Clogged and damaged sewer pipes can cause messy and unhealthy backups, so let’s take a look at three key technologies that offer trenchless repair solutions when your sewers need fixing.
Cured-in-place pipelining
Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining is a seamless repair method that hardens into a new inner pipe. A wet resin tube coated with felt or fibreglass is fed into the damaged pipe and inflated to fit snugly. Lights or steam heat cure and harden the resin into a smooth, jointless lining, with the new pipe flowing like new but fitting within the old pipe.
CIPP lining restores structural stability, seals cracks and gaps, and withstands corrosion. In Salisbury, trenchless access through manholes meant there was no digging up streets or gardens when a sewer system was replaced.
Pipe patching
For small leaks or holes in sewer pipes, patching offers a focused repair. Epoxy or polymer patches are pulled against the damaged section via cables and inflated until they seal the inner pipe. Some systems use robotic devices to place and smooth the patches, which can cure rapidly and reinforce up to 75 per cent of the pipe wall if needed. The durable seals prevent infiltration even under pressure, with targeted patching fixing specific defects without replacing whole pipe sections.
For sewer pipe lining Solihull, companies such as www.wilkinson-env.co.uk/sewer-repairs-drain-lining-concrete-cutting/drain-repairs/drain-repairs-solihull can provide help and advice.
Pipe bursting
For completely degraded pipes, pipe bursting provides a full replacement. A cone-shaped bursting head splits the old pipe while pulling in a new liner pipe behind it. The liner pipe, usually high-density polyethene or PVC, expands to fill the space. No trenches are dug, minimising disruption to the surrounding infrastructure. The seamless new pipe realigns the flow path and restores pipe function. Pipe bursting completely rehabilitates old pipes or upsizes pipe diameter.