When your sewer line is cracked, collapsed, or so root-damaged that clearing won’t hold, pipe bursting replaces the entire line through two small access points. Your property stays intact. The job is usually done in a day.
Pipe bursting is the method we use for full sewer line replacement. When your lateral has failed, from age, root intrusion, soil movement, or collapse, this is how we fix it without tearing up your property.
We dig two small access pits: one at the pipe entrance near your house, one where the line meets the city sewer or septic. We thread a steel cable through the old pipe and attach a bursting head. When we pull the cable, the bursting head moves through the old pipe and fractures it outward into the surrounding soil. Behind the bursting head, new HDPE pipe is pulled into place in the exact same path. When we’re done, the old pipe is gone and a brand-new pipe occupies its place. We close the two access pits and confirm the result on camera before we leave.
New HDPE pipe. HDPE (high-density polyethylene) doesn’t corrode, doesn’t crack the way clay does, and doesn’t have the joints that roots work into over time. It’s the most durable lateral material available. The whole job, not just the pipe material, but the work itself, is backed by a 50-year warranty.
Melvin warranties the entire job, not just the pipe material. That covers the work, the connections, and the finished result. Most competitors only warranty the pipe itself.
Homes built through the 1940s and 60s in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls have clay sewer laterals. Clay is 60 to 80 years old in most of these homes. It cracks, joints separate, and roots get in. Pipe bursting replaces all of it permanently.
A lot of older homes in this area have sewer lines running under the basement floor or beneath the foundation. Pipe bursting handles this without breaking concrete or disturbing anything inside your home.
Traditional excavation leaves you with a trench through your yard, possibly through your driveway. Then you pay a second contractor to put it back. With pipe bursting, the two access pits are small and the cleanup is minimal.
High-density polyethylene doesn’t corrode, doesn’t crack under normal soil conditions, and has no joints for roots to penetrate. It’s the most durable lateral material available for residential use.
Most pipe bursting jobs in the Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls area are completed in one day. We give you a clear timeline before we start and we finish on time. Several of our Google reviewers have specifically mentioned this.
We run a camera before we start so you know exactly what you’re dealing with. We run it again when we’re done so you can see the finished result before we pack up. No guesswork at any step.
Yes. That’s one of the main reasons homeowners in older Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls neighborhoods choose this method. We access the pipe from each end. Nothing inside your basement gets touched. No concrete gets broken.
Most pipe bursting jobs in this area are done in one to two days. We give you a timeline before we start and we finish on schedule. Several reviewers have called this out specifically.
The entire job, not just the pipe material. Melvin warranties the work, the connections, and the finished result. Most contractors only warranty the pipe itself. We back the whole thing.
Maybe, maybe not. The first step is a camera inspection so we can see what’s actually causing it. If it’s a clog that can be cleared and hold up, we’ll tell you that. If the pipe itself is failing, we’ll show you on camera and explain why pipe bursting makes sense.
Yes. We serve the full Eau Claire metro area including Altoona, Lake Hallie, Fall Creek, Elk Mound, and surrounding Eau Claire County. We also serve all of Chippewa County. Call (715) 658-6070 to confirm your address.
Homes built through the 1940s and 60s in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls almost certainly have clay (vitrified clay pipe) sewer laterals. Homes from the 1950s and 60s may also have cast iron. Both materials are at or past their expected service life in homes of that age.
Call Melvin at (715) 658-6070. Tell him what’s happening and he’ll walk you through the options. We give you a price before we touch anything.