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Ken Neyer Plumbing, Inc. Blog

Trenchless Technology: A Short History

Backhoe-bucket-with-pile-of-rocksAt Ken Neyer, we use the best available tools for all the plumbing jobs we take on. Staying up to date with the latest in technology is one of the ways we deliver the best quality work to all of our clients. If we take on a job requiring repairing or putting in a new sewer or water main, we won’t use the old excavation methods that take up time and make a mess out of the property. Instead, we’ll use trenchless technology, which allows us to laterally bore through the ground to re-line a broken pipe or fit a new pipe into place.

The development of trenchless technology

It’s only been during the last 25 years that trenchless technology has become widely available for plumbing in homes and businesses. But the techniques are much older. It was originally developed for oil drilling and coal mining, when it was known as horizontal directional drilling. Instead of drilling holes directly down to reach oil or a coal vein, lateral drilling machines could approach hills and mountains from the side with horizontal borers.

It didn’t seem as if there was a use for horizontal directional drilling in cities or homes at first. But in the 1970s, when cities started to update their old infrastructures, such as power lines and pipelines, a new way was needed to access these lines without tearing up streets. By this time, horizontal direction drilling had advanced to the point where it was used to lay down extensive oil pipelines running for miles.

With some adaptation, the technology was altered so it could put down new pipes and electrical conduits underneath city streets without the need for causing havoc with immense construction projects that shut down traffic and businesses. The use of a “pipe burster” was key in this success: this device moves through a sewer line and expands out a pipe liner already put in place inside the old pipe. The burster expands the liner, shattering the outer pipe and replacing it with the new one.

Not long after trenchless technology became a standard part of civic construction, it moved into commercial and residential use. At first, the equipment was too expensive for many plumbing contractors to purchase, and using the tools required specialized training. Trenchless technology is still not universal among commercial and residential plumbers, but the top contractors make it a major part of the services they offer.

We’re local trenchless experts

If you need plumbing service in Cleves, OH that may require using trenchless technology, we’re the people to call. We use a wide range of tools for commercial and residential plumbing, and trenchless sewer line replacement and repair with pipe bursting is one of our specialties. Not all contractors use trenchless methods, and we’re glad to offer it many advantages to you, whether to put in a new line for a business or to repair a broken sewer pipe from your home.

Ken Neyer Plumbing, Inc. offers 24-hour emergency service in Greater Cincinnati and the surrounding Tri-State area.

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