What Is Trenchless Sewer Repair?
Trenchless sewer repair is a modern method of replacing or relining damaged sewer pipes without the need for large-scale excavation. Traditional sewer repair requires digging a trench across your entire yard, ripping up driveways, sidewalks, landscaping, and sometimes even through your basement floor. The restoration costs alone can double the price of the project. Trenchless technology eliminates all of that.
At Advanced Drains and Underground Solutions, we specialize in two proven trenchless methods: pipe bursting and CIPP (Cure-In-Place Pipe) lining. Both methods allow us to repair or completely replace your sewer lateral from the inside, using only small access points at each end of the line. Your lawn, driveway, and landscaping stay intact. Most trenchless repairs are completed in a single day, and every pipe bursting job we do comes with a lifetime warranty on the new SDR17 polyethylene pipe.
How Pipe Bursting Works
Pipe bursting is the gold standard for full sewer line replacement without excavation. The process is straightforward, fast, and produces a brand-new pipe that will outlast the original by decades. Here is exactly how we do it in Delaware County:
Video Inspection
We start by running an HD sewer camera through your existing line. This tells us the exact condition of the pipe, the location of damage, and confirms that pipe bursting is the right solution for your situation.
Access Points
We dig two small access pits — one at the house connection and one at the street connection. These are typically 3-4 feet across. No trenching across your entire yard.
Burst & Pull
A hydraulic bursting head is pulled through the old pipe, fracturing it outward while simultaneously pulling a new seamless SDR17 polyethylene pipe into place behind it. The old pipe fragments are pushed into the surrounding soil.
Final Inspection
We run the camera through the new line to confirm a clean, smooth installation. We restore the access points, and you get a written report and lifetime warranty documentation.
What Is CIPP Lining?
CIPP (Cure-In-Place Pipe) lining is the trenchless option for pipes that are damaged but still structurally intact enough to be lined from the inside. A flexible liner saturated with resin is inserted into the existing pipe, inflated to fit snugly against the pipe walls, and then cured using UV light. The result is essentially a new pipe formed inside the old one — seamless, root-proof, and rated to last 50+ years.
CIPP lining is ideal for situations where the pipe has cracks, joint separations, minor root intrusion, or early-stage deterioration. It preserves the original pipe's diameter and is often the most cost-effective trenchless solution for targeted repairs rather than full replacement.
Cost Comparison: Trenchless vs. Traditional
Homeowners are often surprised to learn that trenchless sewer repair is frequently the same price or less than traditional excavation — once you factor in the full picture. Traditional dig-and-replace requires not just the pipe work, but also concrete cutting, driveway replacement, sidewalk restoration, landscaping, and permits for all of it. Those costs add up fast.
With trenchless pipe bursting, you pay for the pipe replacement and two small access points. There is no driveway to repour, no sidewalk to replace, no landscaping to redo. The total project cost is often 20-40% less than a traditional dig when restoration is included. And we guarantee it — we beat any written estimate by 10%. Send us two copies of any competitor's quote and we will beat it, guaranteed.
Service Area: Delaware County PA
We are based in Springfield PA and serve every municipality in Delaware County. Whether you are in Havertown dealing with aging clay pipes, in Media with root-invaded terracotta, or in Upper Darby with a collapsed sewer lateral, we have done the job in your neighborhood before. Our service area includes Springfield, Havertown, Media, Swarthmore, Upper Darby, Ridley Park, Drexel Hill, Broomall, Newtown Square, Ardmore, Lansdowne, Folsom, Glenolden, Norwood, Prospect Park, Aston, and every community in between.
Advanced Drains and Underground Solutions has completed over 12,350 sewer and drain jobs across Delaware County. We are family-owned, fully licensed (PA151129), and insured. We have been doing this for over 20 years, and every trenchless pipe bursting repair we perform comes with a lifetime warranty. No other company in the county offers that combination of experience, pricing, and guarantee.