Sewer Lines and Excavation

Sewer Line Excavation Process

Before the real work begins, excavators start by marking all utility lines. Accidentally hitting a utility line may cause a service outage in your area and cause serious injuries to those nearby—in some cases, it may even result in death. Careful and precise planning is key to a successful sewer line repair.

Next, the workers will use video inspection technology to assess the condition of your pipes. It allows them to get a closer look at what’s happening within the line. Based on this information, they can select a strategy that’s optimal for your property and pipes. The plumbers may need to obtain permits or other inspections to proceed with the repair.

The specific plumbing excavation process varies depending on the methods that are used. We’re going to detail a few of them here:

Pipe Bursting vs. Open-Top Excavation

Which repair method is best for your property: trench or trenchless sewer repair? There are pros and cons to each:

Pipe Bursting

Some homeowners are hesitant to repair sewer lines because they don’t want trenches dug into their yards—it fixes their sewer line, but it ruins their lawn! One of the main advantages of pipe bursting is that it won’t require any trenches to be dug.

To remove old and broken pipes, we used a pneumatic or hydraulic head. We remove the old damaged pipe and replace it with a new one that’s perfectly sized to fit in that space.

If you’re interested in trenchless sewer line repair in Anne Arundel or Howard County, we also offer pipelining (also known as cured-in-place piping). With this method, your existing pipes are relined with epoxy. This saves you the trouble of removing the old pipes; once they’re relined, they’ll work as efficiently as if they were a new sewer line.
These repair methods have only been around for the last two decades, making them relatively recent. The lack of digging minimizes costs, both in terms of labor and what you’d spend to fix your property afterward.