Ideally, a sewer line should last 50 to 100 years, depending on the materials used to build the pipes. The gradual deterioration of sewer pipelines is caused by cracks, settling, tree root intrusion and other disturbances that develop over time. These deteriorating conditions affect the amount of inflow and infiltration entering systems, particularly during rain. Under the conventional methods of sewage rehabilitation, a replacement or additional parallel sewer line is constructed to address such deteriorating conditions. ​The dig-and-replace method requires unearthing and replacing the deficient pipe, which is cost-intensive. A suitable alternative is trenchless sewage rehabilitation, which requires less restoration and causes less disturbance and environmental degradation. One popular trenchless sewer rehabilitation technique is cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) sewer lining. ​

All about CIPP sewer lining ​

The CIPP sewer lining is usually applied to rehabilitate or repair pipelines with defects, such as offset joints, cracks and structurally deficient segments. The commonly used manufactured resins in CIPP sewer lining include vinyl ester, unsaturated polyester and epoxy. Each of these thermosetting resin materials has distinct chemical resistance to wastewater and bonds better with the pipe materials to form a tighter seal than most other trenchless techniques. ​The following table highlights how the CIPP renewal process works and the types of CIPP sewer lining techniques. ​

CIPP sewer lining is an environmentally friendly technology requiring significantly less time to complete than other sewer repair methods. CIPP sewer lining can last 50 to 60 years if adequately maintained. A sewer pipe that has already been CIPP lined might have several layers of resin applied to it over time. This further strengthens the lifespan of a pipe system. For communities, CIPP sewer lining is a suitable and cost-effective way to repair short and long runs of pipes that do not need to be upsized. ​

Partner with wastewater engineers for CIPP sewer lining ​

Fehr Graham is made up of experienced wastewater engineers committed to protecting community health and the environment through robust wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure. Whether we are developing collection system designs or implementing advanced treatment techniques in your local wastewater treatment plant, we create custom solutions for uniquely challenging wastewater management projects. ​Our projects include lagoon upgrades, CIPP lining of sewer mains and wastewater facility plan development. Fehr Graham can help you upgrade wastewater treatment infrastructure while keeping operations and maintenance costs low. ​

Lucas Elsbernd, a Professional Engineer and Senior Project Manager, finds innovative solutions to challenging water and wastewater projects. He manages municipal, commercial and industrial planning and design projects in the water resources environment. He fosters a positive client experience and collaborates with leaders throughout the firm on project pursuits and technical issues. Lucas is one of the firm’s water and wastewater experts. He has a strong technical knowledge of water and wastewater treatment design and construction engineering. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..