Sewer Pipe Bursting in Phoenix

Bursting replaces a sewer by pulling a new pipe through the old one. EPA describes it this way: an expansion head is pulled through the existing pipe, typically by a cable and winch, and pushes the old pipe outward until it breaks apart. The head pulls the new pipeline in behind it, filling the space the old pipe leaves. The crew digs an entry pit and an exit pit instead of a trench along the whole line. The new pipe is HDPE, joined by fusion into one continuous run. ICC notes that joint-free pipe helps keep roots out.

Four things: size, pipe, cameras and a test. Section 716 of the 2024 IPC, which Phoenix accepts, limits bursting to gravity building sewer and building drain piping of 6 inches and smaller, and the new pipe must be the same nominal size. The replacement is HDPE at SDR 17, meeting ASTM F714. A recorded camera survey comes before the work, noting cleanouts and the depth of connections. ICC's commentary adds that the finished pipe is surveyed and reviewed by the code official before a pressure test under Section 312, and that cleanouts are added where the old line had none. Phoenix's amendments leave Section 716 as written.

The same-size rule matters. Pipe bursting is known for installing a larger pipe, and EPA says up-sizing is possible. But for a building sewer under the IPC, the replacement must match the old nominal size, so the upsizing benefit is off the table. Ask any contractor which code and which size the permit will list.

It suits a line in moderately compactable soil with room for the pits and no fragile utilities alongside. EPA lists the limits: difficulties can arise from expansive soils, nearby service lines and a collapsed pipe. Ground displacement is a concern where the pipe is shallow, where deteriorated utilities sit within two to three pipe diameters, and typical pneumatic bursting can produce noticeable vibration at the surface. EPA also notes bursting needs flow bypass or diversion and an insertion pit. For homes and businesses with other buried lines close by, such as water, gas or irrigation, those are the details that decide the job. We locate everything first, because Arizona law requires it before digging and the marks last fifteen working days.

Because a dug sewer is inspected with the pipe in view. Phoenix requires an underground inspection before sewer piping is buried. When we replace a line by excavation, the inspector sees the new pipe, the bed, the joints and the slope, and the line gets a water test before backfill. With bursting, the old pipe is broken up in the ground and the new pipe is verified by camera and a pressure test. That is code-compliant, and it is a reasonable repair for the right line. It is still a different level of look than the open trench.

We offer bursting. We recommend digging. We want to talk to you about which one your line needs, and we will use your camera video to do it. HQ holds an Arizona A-12 license for sewers, drains and pipe laying, so replacing a sewer by excavation is work we are set up for.

In this order:

1. 1Camera the line. We clean it if needed and record a sewer camera inspection. The recording is the pre-installation survey the code asks for, and you keep a copy.
2. 2Locate and measure. We mark the line's location and depth, check pipe size against the 6-inch limit, and find nearby utilities.
3. 3Pick the method with you. Dig and replace, burst, or line. See trenchless sewer repair and pipe bursting versus lining.
4. 4Permit and locate. The plumbing permit, a right-of-way permit if the work reaches the street, and the utility locate.
5. 5Do the work, test it and film it. Cleanouts where the old line had none, then the video and the test.
6. 6Hand over the record. Video, permit and test results.

When the line is over 6 inches, when the pipe has collapsed or runs close to other buried lines, when the grade needs correcting, or when the line has to move to a new route. Bursting follows the old path, so it generally cannot fix a pipe that sits at the wrong slope or in the wrong place. A line that needs a different route needs a trench. And if the real problem is roots or grease in a sound pipe, cleaning is the answer. For more on lining as the alternative, see sewer pipe lining.

Call with your address, your city, the pipe size if you know it, and any camera video you have. HQ offers 24/7 emergency service for backups, free estimates and upfront pricing before work starts. For the broader picture, see sewer repair and who pays for the sewer line in Phoenix.