The aggregate age of municipal sewer systems in cities across Canada is creeping higher with each passing year. Failing wastewater infrastructure is crumbling away below the streets of otherwise modern districts. But digging down to replace corroded pipes or missing masonry often isn’t feasible, which is why more cities are turning to trenchless repair methods. Sprayed-in-place pipe (SIPP) repair is a noninvasive way to give sewers a new lease on life and is instantly applicable as a direct replacement for failing host substrate.
Assessing pipe damage and its causes
Damage to sewer infrastructure varies in both its causes and the extent to which these factors erode piping. For example, biofilm buildups caused by fats, oils, and grease (FOG) can cause rapid erosion of pipes, exacerbated by sags or bellies as the FOG buildups accumulate and harden. Meanwhile, aqueous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can oxidize into sulfuric acid, corroding everything from concrete infrastructure to metal piping.
Remediating these issues becomes problematic when we consider most aging sewer systems aren’t easily accessible via trenching. In fact, excavate-and-replace projects are largely out of the question. This leaves downhole remediation efforts, which are increasingly focused on SIPP to address damage without invasive excavation.
Using host substrate to administer SIPP
The beauty of modern SIPP solutions is they’re a direct replacement for damaged piping that doesn’t require removal of the original infrastructure. Instead, these structural linings replace the host substrate, curing to deliver lasting reliability for a long-term solution. According to leading structural protective lining manufacturer Sprayroq, “The greatest benefit of a spray-applied pipe liner is it can be installed on larger-diameter pipe through trenchless methods, with no digging — all while providing a long-term solution that follows a 50+ year design protocol.”
In lieu of excavating and installing new pipe, infrastructure repair professionals can use SIPP to layer over compromised sections of piping to directly address damages caused by FOG, sewer gas, and other factors. Given the appropriate application and curing time, the resulting pipe-within-a-pipe delivers a viable solution in a fraction of the time — and, in some cases, with twice the load resistance.
The many advantages of SIPP
The ability to remediate and effectively replace damaged sewer piping without any excavation is far and away the most advantageous reason for using a SIPP approach. The continued innovation of structural spray liners is paving the way for significant benefits that are difficult for municipalities to ignore, especially when it comes time to address the failures of aging wastewater infrastructure. Some key benefits of SIPP include:
- Expedience. Even in situations where excavation is possible, a noninvasive SIPP solution can achieve similar (if not better) results in a fraction of the time. Depending on the nature of the liner, set times can range from a few hours to a few days.
- Resilience. Class IV linings, by definition, are a structurally equivalent replacement pipe. This means they can withstand the forces that damaged the host substrate, as well as the increased volumes of modern wastewater infrastructure.
- Affordability. Excavation is expensive and inefficient when compared to an affordable SIPP solution. Forgoing the cost and time investments of an excavation is one of the simplest ways for municipalities to save money on remediation projects without compromising the efficacy of the project.
- Customization. Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs), epoxy spray-on coatings, and polyurethane applications … there’s an ever-expanding range of SIPP products to choose from.
In short, SIPP as a spray-and-set solution has the potential to rehabilitate aging infrastructure — without the invasive timeline, cost, and disruption of traditional excavation. With results that meet the criteria for long-term function and reliability, SIPP is quickly emerging as a clear solution for pipe that municipalities should strongly consider in wastewater infrastructure repair.
The ideal solution for aging wastewater infrastructure
Dollar for dollar, SIPP offers unmatched benefits when it comes to municipal sewer repair. The ability to completely replace damaged host substrate with a cost-effective, eco-friendly, resilient polymer solution enables cities to curb the growing threat of failing wastewater infrastructure without resorting to invasive trenching.
To learn more about SIPP and other forms of trenchless infrastructure repair, visit empipe.ca.