How it works
CIPP stands for cured-in-place pipe. A fabric tube soaked in resin is fed into the old pipe through an existing opening, pressed tight against the wall, and hardened in place. What is left is a new pipe with no joints, sitting inside the old one. It is slightly narrower than the original and much smoother. Branch lines that tie in along the way are reopened from the inside afterward.
The old pipe has to be prepared first. It is descaled, flushed, and inspected by camera, because a liner only seals against a clean wall.
Where lining fits
- Cast iron that is past its service life. Most cast iron in older St. Louis homes is, and once it starts failing it tends to fail along its whole length.
- Clay tile with roots coming in at the joints. A liner has no joints for roots to find.
- Pipe under a finished basement, a driveway, a big tree or the street, where digging would cost more than the pipe repair itself.
Where lining fits depends on the house. In the Central West End, century-old stacks and drains run behind plaster and under floors nobody wants opened. In Chesterfield it is more often cast iron under a finished lower level. In St. Peters the city's lateral program starts at the foundation wall, so pipe under the basement floor is the owner's cost either way. Get a lining price next to the dig price.
Where it doesn't
A liner needs a pipe to line. A collapsed section has to be dug up first. A belly stays a belly after lining, because the liner follows the sag. Both are jobs for excavation.
Full length or patches
Ask whether a quote lines the whole run or patches individual spots. A patch fixes the place the camera found and leaves the rest of the old pipe to fail on its own schedule. For cast iron that is failing throughout, lining all of it is usually the better value, and more so when the basement above it is finished.
Occupied buildings
The company that answers this number lines apartment and commercial buildings while they stay occupied, so tenants don't have to move out for the work.
If you were charged for a service call that led to a lining job, $200 of it is credited toward the job.
Common questions
How long does a CIPP liner last?
Liners are commonly engineered for a design life of about 50 years, and the method has been in use since the 1970s. How long one lasts in your house depends on the prep work. A liner bonded to a clean, descaled pipe wall is the one that holds.
Is pipe lining cheaper than digging?
It depends on what sits on top of the pipe. Under an open lawn, a short dig is often cheaper. Under a finished basement, a driveway, a mature tree or the street, lining usually wins because nothing has to be torn out and put back. Get both prices for the same run of pipe.
Can cast iron pipe be lined?
Yes, and it is one of the most common uses. The pipe is descaled back to solid metal, flushed and inspected, then lined. A section that has already collapsed has to be dug up and replaced first.
Will a liner make my pipe too small?
No. A liner takes a small amount off the inside diameter, and its smooth, jointless wall usually carries water better than the rough old pipe did.