The basic idea

Cured-in-place pipe, often shortened to CIPP, starts as a flexible tube soaked in resin. The tube is pulled or inverted into the cleaned existing lateral, pressed against the old pipe walls, and then cured, by heat, steam or light depending on the system, until it hardens into a continuous pipe with no joints.

The old pipe stays in the ground and acts as a form. That is the strength of lining and also its limit: the liner can only be as straight and as round as the host pipe it sits in. Where the old pipe is still in line and mostly intact, lining can seal every leaking joint along the run in one go.

How a lining job usually runs

  1. Inspect and measure

    A camera confirms the pipe is a candidate and measures length, diameter and any bends.

  2. Clean the host pipe

    Roots, scale and debris are removed, often by jetting or mechanical cutting, so the liner bonds evenly.

  3. Prepare access

    Lining needs an entry point, usually a cleanout, and sometimes a small pit at one end.

  4. Install and cure

    The resin-saturated liner is placed and cured according to the system's requirements.

  5. Reopen connections

    Any branch lines joining the lateral are reopened from the inside with a cutting tool.

  6. Camera again

    A final inspection shows the finished liner, the ends and the reopened connections.

Is your line a candidate?

  • IfRoots and leaks mainly at joints, pipe still roundThenOften a good candidate.
  • IfCast iron with scale but enough wall leftThenMay be a candidate after descaling; ask how much pipe remains.
  • IfStanding water over a long stretchThenUsually not on its own; the liner will keep the belly.
  • IfCollapsed or missing sectionsThenNot without first repairing those sections by excavation.
  • IfSevere offsets the liner cannot bridgeThenSpot excavation first, then lining may be possible.

Lining compared with replacing

Lining

  • Little or no trenching across the yard
  • Seals joints and cracks continuously
  • Slightly reduces the inside diameter
  • Keeps the original path and slope

Replacement

  • New pipe at proper slope and bedding
  • Can correct bellies and bad alignment
  • More excavation and restoration
  • Removes the old pipe entirely or bursts it

What to ask about a lining proposal

  1. What liner system and resin will be used, and how is it cured?
  2. Where will the liner start and end, and how are the ends sealed?
  3. How many branch connections will be reopened?
  4. Will I receive before and after camera footage?
  5. What happens if the host pipe turns out to be in worse shape than expected?

Common questions

Do roots grow through a liner?

A continuous liner closes the joints roots use to get in. Roots can still find their way in at the ends or at connections if those are not sealed well.

Does a liner make the pipe smaller?

Slightly, because it adds a wall inside the old pipe. Ask whether the reduction matters for your line.

How long is the house without drains?

Usually only during cleaning, installation and curing. Ask the contractor for the expected downtime for your job.

General information for La Habra, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.