In some parts of the country, aging urban sewer systems are creating havoc for repair teams. Surprisingly, some large cities still have combined sewer systems, and even the mildest rainstorm can cause sewer backups and dangerous waste runoff into the public water supply. Sewer and drain replacement can be much more challenging in urban areas due to heavy pedestrian traffic; traditional sewer line repairs involve heavy digging, disrupting everyday shopping and commuting routines for people in the area.
Newer “trenchless” sewer pipe inspection and repair technology could find its target audience in local and state governments looking to update aging urban infrastructure. Minimizing dig times could help cities in their quests to repair complex underground sewer systems. Newer sewer repair relies on contractors’ ability to conduct major repairs from a single access point, leaving sidewalks intact for local pedestrians.
Injecting pipes with epoxy or threading replacement piping along the entire system can work to strengthen sewer systems that see heavy residential and commercial use, experts report. The entire realm of sewer repair has been revolutionized in the past decade: urban planners realize that extended plumbing repair could cost local retailers thousands of dollars or more if sewer and drain replacement takes months instead of days or weeks to complete.
Large urban centers that have combined sewer systems can rely on the fact that new sewer technologies can also be applied to aging water and gas lines. In districts where plumbing is more than twenty years old, the repair and replacement of systems that contain high levels of lead should be the top priority of any city planning committee. Recent reports of widespread lead poisoning in urban areas around the world highlights the continuing need to update and repair sewer, water, and gas systems with dangerous, aging connectivity.
Rural customers who maintain their own water supply and “off-grid” sewer systems may also want to contract with professionals for routine inspection and maintenance. The presence of lead in residential water systems continues to be an important motivating factor for contractors around the country: the fact that lead was routinely used to connect sewer pipes for more than 40 years has to be a priority and a concern for commercial and residential property owners alike.
Contractors now have the ability to use sewer inspection cameras to get an overall sense of the condition of a property’s pipe systems, and homeowners may be surprised to find that repair and replacement is a more workable proposition than it was only a decade ago. While some larger urban areas have to align their plans for sewer repairs with budgetary limitations, private owners should have the flexibility to contract for more immediate sewer repair.
