation. Instead of digging a full trench across your yard, driveway, or sidewalk, trenchless methods work from small access pits at each end of the pipe run.

The two main trenchless methods:

1. CIPP (Cured-In-Place Pipe): a felt liner saturated with epoxy resin is inserted into the existing damaged pipe and cured in place using hot water, steam, or UV light. The result is a new pipe inside the old pipe. Best for: cracked, corroded, or root-infiltrated pipes that are structurally stable enough to support the liner. Does not work for fully collapsed pipes.

2. Pipe Bursting: a bursting head is pulled through the existing pipe, fragmenting it outward into the soil while pulling a new HDPE pipe in behind it. Best for: fully collapsed pipes or pipes that need to be upsized. Requires two access pits (entry and exit).

When trenchless makes sense:

• Pipe runs under a finished driveway, patio, or landscaping
• Deep pipes where trenching is expensive or disruptive
• Pipes under a public sidewalk where city restoration fees would be significant
• Historic properties where surface disturbance is restricted

Trenchless vs. open-cut cost comparison: trenchless typically runs 10–30% more than open-cut excavation on the pipe work itself, but that difference often disappears when you factor in surface restoration (concrete, asphalt, pavers, landscaping) — which trenchless eliminates entirely.

Not every pipe is a trenchless candidate. A sewer camera inspection is mandatory before any trenchless bid — the camera reveals whether the host pipe can support CIPP lining or whether pipe bursting is feasible given soil conditions and proximity to other utilities.