Can you re-line Orangeburg Pipe?

First let’s start with what Orangeburg pipe is. Back in the Second World War all the iron supply was directed toward the production of weaponry, which meant that a new material had to be developed for plumbing to replace the missing cast iron.

As a result a new material called “Orangeburg” consisting of wood fibers (like paper) mixed with tar and was manufactured in Orangeburg, PA. This material was the used to make sewer pipes, millions of miles of it. It is estimated that Washington DC has 200,000 miles of Orangeburg pipe under their floors. Everything seemed OK with Orangeburg for a while, but then some serious issues started to arise.

Any solvents like nail polish remover, paint thinners and rubbing alcohol that went down the drain would dissolve the tar, weakening the sewer pipe. Usually the bottom of the pipe would go first. On sewer pipe video inspections, the bottom of the Orangeburg sewer pipe appears to bulge upwards. These bulges create blocked drains as debris is captured in these areas.

The next common drain problem with Orangeburg pipe is root intrusion. Root intrusion with cast iron pipes and clay sewer pipes (VPC) usually occurs at broken, cracked or pipe joint areas. But with Orangeburg pipe, the tree roots grow straight through the pipe walls anywhere, creating blocked drains and backups. Video’s of pipes under Chicago show the characteristic oval egg-shaped cross section of these pipes created by the load on top of the pipe flattening it out over time.

Orangeburg pipe can be re-lined, but pipe bursting is more commonly used, where a new pipe is pulled through the old pipe cavity using a pointed conical “head” that breaks up the old pipe to make way for the new pipe pulled in place behind it for pipe replacement.

There is a wonderful pipe lining E-Book that can be downloaded for free from www.craftsmanpipelining.com, which is also a very helpful website about drain lining in general for residents in Illinois.

City of Miami Re-lines Residential Cast Iron Sewer Pipes

Most people have no idea that their sewage is leaking into their lawns and into the ground water beneath their homes. The problem is that the cast iron sewage pipes that drain waste from the house to the clay sewer pipes under the road are cracked and corroded by the time they’re 30 years old.

For homeowners the problem is that roots grow into the cracks and repeatedly back up the drains. So homeowners have to dig up their lawns and driveways and other landscaping to replace the pipes. Sometimes the water table is so high that special pumps have to be installed around the excavated areas so that the holes do not flood while the pipe replacement is occurring.

From the City of Miami’s perspective, they had a different problem. They were not concerned with sewage leaking out of the pipes, but groundwater leaking into the pipes. The sewage treatment plants that receive all this water are only designed to process a certain amount of gallons per day. Any excess has to be spilled into a nearby river, creating hazardous environmental conditions.

There is one additional complication – who pays to replace the pipes leading from the house to the road? That depends on the city/county and where the easement starts, and sometimes, who is affected by it the most. In this case, homeowners were supposed to pay for the pipe replacement. But this type of pipe repair can be very costly, and so the City of Miami decided to bear the costs of replacing all the sewage pipes.

The task was very complicated. First the sewage laterals/pipes would have to be located, then the electrical, cable, potable water and other utilities would have to be identified to preserve them. Then homeowners would have to be informed that they will not be able to use their broken drains for days or weeks. This was going to cost the City of Miami $6,000,000 and take 2-3 years to replace around 1,000 laterals.

Fortunately in 1998 a new process for replacing pipes on the inside of the old pipes was perfected. It does not require any excavation. This pipe lining procedure installs a new pipe as thick and strong as regular PVC inside the old pipe within 3 hours. It comes with a 50-year warranty, and only reduces the internal diameter of the pipe by 5% so that there is negligible effect on flow. The city opted to line the sewer pipes for a total pipe lining cost of $1,500,000 instead of $6,000,000, which took 4 months instead of 3 years. The process can be observed at www.CraftsmanPipeLining.com and they also have a free pipe lining E-book that is e-mailed upon request.

Pipe ReLining in South Florida

How many of us really think of our drain pipes or sewer lines?  Have you heard of the saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for most of us, sewer lines are things we think about only when something goes wrong.  Really if the tell-tale signs of trouble or not there or if you ignore them “out of sight and out of mind”, could also mean “out of tens of thousands of dollars”.  One of the worst possible situations imaginable is a backed up sewer line.  Backed up sewer lines usually happen with age, breakage, fissures or cracks in the pipeline and can cause lots of damage in South Florida Homes, so you need Pipe ReLining in South Florida.

The costliest solutions include getting the entire line replaced which may mean breaking up floors, digging up your yard and perhaps even your parts of your sidewalk or street.  The worst part about this could be that you may not have access to parts of your home, or may have to stay away entirely for days or even weeks.  The problem may not end there because without the proper equipment, or experienced professionals there may be more damage done to your home structurally then initially imagined.  Think of it, jarring jackhammers digging through your foundation, the jolts of vibrations, the cracks, the loosened dirt, the mess, the inconvenience, the smell, the hotel stays and –oh did we mention that it tends to be a costly proposition not just for your wallet but also for your nerves.

Since you want to avoid those pitfalls with your sewer lines we’re glad to report that there is an innovative new technology out there that most sewer repairers are just waking up to.  We recommend that you know before you go and look before you leap.  There are pipe re-liner professionals in South Florida out there who could save you even more than just money.

Look at it this way.  Let’s say you have good tires and one of them leaks from a small puncture, you’ll likely notice it after a few hundred miles or so.  If the tiny problem stays untreated then you’ll have several options for repair:

1. Plug it,
2. patch it,
3. get an inner tube that lines the inside of the tire
4. get a new tire

Why would you want to replace your leaky tire if you can repair it?  With our research we have found that using the tire repair scenario above, the 3^rd option is the one closest to what pipe re-liners do in a less destructive or less intrusive manner.  If your sewer lines are still viable, then why would you want to rip up your tiles and dig up your yard, street and sidewalk if in most cases it may be totally unnecessary?  Pipe liners work to identify the damaged area using a video camera, then they can opt to repair the damage portion pipe or the entire pipe.  To repair the entire pipe or various portions the pipe re-lining experts insert an inflatable rubber tube which is surrounded by a resin coated fiberglass sleeve which when inflated sticks to the walls of the existing pipe and completely hardens in about 3 hours.  The job is done in roughly a day instead of a week, therefore savings can be tremendous.

When does trouble usually occur?  Of course when you least expect it tends to happen at the least opportune time, usually when you’re entertaining guests.  Here is what you can do and it’s absolutely free, check out www.craftsmanpipelining.com to learn about the money saving options concerning pipe maintenance, re-lining and to get an e-book “Insiders Secrets” Pipe Relining absolutely free.