Traditionally, the way you fixed a leaking pipe was to locate the area surrounding source of the leak, usually by the tell-tale signs of sewage, water or gas leaking from the ground above the pipe.
Once you located the source of the leak, a trench would have to be dug to expose the length of pipe that needed to be replaced. This is where the costs started to add up for the homeowner. If the leaking pipe ran under a public street, the homeowner would be responsible for not just the replacement cost of the pipe, but the replacement cost of the street above it as well.
Even of it was on the owner’s property, the costs of bringing in a backhoe and having to replace expensive shrubbery, trees, retaining walls and landscaping meant that having a leaking pipe was as near to a financial catastrophe as most homeowners ever experienced.
It would sometimes be weeks before the property was back to looking as it had been and the homeowner sometimes was forced to take out a loan to cover the costs unless they had insurance that would cover it.
The Miracle of Trenchless Pipe Repair
The old way of repairing leaking pipes was given a run for its money about 15 years ago by the invention of the trenchless method. In the trenchless method of pipe repair, there is no need to dig around the pipe to expose it, because the pipe is repaired from the within the pipe.
The trenchless method takes advantage of new materials to insert a “cured-in-place pipe” into the leaking pipe. This flexible tube expands to form a lining on the inside of the leaking pipe and effectively seals the leak. Even a collapsed pipe is able to be fixed as long as there is room inside the pipe to pull this new, flexible pipe through it.
The new, replacement pipes that are inserted into the old pipes are just as durable as traditional pipe and although this technique reduces the interior diameter of the pipe slightly, it won’t be enough to impair the flow.
Weigh the Options of Pipe Repair Before Choosing
Although the basic costs are higher than simply replacing the existing pipe, the savings in restorative costs can be huge and this gives you the choice of how to go about repairing your leaking pipe.
If you have a lot of expensive landscaping above your leaking pipe, or your pipe runs underneath a public road, the trenchless method might add up to be your best option. However, if the pipe runs across open land without any structures on it, the traditional method would probably save you the most money in repair costs.
We offer both methods of pipe repair and they can advise you on which method will work out to be cheaper and more efficient in the long run. The important thing to remember is that now you do have a choice in how your pipe is repaired. Calling experienced plumbers whenever you notice a pipe leaking to get it taken care of as soon as possible.
