Why Should CAMs Care about Trenchless Pipelining Technology?

As Community Association Managers (CAMs), you ensure the seamless operation of your community infrastructures. All systems inside and surrounding the building envelope are part of your purview—including plumbing. 

Pipes, storm drains, and sewer lines are all parts of the plumbing system. They are found under buildings in slabs and crawlspaces, horizontally between ceilings and floors in multi-story structures, vertically between walls, and buried underground.  They tend to be “out of sight, out of mind” until problems occur. 

Traditionally, diagnosing and treating plumbing issues involved invasive measures like digging trenches across lawns or cutting great chunks out of walls and floors. Now, CAMs can call companies that offer trenchless solutions that leave lawns, sidewalks, parking lots, walls, and ceilings intact. 

Trenchless pipelining technology allows technicians to address deteriorating pipes with efficient and minimally disruptive repairs. 

In this blog, we look at:

1. What trenchless pipelining is
2. How to know if you’ve got plumbing issues
3. What to do first when you suspect a plumbing issue
4. Trenchless cleaning techniques
5. Trenchless repair techniques
6. Dealing with pipes made of specific materials
7. Important takeaways for the Florida CAM

#1: Understanding Trenchless Pipelining Technology

The Essence of Trenchless Technology

Trenchless technology offers a modern approach to maintaining and repairing underground pipes as well as pipes in some locations inside buildings. This technology offers these benefits:

• A range of solutions adaptable to various pipe materials and sizes
• Significant cost savings by avoiding extensive excavation
• Reduced disturbance to community residents
• Quicker installation times compared to traditional methods
• Enhanced pipe performance and durability

Using strategic access points like roof vents, toilets, and cleanouts, trenchless pipelining avoids the extensive digging and opening of floors and walls typically associated with pipe repairs.

An example of an effective indoor trenchless repair solution is a main floor lobby that has compromised plumbing pipes running underneath it. Trenchless solutions can be deployed instead of digging up the terrazzo or tile to access the pipes. The pipes can be cleared and repaired from two access points while the flooring material is undisturbed.

Limitations and Considerations

While trenchless technology offers many benefits, it’s not suitable for all situations. Pipes with severe structural issues or those that have collapsed may not be viable for trenchless repair. Also, trenchless repair requires two access points. In a wall or between floors, when opening a second access point isn’t practical, repiping may be a better option.

#2: How to Know If You’ve Got Plumbing Issues

Recognizing Signs of Pipe Failure

Timely recognition of pipe issues is vital. Key indicators include:

• Slow drainage
• Gurgling sounds in drains
• Recurrent clogs
• Formation of sinkholes in yards
• Unexplained wet spots on the flooring
• Sewage backups
• Foul odors around drains and yards

#3: What To Do First When You’ve Identified a Plumbing Issue

Get A Camera Inspection

A detailed camera inspection is the initial step in diagnosing pipe health, providing insights into the pipe layout and condition, and informing the cleaning and repair process. 

Cameras can access pipes two inches in diameter and larger. Camera inspections take place to identify problems within pipes. Technicians narrate camera work with numbered videos that correlate to numbered reports. Current video technology provides high-quality, high-definition images that effectively guide repair work, the insertion of cleaning tools, and the insertion of liners.

Camera inspections take place again after cleaning and repairs are done, as well as after pipes are lined, to verify that pipes are clear, repairs are done, and the lining is in place.

#4: Trenchless Cleaning Techniques

Hydro-Jet Cleaning

This method uses high-pressure water to clear grease, debris, and buildup from pipes, restoring pipe diameter.

Mechanical Cleaning

Specialized cleaning heads are employed to remove obstructions, ensuring the pipe’s integrity and original diameter are maintained.

Storm Drain Cleaning

A combination of techniques, including VacCon systems and high-powered jetters, are used to clean storm drains, which is important, especially in preparation for a strong storm.

#5: Advanced Trenchless Repair Solutions

CIPP Lining

This involves cleaning the pipes and installing an epoxy-saturated liner, which cures to form a “new pipe within a pipe.”

Inversion Lining

This method is particularly suited for straight pipe sections, involving inverting a liner to rehabilitate the existing pipeline.

Spray Cast Systems

This technique applies a thin, restorative layer inside the pipe, sealing minor damages and restoring structural integrity.

Pipe Bursting

A replacement technique where a new pipe is pulled into place as the old one is fractured and displaced, suitable for severely damaged pipes.

#6: Dealing with Pipes Made of Specific Materials 

Cast Iron Pipes

In Florida, the humid environment accelerates the deterioration of cast iron pipes, often necessitating replacement in buildings with cast iron pipes that are 40-50 years old. 

PVC Pipes

PVC’s durability and resistance to corrosion make it a preferred material, rarely requiring repairs unless structural damage occurs.

Storm Drain Materials

Both concrete and corrugated metal pipes, commonly used in storm drains, can be maintained and rehabilitated using trenchless methods, depending on their condition.

Specialty Pipes

Materials like Orangeburg and clay have specific vulnerabilities. Still, they can often be rehabilitated through trenchless techniques, whereas HDPE pipes, known for their flexibility, are frequently used in pipe-bursting methods due to their durability.

#7: Important Takeaways for The Florida CAM

An Ounce of Prevention

You’ve heard the saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? That applies here. Pipes, drains, and sewer lines aren’t seen. You don’t know what problems lurk in pipes behind walls and underground, especially if you have a 25- to 30-year-old building with no record of a camera inspection.

• Make it a priority to get a camera inspection 
• Incorporate a day’s worth of camera work into your budget

Rip Off the Band-Aid 

How much did you spend last year on plumbing repairs in your community? It’s not uncommon for communities to spend $20-40K or more per year on Band-Aid repairs. Consider trenchless pipe repairs to address the core problem–especially if your HOA or condominium was built in the 1970s or 1980s.

All Florida CAMS are facing huge insurance cost increases—in some cases, 200-300% increases. Your budgets are crunched. Nevertheless, not taking proactive measures for pipe care will catch up to you.

Lower Insurance Costs

Not always, but sometimes, getting pipes lined and repaired can decrease insurance costs.

Storm Drain Preparation

Regular inspections and maintenance before hurricane season can prevent flooding and minimize environmental impact.

Milestone Inspections

Maintain active awareness of building safety regulations, such as those mandated by SB 4-D-Building Safety.  Among other mandates, SB 4-D requires:

• Condominium and cooperative association buildings that are three or more stories in height to have a “milestone inspection” of the buildings’ structural integrity by an architect or engineer when a building reaches:
  • 30 years of age and every 10 years thereafter, or
  • 25 years of age and every 10 years thereafter if the building is located within three miles of a coastline.
• If a milestone inspection is required and the building’s certificate of occupancy was issued on or before July 1, 1992, the building’s initial milestone inspection is to be performed before December 31, 2024.

Budgeting for Infrastructure

Proactive financial planning for CCTV inspections, pipe cleaning, and trenchless repairs is key to sustainable community management.

Our thanks to Mike Obrien of Pipe Restoration Solutions for the information presented in this blog.