Shifting soil breaks the clay piping, allow tree roots in that eventually plug up the pipe, creating an undesirable situation in the house when a toilet is flushed.
Older homes have this problem, ones built prior to the mid-70's. But help is on the way with this great new technology:
Mount Pleasant Patch: Sewer lateral lining isn't sexy, but it is necessary. And for residents living in older homes, completing the work now can mean fewer headaches and lower water treatment bills down the road. Patch tagged along Thursday during a live demonstration of just how a sewer lateral lining works and learned more about why it's so important.
Cost is a combination of good and bad news since the price tag runs about $6,000, which is still a good chunk of change but is far cry from the $20,000 it could run using the old methods. Mount Pleasant is helping by contributing $2,000 off the price tag.
By itself, the lateral lining has a design life of 50 years, but Rick Gage from LMK Technologies said that when an o-ring sealant is used in strategic spots on the liner, that life increases to 66 years. "The technology just keeps getting better," Gage said.
A machine is sent down into the line to clean out roots and dirt and then a plastic-like material is used to coat the inside of the pipe. After the material cures, it will almost be as if a new, PVC pipe had been installed. Further, prices continue to come down so the lining repair could even be less than his estimates.
