A damaged sewer line used to mean tearing up your yard, breaking through your driveway, or jackhammering a concrete patio. Not anymore. Trenchless pipe and sewer repair fixes most sewer problems from the inside out, with little to no digging required. At IMS, we serve homeowners across Northern Colorado with trenchless repair and lining services that get your sewer line working again while protecting your property.
Not sure if trenchless is right for your situation? A sewer camera inspection gives us a clear answer in minutes.
Signs Your Sewer Line May Need Repair
Sewer line problems often show up gradually before they become a full emergency. Here are the most common signs that something is going on underground:
- Recurring drain backups, especially in multiple fixtures at once
- Slow drains throughout the house that do not respond to standard clearing
- Sewage odors in your yard, basement, or near floor drains
- Soggy or unusually lush patches of grass over the sewer line path
- Gurgling sounds from toilets or drains when other fixtures are used
- Root intrusion that keeps coming back after cleaning
- Older pipes made of cast iron, clay, Orangeburg, or original PVC that may be deteriorating
Technical causes behind these symptoms include tree root intrusion, pipe bellies (low spots where waste pools), cracks from ground movement or freezing, grease and scale buildup, and simple pipe aging. If you are dealing with any of these signs near Berthoud, Loveland, Fort Collins, or anywhere in Northern Colorado, a camera inspection is the fastest way to know what you are working with.
What Is Trenchless Sewer Repair?
Trenchless sewer repair is a group of methods that fix or replace a damaged sewer line without excavating a long trench across your property. Instead of digging up the whole pipe, a technician accesses the line through existing cleanouts or a small entry point, then repairs or rehabilitates the pipe from the inside.
The two main trenchless methods are pipe lining (CIPP) and pipe bursting. Both skip the large-scale excavation that traditional repairs require, which means your landscaping, driveway, patio, or concrete slab stays intact.
How Trenchless Pipe Lining Works (CIPP)
CIPP stands for cured-in-place pipe lining. It is the most common trenchless repair method and works well for cracked, corroded, or root-damaged pipes that are still structurally sound enough to hold a liner.
The basic concept is a pipe within a pipe. A flexible liner saturated with epoxy resin is inserted into the damaged pipe, inflated so it presses against the existing pipe walls, and then cured in place. Once hardened, it forms a new, seamless inner pipe that seals cracks, blocks root entry points, and restores flow capacity.
The Trenchless Pipe Lining Process, Step by Step
- Camera inspection: We run a sewer camera through the line to locate damage, measure the pipe, and confirm that lining is a viable option.
- Hydro-jetting: The pipe is thoroughly cleaned with high-pressure water to remove roots, grease, scale, and debris. A clean surface is essential for the liner to bond properly.
- Liner installation: A resin-saturated liner is inserted through a cleanout or small access point and positioned within the damaged section.
- Curing: The liner is inflated and the resin is cured, typically with hot water, steam, or UV light, depending on the method used. This creates a hard, smooth inner pipe.
- Final inspection: A second camera pass confirms the liner is fully cured, properly seated, and that flow is restored.
Trenchless Sewer Line Replacement: Pipe Bursting
When a pipe is too damaged to support a CIPP liner, pipe bursting is the trenchless alternative. This method replaces the old pipe entirely rather than rehabilitating it.
A bursting head is pulled through the existing pipe. As it moves, it fractures the old pipe outward into the surrounding soil while simultaneously pulling a new HDPE (high-density polyethylene) pipe into place behind it. The result is a brand-new pipe installed along the same path with no open trench.
Pipe bursting requires small entry and exit pits at each end of the run, but these are much less disruptive than full excavation. It is the right call when a pipe has collapsed sections, severe deterioration, or significant joint separation that a liner cannot bridge.
Pipe Lining vs. Pipe Bursting: A Quick Comparison
| Pipe Lining (CIPP) | Pipe Bursting | |
| Best for | Cracks, root intrusion, corrosion in structurally intact pipe | Severely damaged, collapsed, or heavily deteriorated pipe |
| Digging required | Minimal (cleanout access or single small entry) | Small entry/exit pits at each end |
| Result | Existing pipe relined with seamless epoxy pipe inside | Old pipe replaced with new HDPE pipe along same path |
| Lifespan | 50+ years | 50+ years |
