How to replace cast iron pipes under your house without digging
Excavation for pipe replacement
So you received the bad news that your cast iron drain pipes that have been causing repeat repeated backups or are leaking and are causing water damage or emmiting foul sewer orders have to be excavated and replaced.
And you have every right to be distraught!
The plumber wants $50,000 to dig up your house for two or three weeks while you have to go stay in a hotel and make arrangements for your pets. Then upon your return it is your responsibility to clean all the fecal E-coli and the concrete dust out of your home before you can move back in. Also, the newly replaced concrete is green, which means it has to cure 14 days while it excretes calcium carbonate and water. During this period no tile can be installed and no carpet can be laid, s your furniture has to be put into storage as well!
Spin cast lining and cured in place pipe lining, the 2 common methods used in 2020 to restore cast iron pipes for at least 50 years.
Why not use modern method of trenchless pipe lining?
This technology installs a brand new inner pipe lining surface that lasts 100 years. It comes with a 50 year warranty and takes about 2 days to install.
The 2 Most Commonly Used Pipe Lining Technologies Used As Of 2020
Here’s how it works:
A video inspection camera is used to measure the length of the pipe that has to be relined. Then a long stretch a polyester tube is prepared and saturated with an epoxy resin which is exothermic and heats to 180 degrees Fahrenheit in about 30 minutes. This process hardens the lining inside the pipe while a balloon inside lining material presses it against the old pipe at a pressure of about 22 psi. The new lining is so strong that the old pipe can rust away and the new load bearing pipe lining material does not require a host pipe for support of any kind.
How much does trenchless pipe lining cost?
Concrete excavation and pipe replacement costs on average $450 per linear foot. Trenchless pipe lining under a house cost about $150 per linear foot. So pipe excavation and replacement takes about 2 weeks and is much more expensive.
Keep in mind pipe lining also saves you the cost of a hotel and the inconvenience moving furniture out of your home and back in. It also saves you the cost of floor surface replacement such as tile, carpeting or marbel.
The pipe lining comes with a 50 year materials warranty from Perma Liner who is the manufacturer, and we match that with a 50 year labor warranty. The reason we can do this is that when the pipe lining has been installed we do an immediate video inspection to make sure that the lining was installed correctly.
