Trenchless Sewer Repair

The Main Trenchless Options

Cured-in-place pipe lining

Cured-in-place pipe lining, commonly called CIPP, places a resin-based liner inside an eligible host pipe and cures it to form a rehabilitated pipe within the existing line. The designed system, host-pipe condition, preparation, installation, curing, testing and treatment of service connections all matter. A liner follows the existing route and geometry, so it does not correct every collapse, deformation, offset or grade problem.

Sectional lining

Sectional lining treats a limited area of an eligible host pipe rather than rehabilitating the full run. It may be considered when the defect is localized and the remaining lateral is suitable. The comparison with an excavated spot repair depends on access, defect type, pipe condition, depth, the surface above the line, restoration needs and the selected product.

Pipe bursting

Pipe bursting is a trenchless replacement method, not lining. Equipment breaks or displaces the old pipe while installing a new pipe along the route. Suitability depends on the existing pipe, soil, nearby utilities and structures, access and shaft planning, connections, ground-movement risk and applicable requirements. Detailed pipe-bursting design and replacement scope belong on the Sewer Line Replacement page.

No single preparation sequence applies to every method. Cleaning, inspection, access and site preparation should follow the selected product, the pipe condition and the project design.

What Determines Trenchless Eligibility

A camera inspection can show visible defects, shape, standing water, connections and some access limitations. It does not settle the entire design. A trenchless assessment may also need to answer:

• What is the confirmed pipe material, diameter, route and condition?
• Are defects localized or distributed through the lateral?
• Has the pipe kept the geometry required by the proposed lining system?
• Are there bellies, offsets, collapses or transitions that the method cannot correct?
• What access is available for inspection, preparation, installation and restoration?
• Where do branch connections enter, and how will they be treated?
• What utilities, structures, pavement or landscaping are close to the route?
• Do soil, groundwater, slope or depth change excavation, shaft or ground-movement risk?
• Is the line private, shared, strata-controlled or connected through property with separate authorization requirements?
• What permits, inspections, right-of-way approvals or municipal connection requirements apply?

Lining may be considered when an appropriate assessment shows that the host pipe and site suit the selected system. Open excavation, localized repair or replacement may be more appropriate when geometry, structural condition, access, connections or project risk cannot be addressed responsibly by rehabilitation.

A short, accessible defect may favour a localized excavation. A longer run beneath finished surfaces may make an eligible trenchless method worth comparing. Neither answer should be assumed before the pipe, property and total restoration scope are understood.

Safety and Site Controls

Trenchless work combines plumbing assessment with utility, construction and product-specific controls. These are contractor-managed hazards, not homeowner tasks.

• Before cabling, root cutting, jetting or other mechanical clearing of a blocked sewer, follow the FortisBC cross-bore process. Clearing should not begin until inspection has ruled out a cross bore. If a cross bore or gas-line concern is suspected, stop work and follow the utility emergency process.
• A BC 1 Call request is not clearance to excavate. Responses from notified members must be reviewed, and private or non-member facilities may require separate locating. Camera or sonde marks do not replace excavation locating.
• Pipe bursting requires project-specific assessment of utilities, structures, pavement, soil, access, shafts and potential ground movement.
• CIPP resins and curing methods require product- and method-specific controls. WorkSafeBC advises that CIPP chemical emissions must be controlled. Planning may need to address the manufacturer’s instructions, equipment layout, wind direction, access control, ventilation and potential exposure near public spaces or adjacent workplaces.
• Suspected asbestos-containing pipe requires qualified assessment and regulated handling before cleaning, cutting, excavation, bursting or other disturbance. See WorkSafeBC’s guidance on asbestos-containing pipes.
• Homeowners should not enter an excavation, handle resin, move exclusion controls or treat pipe-camera marks as permission to dig.

If the safe controls cannot be explained clearly for the proposed method and property, the project is not ready to proceed.