How To Save Your Outdoor Features When Your Pipes Need Mending

Old pipe systems and drains can cause a host of problems and often require replacement. Digging down to reach the sewerage system, however, can cause damage to lawns, patios and other outside decor. Sewers that are 40 years old or older will need replacing — and that impacts on a large number of homes.

There are technologies that can take the hassle out of such big operations, but most Americans are not aware of them. In fact, an Angie’s List poll found that 78% of respondents had no idea about no-dig options, despite the fact they had been available to residential home owners for more than 10 years. No-dig trenchless sewer pipe rehabilitation allows home owners to fix or replace faulty pipework without destroying the lawn or patio.

When you consider that, according to Angie’s List, almost 25% of those surveyed had had to replace a sewer pipe or drains and a further three percent were facing such a project in the near future, the need to get it done in as least disruptive manner as possible becomes even more vital.

While trenchless pipe rehabilitation or repair can offer benefits, it isn’t cheap. It can cost between 30 and 50 percent more to use such systems, but this needs to be balanced by the savings on what can be costly restoration work to fix dug up lawns and patios. Research has found that almost three-quarters of consumers are willing to pay that extra dollar or two for sewer pipe replacement to avoid destroying precious outdoor features such as decks or lawns.

Potential home owners would also do well to pay the extra $250 to $350 for a pre-purchase sewer pipe inspection to save on exorbitant costs further down the line. The age of the pipes or drains combined with any kind of abrasive substance such as rust or so-called “aggressive” water with a pH of less than 6.8 can cause significant damage to pipework and necessitate replacement or repairs.