Three Things CIPP Technicians Evaluate During Inspection

CIPP technicians need to inspect pipes before they can install CIPP. Whether you’re just looking for an estimate or you are preparing for CIPP installation, it helps to understand what they’re looking for. There are three main areas that CIPP technicians will inspect. Damage to your pipe, the location of connections, and how clean your pipe is.

1. Damage to the pipes

The first thing your technicians will look for during your CIPP inspection is damage to the pipes. Loose seams can let roots in. Cross boring can lead to dangerous holes in the pipe. Even worse, other utility lines can be laid through existing lines. This can lead to friction, sparks, and even explosions. Ensuring the integrity of your pipe is essential before CIPP installation can even begin.

Collapsed pipes don’t post the same thread to your pipe system as cross boring, but it could still be dangerous. CIPP needs a mostly intact host pipe to work. If your pipe has become oval, CIPP can still be placed. If it has a hole or two, your CIPP technicians can account for that in their planning. If your pipe has collapsed, CIPP won’t work. CIPP is not a boring technology. It can’t make a new path through a solid wall. It needs to have your host pipe to fit inside.

2. Drain connections

If you don’t have any cross boring or collapsed pipes to worry about, your CIPP technician can focus on drain connections and joints. Almost every pipe is connected to more pipes under the ground. A conventional drainage pipe will link up with other drains throughout your building before it gets to your sewer line. In order for your building’s drain system to work, it has to accommodate these drain connections.

CIPP technicians look for and mark drain connections during their evaluation of your pipes. CIPP pipes are not made with the connection points already made. Making the holes in the felt liner would be too difficult. They would then have to ensure that the edges matched exactly, and so on. Instead, connections are cut into the cured in place pipe after it’s installed. Careful CIPP technicians will mark all the connections during inspection. Once everything is in place, they can robotically cut in the connections that your pipe needs to be part of your system.

3. Pipe cleanliness

The final thing your CIPP technicians look for during the inspection is the cleanliness of your pipe. It’s to be expected that drains get a little grimy. However, a dirty pipe isn’t the best for CIPP. Grease and dirt can make it more difficult for CIPP to form smooth, even interior surfaces. If your pipe seems very dirty or greasy, it’s likely that your CIPP technician will recommend a quick cleaning before the installation of your CIPP pipes. This is one of the last steps on the road to CIPP.

Good CIPP technicians can handle these three areas in one inspection. They’ll know the amount and type of damage that your pipe has sustained. They’ll know the location of the drain connections that will have to be added, and they’ll know whether or not your pipes are clean enough for installation.