Is Pipe Lining for Sewer Back-Ups or Blocked Drains?

Most people don’t know that reoccurring backups or blocked drains are caused by roots growing into drains, or by cast iron drain pipes rusting and catching on waste. Most plumbers recommend repiping or pipe replacement, which is very messy, time consuming and expensive. Pipe replacement by pipe re-lining has a 50-year warranty, fixes leaks and foul odors permanently and takes only 3 hours to install. For more information about drain pipe repair or repipe alternatives, including blocked drains and pipe replacement, visit www.CraftsmanPipeLining.com.

So why do drains block up?

In order to determine the causes of the reoccurring sewage backups we cut out sections of 30-year old cast iron pipe outside buildings that were experiencing problems for closer examination and used our video cameras to gain full access to the upstream and downstream sections of pipe.

Findings:

1. Corrosion deposits: the upstream low-flow sections of pipe under the buildings were in remarkably good shape and we estimate have another 15-20 years of life. But the downstream sections of pipe under the buildings and going from the building into the road that have high flow have been rusting for decades and the iron oxide deposits have accumulated on the pipe floor. These deposits create anaerobic (oxygen deprived) environments on the pipe surface where sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) metabolize sulfate and excrete sulfuric acid. This sulfuric acid corrodes the cast iron floor of the pipe, which later collapses creating reoccurring backups.

2. Missing floor of pipe allowing roots intrusion: a channel was etched through the corrosion deposits and through the floor of the pipe from the use of acidic drain cleaning agents sold at hardware stores. These drain cleaning agents contain sulfuric acid, as expressed on the label, which corrode the floor of the pipe. Tree roots in search of water during the non-rainy months grow into these pipes and cause obstructions and sewage backups.

3. Offset joints between cast iron lateral and clay pipe under roads: All the buildings had cast iron pipes leading into the road where they connected with stronger clay pipes. Some of the connections between the cast iron pipe and the clay pipes were cracked open by decades of ground settlement and root intrusion was prolific, also creating recurring sewage backups.

For more information about drain pipe repair or repipe alternatives, including blocked drains and pipe replacement, visit www.CraftsmanPipeLining.com.