CIP Lining – How it Works

CIP Lining (Cure-In-Place) or Pipe Lining is a trenchless pipe repair method to install a new pipe within an existing pipe. A felt tube cut to the length of your sanitary service is saturated with an epoxy resin and installed into the host pipe using air pressure. Once the liner is in place inside the pipe, an inflated bladder is used to hold the liner against the walls of the existing pipe. The resin is then cured, most often using steam or in some cases “ambient” cured by waiting for the chemical reaction to harden the resin. The end result is a new seamless pipe within the existing pipe. If there are any parts of the sewer line that are significantly damaged, spot repairs may be required prior to installing the liner.

Confirming A Pipe is A Candiate for CIP Lining

• When you call to have us find a repair solution to your sewer and drain lines, the first thing we will do is schedule a video inspection and assessment of the pipe. When we come to your home we will use a small push camera to inspect the pipe from an access point in your plumbing stack (clean-out) to the City sanitary main. The technician will check for access for required equipment, and complete a drawing of the property to verify if there are any conflicts to complete the work. From here the technician will be able to create an inspection report and recommend the best possible solution. This could be a trenchless repair (CIP Liner or Pipe Burst), an excavation, or combination of the two methods for unique problems.

CIP Liner Preparation

• Once the problem and solution are identified, the Trenchless process can begin. The first step is to clean out all roots and de-scale any calcite, etc. in order to return the pipe back to its original functioning diameter. To do this we either hydrojet the lines or use pneumatic cutting tools. These tools can be used to ream out badly deteriorated no-corrode (orangeburg) pipe or to remove corrosion build-up in cast iron. This process can take longer than normal preparation but can save thousands if excavation can be avoided.

Installation of the Liner

• After the cleaning process is complete, the lining can begin. Based upon the solution you and your technician have decided upon, the length of pipe lining needed is cut, a custom two-part epoxy is mixed and poured in to saturate the felt liner. The liner is inverted into the line using air pressure, once in place a bladder is inflated inside the pipe and the curing begins. Once the epoxy lining has cured, the bladder is extracted, leaving behind a new pipe within the old pipe. To ensure that the job has been performed perfectly, a post liner video inspection is done to inspect the work, and you receive a copy of this as well.