Trenchless sewer repair, if your pipe is a good fit

Trenchless repair is priced on the length of pipe being lined or burst, its diameter and the access pits it needs. It pays off when the pipe runs under a driveway, patio or mature trees that would cost more to tear out and replace. You get the price after the camera inspection.

No. A liner follows the line and grade of the old pipe, so a belly that holds water now will hold water inside the liner. A sag has to be dug up and re-laid at the right slope. The camera shows whether your line has one before you pay for lining.

Lining puts a new epoxy pipe inside the old one, so the old pipe has to be round enough to hold it. Bursting breaks the old pipe apart and pulls a new pipe through the same path, so it can replace a line too far gone to line. Both need only small access pits.

It depends on what the camera shows. NASSCO’s guidance says an offset joint cutting the cross-section by 40 percent or more must be repaired before lining, and a collapsed or sagging line usually has to be dug. A cracked, leaking or rooted line with good grade is often a strong candidate.

Not always. It saves the cost of tearing out and replacing whatever sits on top of the pipe, which matters under a driveway or patio. Under open lawn, a short dig can cost the same or less. When both methods will work, we price both and tell you which one we would choose.