Trenchless pipe lining experiences/recommendations?

Submitted by pickled_red_herring t3_z7fc2u in rva

Original cast iron sewer line has corrosion issues that need to be addressed. Single-level, 75-year-old house on a concrete slab. Sewer line runs directly through the middle of the house, which includes our front porch (also concrete) and sidewalk. And unfortunately, we've missed the window for service line warranty. Not ideal, but so it goes. This has left us with two options:

  1. Rip up flooring and replace the cast iron line (quoted ~$20k, which doesn't include any renovations, concrete finishing, etc.—which could easily double costs).
  2. Go the trenchless route through the front of the home to repair existing cast iron with epoxy/CIPP lining (approximately 30’ from cast to PVC transition). No major obstructions here (landscaping, etc.), other than having to refinish some concrete.

I'd much prefer option 2, but do have some reservations about a trenchless install. Thanks to recommendations on this sub, I've contacted several companies (Stemmle, 360 Plumbing, USA Pipe Repair, etc.). IMO, USA Pipe Repair provided the most reasonable assessment and quoted ~$10k for the job.

I realize that USA Pipe Repair is one of the few options in town for this type of job—so I'm curious if anyone has ever used them (or other companies) for a trenchless install? This sub (including a recent post) has expressed mixed opinions on USA Pipe Repair, but I'm more so concerned with quality of work. There's a 2-year warranty on install, and 10-year manufacturer's warranty on the Permaliner product, but I'm interested if anyone has experience with either USA Pipe Repair or epoxy lining in general.

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auntlose t1_iy7x4bb wrote

USA pipe repair is doing our sewer line TODAY. So I can let you know how it goes. We have a hundred year old house and sewer line also but unfortunately we have to replace ours via excavation, as we have a sink hole forming from a crack in the pipe. Usa pipe repair was literally 8.5 k less than another estimate and their reputation seems okay enough. I feel somewhat nervous about the state that they'll leave our yard in but we'll see what happens.

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pickled_red_herring OP t1_iy7yukn wrote

Best of luck with your install! I believe I read your post from a week ago. Thanks — I’d appreciate any insight you have after the work is complete.

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auntlose t1_iy9yxa6 wrote

Thanks! I'm nervous to say I think it went well but I think it went well! It took maybe five hours total and our yard looks like it was dug up but nothing unexpected or too disastrous there. I was worried about a dogwood tree in the yard, but it came out unharmed. They charged an extra $500 from the original quote because they had to hand tunnel under our front porch. I honestly don't care because our first quote was so much more expensive.

After they left, I did discover a pipe was leaking in the basement. Turns out that shutting the water line on and off had caused an old galvanized rotting pipe to finally go. I called them fairly frantic and they were here within 10 minutes and replaced a pipe for us which was an extra $750. Again, in the scheme of things, I wasn't upset. The pipe needed to be replaced anyway.

So far, I would choose them again.

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pickled_red_herring OP t1_iyb1yk7 wrote

Thanks for the follow up and the detailed recon! Glad everything went well. Wishing you years of good plumbing luck.

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dreww4546 t1_iy6t7ll wrote

I've seen the pipe lining method used on THIS OLD HOUSE, and it looked like the way to go if you can find a skilled contractor. Good luck.

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pickled_red_herring OP t1_iy7ympv wrote

Yup, this is the takeaway from my research too. If the installation is done properly (including descaling and hyrdrojetting the line), the product should last in theory. Thanks.

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hiho-silverware t1_iy83od6 wrote

I had this exact thing done with USA Pipe Repair roughly five years ago. Took them about half a day. No issues ever since. I even sent my own camera down out of curiosity and it looked like a smooth pvc pipe on the inside. I did not have any reinstatements done.

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pickled_red_herring OP t1_iy8afkd wrote

Glad to hear you aren't having issues since the installation. Sounds like everything went pretty smoothly. Five years is a decent window of time, too. I'm not familiar with the reinstatement process. Is that something that is done after installation?

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hiho-silverware t1_iy8cs8z wrote

I’m not a plumber but my understanding is reinstatement is the term for extending the lining up into any drains. It’s additional cost but wasn’t needed in my case.

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pickled_red_herring OP t1_iy8p12a wrote

Gotcha, yeah I don't believe any reinstatements were included in our quote. We need the replace the cast up until the PVC line (we have a newer extension), so I don't believe they'll be messing with drains.

I'm pretty certain we're moving forward with USA, as trenchless capability is limited in the area—so encouraging to hear the positive comment. Did you consider anyone else at the time?

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hiho-silverware t1_iy8pcs7 wrote

I got a quote from roto-rooter which was higher, but they seemed to offer the same solution. Can’t remember if I got any others.

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