If you are worried that replacing a sewer pipe is going to be a nightmare, let me put your mind at ease. Gone are the days when replacing a sewer pipe meant tearing up your home or the whole front yard. With the latest technology in trenchless sewer replacement, you can get your sewer pipe replaced without any major construction work. The technology that is used today is called ‘bursting head technology.‘ In this article, we will be looking at this incredible technology in some detail.
How does the burst head technology work?
The bursting head technology allows the replacement of an old sewer pipe without digging the pipe up. The process allows for a simultaneous breaking up and replacement of an old sewer pipe with a new, seamless HDPE pipe. The whole process takes place in the following steps:
Step 1: Identification of the problem area
The first step involves the use of a sewer camera to identify the portions of the sewer pipe that needs replacement. In this step, a sewer inspection is done by running a camera through the sewer line. Once the damaged portion of the pipe is identified, the section of the pipe that needs replacing is marked.
Step 2: Accessing the sewer pipe
The second phase involves digging up two small holes on either end of the portion of the sewer line that needs replacement. These little holes are drilled to access the main sewer pine under the ground.
Once the sewer pipe is accessed, a cable is inserted from one end to the other. One end of the cable is attached to a pneumatic device like a jack while the other end is attached to a cone shaped object called the bursting head. The whole arrangement is done so that when the cable is pulled using the pneumatic device through the pipe, the bursting head is pulled through the old sewer pipe.
Step 3: Bursting the old pipe and replacing it with the new one
The bursting head is a large cone-shaped object that has a diameter larger than the pipe that needs to be changed. While one end of the bursting head is attached to the cord, the other is attached to a new seamless HDPE pipe.
Once the all the attachments are made, the pneumatic device starts to pull the cord through the old pipe. The cable drags the bursting head along with the new pipe through. As the bursting head passes through the old pipe, it shatters the old pipe underground and lays the new pipe in its place. Even cast iron pipes can be broken using the burst head technology.
Thus, in one single motion, the old pipe is destroyed, and the new pipe is inserted. The bursting head technology offers numerous advantages over conventional methods of replacing sewer pipes.
- It does not require any major digging. The bursting head technology only requires two small holes to be drilled into the ground. There is no need to tear up the ground to take the old pipe out before replacing it with the new one.
- The bursting head technology saves a lot of time and money for the property owners. As the tearing up of the old pipe and replacement of the new pipe occur simultaneously, less time is needed.
- The new seamless HDPE pipes don’t have any seams making them safer than the traditional sewer pipes. If you have a damaged sewer pipeline that needs replacing, bursting head technology is the way to go. It will save you a ton of money and time. And as a bonus, you will not have to redo your lawn!
