When a sewer pipe has a crack or fault, there are two routes, opening up the ground or repairing from within. The choice depends on the extent and position of the damage.
Both methods share the same goal, restoring the pipe to working order, but they differ significantly in how the work is carried out and the impact on the surrounding area.
The traditional method
Traditional repair requires excavation above the pipe, removal of the damaged section and installation of a new one. Backfilling, soil compaction and surface reinstatement, road, yard or paving, follow afterwards.
It is a method that works, but it involves rubble, disruption to the use of the area for the duration of the works, and additional reinstatement work after backfilling.
The deeper the pipe, the larger the excavation needed to reach the point of the fault.
The no-dig method
In no-dig repair, the camera and the repair equipment go in through the existing manhole. The pipe is cleaned first with pressurised water and the fault is restored from inside the pipe.
No road, yard or floor is opened, no rubble is produced and there is no need to reinstate tiling or asphalt. Traffic around the site is not disrupted.
Pipe depth does not matter in the same way as with the traditional method, since access is always through the manhole rather than the surface above the fault.
Step by step comparison
- Traditional method: excavation, removal of the old pipe, installation of a new one, backfilling, surface reinstatement.
- No-dig: access through the manhole, pressure cleaning, repair from within, no surface reinstatement.
- Time: the no-dig method is usually completed in fewer visits, since there is no backfilling and reinstatement stage.
- Disruption: with no open trench, the area stays accessible for the whole duration of the work.
The choice between the two methods is never arbitrary, it is always based on the footage the camera inspection gives us before we decide how to proceed.
Where the method has limits
No-dig repair is not the solution for every case. When a pipe has fully collapsed over a long stretch or has completely lost its shape, restoring it from within is not enough and excavation is needed at that specific point.
Camera inspection before any intervention shows us precisely whether we are dealing with such a case, so we can recommend the right solution from the start rather than midway through the job.
We always prefer to tell you in advance if excavation is needed, rather than discover it halfway through a no-dig job that cannot go any further.
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