TRIC Tools History of Innovation
A Company Born of Invention / Literally Groundbreaking
The term “lateral pipe bursting” is not yet a part of any contractor’s vocabulary. Repair or replacement of a home sewer means digging it up—in whole or in part—with results that are messy, disruptive, and often incomplete.
Ward Carter, foreman with an underground construction firm near San Francisco, assembles and tests the prototype of what will become the TRIC lateral pipe bursting system.
His father, engineer Robert (Bob) Carter, develops drawings and applies the manufacturing principles that turn Ward’s idea into a viable product. This whole process is not new to the Carters: Bob's father, Mitchell Carter, had invented the Coleman Stove, the Garbage Grinder, and foam rubber. Innovation just runs in the family.
TRIC begins pursuing patents at home and abroad, campaigning relentlessly for approval of HDPE plastic pipe in residential building codes. These combined efforts establish the lateral bursting industry, and set the TRIC method as the gold standard for trenchless lateral replacement across America.
TRIC receives IAPMO approval and a UPC listing for trenchless underground pipeline replacement using TRIC equipment and methods at the IAPMO meeting on August 31.
The new standard appears in the January publication of the Uniform Plumbing Code. The Installation standard for Trenchless Polyethylene (PE) Pipe for Sewer Laterals is IAPMO 26-99. Most US cities approve the TRIC Trenchless pipe replacement method soon thereafter.
TRIC registers both device and method patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and international patents for device and method in Canada, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and New Zealand. Patent applications are pending in Japan and Norway.
The TRIC formula—tools that are simple, modular, compact and adaptable—is applied to other utilities, including larger pipes of various materials, in commercial and municipal projects around the world.
HDPE pipe becomes certified for use in hot and cold potable water applications, fully opening most replacement projects to the use of TRIC Tools and proven techniques.
Our Mission
To provide the best trenchless pipe bursting equipment and accessories, as well as information to empower the trenchless revolution in the replacement of failing underground pipelines—sewer, water, and gas—and to expand our technology and method from private homes to municipal projects, and ultimately to public policy across America and beyond.
Our Vision
TRIC Tools Inc. invented and marketed the first practical sewer lateral pipe bursting system, thus establishing the industry of trenchless home sewer replacement in America. Private sewer laterals have since been clearly identified as the primary contributor to sanitary sewer overflows in municipal sewer systems, leading to chronic pollution of open streams and waterways.
Like all other underground pipelines—large and small, public and private—sewer laterals are just the tip of the iceberg of urgently needed repairs to wasteful and dangerous underground infrastructure all over the world. We foresee a viable and evolving green technology promoting the efficient, economical, and timely replacement of failing underground utility pipelines locally, nationally, and globally.
Our Future
We intend to expand our methods and machinery to accommodate our vision of a growing trenchless industry. Sewer, water, and gas pipes come in all sizes and various materials, and each utility line has a particular set of conditions, be they mechanical, geographical, or political. TRIC is constantly exploring different ways to apply our tried & true technology towards new and untested challenges in the trenchless industry. There is still much to be done when it comes to trenchless technology applications. Crumbling underground infrastructure causes waste and environmental degradation in communities everywhere. Our goal is to build upon our success in trenchless sewer replacement, while we address other problem utilities with equally inventive solutions.
We’re proud that TRIC Tools enable a wide array of utilities, municipalities, and contractors get the job done right the first time with our selection of compact pulling units, custom hydraulic power-packs, specialized bursting heads, and other quality pipebursting accessories. We’re happy to send you a list of our selected clients and projects on request.
We’re proud that TRIC Tools help a wide array of utilities, municipalities and contractors get the job done right the first time, with speed, accuracy and cost-conscious operation. We’re happy to send you a list of our selected clients on request.
"I’ve financed my entire operation since 2007 with my first TRIC system, and it’s still going strong. I have jobs lined up for months!"
"The TRIC system gives you instant payback. It is an easy-to-use, quality system with superb tech support. We looked hard and far and found nothing comparable"
Careers/Distributor Opportunities
We’re always on the lookout for smart, motivated people with the desire to work with one of the best teams in the business to help our customers find innovative, cost-saving solutions to their underground pipe replacement challenges. If you enjoy thinking beyond the horizon and finding ways to say “yes,” we’d love to talk with you about coming on board here at TRIC. We would love to hear from you and how you can help us in meeting the needs of our clients looking for hydraulic pumps for pipe bursting equipment.
If you’re a pipe fusion equipment retailer who’s ready to step up to the best, we’re happy to discuss the possibility of you becoming the latest TRIC Tools Distributor. Contact us today to let us know how you share our vision, and we’ll see how we can help each other.