Trenchless sewer repair fixes a damaged pipe from the inside — without digging up your yard, driveway, or landscaping. The two primary methods are cured-in-place pipe lining (CIPP), which coats the interior of the existing pipe with a structural epoxy sleeve, and pipe bursting, which fractures the old pipe outward while pulling a new one into place. Both require only small access points rather than a trench the length of the pipe run.

Step One: Sewer Camera Inspection

Trenchless repair starts with a thorough camera inspection. A waterproof camera on a flexible cable is fed through a cleanout into the sewer line. The technician watches the live feed to locate cracks, root intrusion, offset joints, corrosion, and areas of collapse. This inspection also confirms pipe diameter, material, and depth — all of which determine whether lining, bursting, or open excavation is the right call. You can watch the inspection live and see exactly what the camera finds.

Cured-In-Place Pipe Lining (CIPP)

CIPP is the preferred method when the existing pipe still has enough structural integrity to serve as a form. A felt or fiberglass liner saturated in two-part epoxy resin is pulled or inverted into the damaged pipe through an existing cleanout or a small access pit. The liner is then inflated against the pipe walls using air or water pressure. Heat, UV light, or ambient cure time (depending on the resin system) hardens the epoxy into a rigid, smooth-walled pipe within the old pipe. Service laterals — the connections from branch drains — are reopened with a robotic cutter after cure. The finished lining is rated for 50 years or more, seals cracks and root entry points, and actually improves flow because the smooth interior has less friction than old clay or cast iron.

Pipe Bursting

When a pipe is too deteriorated for lining — collapsed sections, severe offsetting, or crumbling material — pipe bursting replaces the line entirely with no trench. A hydraulic bursting head, slightly larger in diameter than the old pipe, is pulled through the line via a cable. As it moves through, it fractures the old pipe outward into the surrounding soil. A new high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe, which is flexible, joint-free, and highly resistant to root intrusion, is attached to the back of the bursting head and pulled into place simultaneously. The old pipe fragments become the bedding around the new one. Access requires only an entry pit at one end and an exit pit at the connection point — a pair of targeted holes rather than a long trench.

Why HDPE and Epoxy Hold Up in Colorado

Denver’s expansive clay soils move seasonally — clay swells when wet and contracts during dry stretches, which is one reason sewer pipes crack and offset here faster than in more stable soils. HDPE’s flexibility allows it to handle minor ground movement without cracking at joints. Epoxy liners, because they are continuous with no joints, eliminate the entry points that roots exploit over time. Both materials resist the hard-water mineral scale that builds up inside older clay and cast-iron pipes common in Denver’s older neighborhoods.

When Trenchless Is and Is Not Appropriate

Trenchless methods work for the majority of residential sewer line problems, but not all. A fully collapsed pipe with no passable channel cannot be lined and may be difficult to burst depending on soil conditions. Pipes with significant belly — a low spot where water pools — may need the grade corrected, which requires excavation. Your Done technician will tell you clearly after the camera inspection which method fits your situation and why.

  • CIPP lining: liner pulled in, inflated, cured — new pipe inside old pipe
  • Pipe bursting: old pipe shattered outward, new HDPE pulled in simultaneously
  • Both methods require only access pits, not a full trench
  • HDPE handles Front Range clay-soil movement without cracking
  • Epoxy liners eliminate root entry points for decades
  • Final camera inspection confirms seating and flow before job close

To find out whether your sewer line qualifies for trenchless repair, schedule a camera inspection with Done. If the line is a candidate for pipe lining, we’ll walk you through the process and cost before any work begins.