Trenchless Repairs

Relining broken pipe saves money - and a bit of history.

We've written in past issues about the benefits of various piping rehab techniques for fixing lateral lines and domestic water pipe without digging up the ground or ripping apart walls and ceilings.

Here are a couple ways plumbing contractors recently used the same methods to circumvent a different set of obstacles atop broken lines:

Center Square Picket Monument - Hanover, Pa.

Associated Products Services Inc. of Mechanicsburg, Pa., repaired a 96-ft. damaged line last November, which ran directly beneath the Center Square Picket Monument in Hanover, Pa.

The statue, which commemorates the Battle of Hanover fought during the Civil War, was originally dedicated 100 years ago. It had to be moved in 1968 to make way for a traffic intersection. Unfortunately, no one realized the new location was directly atop a sewer line.

Who knows how much the statue weighs, and city officials did get an estimate of $15,000 to move the statue and dig up and repair the broken pipe. But moving a statue this big and old also meant possibly damaging the monument. Instead, Associated, which specializes in septic systems, used the Perma-Liner lateral lining system to repair the damaged pipe from above ground in just two days for about half the cost.

Rodin Museum of Art - Philadelphia

The Rodin Museum of Art, rarely turned on the white marble fountain that set in the courtyard since it was literally staining itself with rusty water.

A 75-year-old, cast-iron water pipe, which circulates water through the fountain, was buried beneath tons of limestone blocks, concrete and water that makes up the fountain's reflecting pool - and even under a portion of the museum's floor itself.

The city earmarked $200,000 not only to repair the fountain but also to complete other plumbing pipe repairs to the surrounding area. Williard Inc. Plumbers, Jenkintown, Pa., were the primary contractors for the job.

Williard, however, subbed out the relining portion of the work to two Roto-Rooter operations, one in Philadelphia and the other in New York City. Last June, the crew used Maxliner equipment to reline the rusty pipe in place with a polymer sleeve.