Whether you’re a newcomer trying to establish industry credibility or a seasoned veteran ready for your next challenge, government contracts can be a tremendous opportunity to grow your pipeline rehabilitation business. Engaging with government contracting can be intimidating and time consuming, but when successful it can be a lucrative revenue source.

Today, nearly 50% of pipe repairs use cured-in-place pipe (CIPP). Though it was only invented in the early 1970s, CIPP’s ability to create a durable, corrosion-resistant new pipe without the hassle and danger of dig-and-replace made it an immediate success. But, like other construction methods, it has its risks. Using the right safety equipment and taking advantage of new, safer technologies ensures workers are exposed to fewer hazards on the job site.

Determining the right sewer rehabilitation method for a given job is not always straightforward, as identifying a solution requires evaluating a pipe’s physical environment and condition. Without properly assessing these factors, municipalities risk only partially solving a problem with point repair. Or, an equally inefficient outcome, waste resources by doing more work than necessary with end-to-end repair. While some municipalities have rehab contractors that also provide consulting services to address what type of solution is best, at the end of the day someone must make a decision on how to repair the pipes. So what should be taken into account?

Pipeline Renewal Technologies was at WWETT 2019 with some exciting new products. A big thank you to everyone who stopped by to check them out.

If you couldn't make the show, here's what was featured:

If you work in sewer rehabilitation, don't miss Pipeline Renewal Technologies at the WWETT show, Booth 5224. Visit us February 21-23 at the Indiana Convention Center.

Working in the pipeline rehabilitation industry is hard work: long days, time away from family and difficult working conditions. So a positive work environment is vital to maintaining an engaged and productive team. Though a healthy work-life balance is not always realistic out on the road, considering the physical and mental well-being of your crew can help maintain high levels of employee morale and team unity. High morale directly equates to reduced turnover and absenteeism, enhanced customer experience and increased revenue.

Originally called “insitu form,” meaning “form in place,” cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) liners were developed in 1971 by Eric Wood in London, England. Prior to that, trenchless technology methods were limited to sliplining or grouting techniques. But those methods were less feasible: grout is a short-lived solution that is expensive to apply, and sliplining also requires grouting, a measure of trenching and results in significant diameter loss. Wood recognized the opportunity to improve rehabilitation efforts with liners that were cured directly inside the pipe, which led to the invention of CIPP liners. CIPP repairs the damaged pipe with a liner that, essentially, becomes a new, jointless pipe within a pipe. Wood successfully executed the first CIPP repair by pulling a felt liner impregnated with polyester resin through the pipe and finishing it with an ambient cure.

We've compiled the top sewer rehab industry resources to help you start the new year off on the right foot!

Within a sewer main, service connections are one of the largest sources of infiltration. Older sewer systems in particular may experience problems, as construction requirements and methods in previous eras were less concerned with tight seals and durability. During the first half of the 20th century, hammer taps were not uncommon. A hammer tap, commonly found with vitrified clay pipes, involves using a hammer to smash a hole in the main to accommodate the lateral. Gaps may have been filled with grout, but less conscientious workers also used miscellaneous items such as flattened tin cans or scraps of metal. Modern construction methods are significantly more precise and less leak-prone, but the service connection is still particularly susceptible to groundwater infiltration and many older connections remain in use.