Pipe Bursting

On an international scale, water, sewer, gas and other utilities are in need of replacement. Most are located in congested urban areas, under buildings, roadways or expensive landscape and are surrounded by other utilities. Estimated cost of utility replacement in the U.S. is between 800 billion and a trillion dollars within the next 20 years. Replacement by traditional open-trench methods is often not a viable alternative.

• Become encrusted, capacity is reduced.
• Are corroded and leak – some systems experience a 40 percent water loss.
• Are under capacity because of population growth.

• Many are low-capacity and low pressure, and are in need of replacement.
• Many are constructed of deteriorating, leaking, cast-iron pipes.

• Worldwide, many systems have exceeded their useful life, have deteriorated and must be replaced.
• Offset pipes, root intrusion and crowned and cracked pipes are causing system backups and leaking contaminants into the environment.
• Are under capacity due to urban growth.
• Infiltration and inflow (often from rain) are taxing treatment plant capacities – increasing treatment costs and creating outflow issues.

Managers and supervisors like pipe bursting technology because it has several distinct advantages over open-cut trenching and other trenchless rehabilitation methods:
 

• It’s easy on adjacent utilities because it follows the existing pipe path.
• Pipe bursting can be used to increase a system’s capacity by upsizing the service line; cured in-place and slip-lining cannot.
• Since pipe bursting is trenchless, there is a minimum of excavation required. This allows work in congested areas without hampering normal traffic flow.
• Pipe bursting eliminates the dollars and hours spent on restoration.

Engineers and contractors like pipe bursting technology because it:
 

• Follows the existing utility path.
• Reduces potential damage to adjacent utilities.
• Is a preferred technology for upsizing existing pipes.
• Has fewer social costs and offers less traffic disruption.
• Reduces excavation and restoration time and cost.
• Allows installation of a new pipe.
• Pipe bursting effectively bursts: Clay, Cast Iron, Concrete and PVC.