Below are some real examples of sewer lining case studies in the Chicagoland area that Trenchless Innovations has provided to our customers.
Sewer Repair in Hazel Crest, Illinois
Trenchless Innovations inspected an 8” sewer line for the village of Hazel Crest. This particular city sewer line ran through the backyards of several homeowners. During the inspection, an area of missing pipe and a cavern where the pipe used to be were identified. The village did not want to dig to complete the repair because the location of the problem area was twenty feet deep and was located beneath a homeowner’s shed.
Trenchless Innovations utilized a spot repair system to pull in place a reinforced fiberglass liner. Because there was no pipe in the area being repaired, the liner was pulled in with a protective jacket surrounding the area where pipe was missing. This ensured that the liner remained at the correct size and did not over-inflate. This approach allowed for the line to be repaired without the need for digging in the homeowners’ backyard or removing their shed.
Sewer Lining in Park Forest, Illinois
Area B Cooperative Town homes were built shortly after WWII. Originally intended as temporary housing for returning veterans, the houses are still occupied by thousands of residents 50 years later. With more than 400 units, frequent sewer backups were a common occurrence. As with any sewer problem, not only were these back-ups inconvenient, but they also posed a health hazard to residents. Digging for a conventional repair was possible but due to the configuration of the units and property, it was both difficult and dangerous. Each sewer ran out of the back of each unit at least eight feet under a concrete porch. To make matters worse, all of the utilities (gas, electric, telephone and cable) were located in the same area.
Trenchless Innovations was contracted by the management group to line the sewer systems in these dangerous areas, and over four years, every lateral sewer (from the unit out to the main) and also each main sewer line (manhole to manhole) was lined. This project eliminated the sewer problems and also the after hour sewer-related service calls.
Sewer Lining at an Illinois McDonald’s Restaurant
A sewer line at a McDonald’s restaurant in Illinois was causing frequent backups in the restaurant. A careful inspection by Trenchless Innovations determined that the cast iron piping beneath the floor was severely deteriorated. The restaurant considered digging the pipe and replacing it, however, it ran under the main soda dispensing machine. The restaurant received a quote for over $20k from the soda vendor to temporarily remove and replace the machine. Additionally, repairing the pipe in this manner also meant that the store would have to close during the restoration.
Trenchless Innovations installed a new liner in the sewer from an existing clean out, completely rehabilitating the pipe beneath the floor and the soda machine without the need for digging. Our approach saved the restaurant thousands of dollars and allowed it to remain open during the repair, incurring no loss of revenue due to down time.
Trenchless Sewer Repair in Calumet City, Illinois
Thornton Fractional High School had been experiencing water loss in an aging pool. It was believed that some of the loss was due to a deteriorating 6” main drain located in the deep end of the pool leading to the pump room. Trenchless Innovations televised the line and confirmed that the pipe was severely scaled and deteriorated.
Trenchless Innovations thoroughly cleaned the pipe using a high pressure water jetter then measured the pipe to the correct size for the repair. On the day of installation, Trenchless Innovations installed a liner from the main drain to the pump room. A chemical resistant epoxy was used in order to better withstand
the harsh chlorine and other chemicals in the pool water. The job was completed in six hours after our arrival with no need for breaking up any concrete in the pool or the pump area.
Sewer Lining in Harvard, Illinois
The city of Harvard, Illinois had a lift station on a section of their main sewer line in which they were experiencing a problem with keeping the pump primed. A lift station is a manhole in which wastewater enters and is collected. When the water level reaches a certain height, a pump is used to pump the water out to a pipe located at a higher level. It was determined that the pipe in which the pump was connected to had a crack, which was causing the pump to lose its prime. The pipe ran underground in the intersection of a street and also had several electrical utility lines surrounding it.
After a careful inspection by Trenchless Innovations, we determined that a pull-in- place method was the best repair approach. We pulled in place a fiberglass liner from one manhole to the other. Once in place, we cured the liner with steam and service was restored back to the city within four hours after we arrived on site.
Sewer Lining in Chicago Eliminates Residential Sewer Smell Problem
Trenchless Innovations received a call from a homeowner in Chicago who had been complaining about a sewer smell in their basement. The homeowner had several different contractors look at the problem and it was determined that the sewers misaligned and leaking joints were causing sewer water to leak from the sewer and seep back into the sump pit in the basement by way of the drain tile around the house. The homeowner had received several quotes from different contractors to fix this problem and they all involved open trenching the sewer in order to replace it. Doing this would involve breaking the concrete sidewalk alongside the house, digging down to expose the sewer line and then replacing the old sewer. Once the sewer was replaced, the homeowner would also have been faced with the additional cost of restoring the sidewalk and disrupted surroundings back to normal.
Using our camera, Trenchless Innovations confirmed the previous diagnosis but presented an alternative solution to open trenching by suggesting that a liner be installed in the original sewer to seal the leaking joints. The overall length of the sewer was approximately 100 feet, but the last 40 feet of the sewer leading to the city main was in better condition and further away from the drain tile that surrounded the house. Because of this, it was agreed that lining 60 feet of the sewer would cover all the joints alongside the house and continue approximately twenty additional feet away from the house and drain tile.
Trenchless Innovation inserted the liner through the already existing clean out leading out of the basement foundation wall. Applying the new liner sealed all joints, preventing the water from leaking out of the sewer and into the drain tile. The job was completed in one day, did not involve any digging or breaking up of any concrete and did not require any additional restoration work after job completion. And the best part? The new sewer was ready for service that same day.
Sewer Lining in a Chicago High Rise Apartment Building
The maintenance engineer of a downtown Chicago apartment building contacted Trenchless Innovations to inspect a leaking 8” cast iron sewer line. This sewer line was the drain line for the kitchen lines in the building. Repairs had been done on the line in the past but sewer gases were causing the cast iron pipes to develop cracks and holes. The problem with repairing these pipes was their accessibility, as the piping was 20 feet up in the air and was difficult to access due to obstructions such as ductwork and electrical conduits surrounding it.
Trenchless Innovations performed a video inspection of the pipe and determined a liner could be installed through the opening of the catch basin in the sidewalk outside the building and that it would follow the pipe into the building. It would make two 90 degree turns before ending in a mechanical room in the
basement, approximately 100 feet from the catch basin. This point was chosen because the pipe was more accessible and repairs could be performed easily, if needed. Because of the location of the building and the amount of foot traffic around the building, the work had to be performed in the evening. Trenchless Innovations worked alongside a plumbing company who disconnected a section of the pipe in the mechanical room and diverted it to another line so that building occupants could still use their facilities. We arrived on site at approximately 9pm. And because measurements had been taken during the video inspection of the sewer line, the liner had already been cut and measured and was ready to be prepped. The liner was inserted into the sewer by way of inversion, traveling from the catch basin approximately 100 feet into the mechanical room. Once in place, we steam cured the liner for approximately two hours. After the curing process was completed, we removed the internal bladder and the line was ready for use. The entire process was completed in approximately six hours, and with no disruption to the hundreds of residents who lived in the building.