Trenchless methods
Sewer pipe bursting in Atlantic City
When a lateral in Atlantic City has been flattened, crushed or has collapsed in more than one place, there is no wall left for a liner to bond to. Pipe bursting replaces the pipe outright while still avoiding the trench, and the sand fill under the island happens to be ground that bursting works well in.
Serving Atlantic City · Atlantic County
The Trenchless Team
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When lining is not enough
Lining depends on the old pipe keeping its shape. A lateral in Atlantic City that a truck has crushed in the driveway apron, an Orangeburg run on the mainland that has sagged into an oval, or a clay line that has collapsed at three joints after decades of settlement cannot hold a sleeve. In those cases the pipe has to be replaced, and pipe bursting does the replacing without digging up the alignment. It is also the method chosen when the building needs a larger lateral than the one it has, since the old pipe's diameter is no longer a limit.
How a burst is performed
Two pits are dug, one at the house end of the lateral and one near the main, each just large enough for the equipment. A steel cable is threaded through the old pipe from pit to pit. At the house end a conical bursting head is attached to the cable, with a length of fused high-density polyethylene pipe trailing behind it. At the main end a hydraulic pulling unit braces against the pit wall and winds the cable in. As the head advances it splits the old pipe along its length and pushes the fragments outward into the surrounding soil, and the new pipe follows into the space the head has opened. A residential pull in Atlantic City is over within a couple of hours. Tie-ins come next: the polyethylene is joined to the building drain in the house-side pit and tapped into the main in the street-side pit with fittings the municipality accepts, after which both pits are backfilled and the surface restored.
Why sand suits the method
Bursting works best in soil that gives way easily, and the dredged sand and marsh fill under Absecon Island do. The fragments of the old pipe are pressed into loose sand with little resistance and the pulling force stays low, which in turn means the equipment is small and the pits are small. The mainland tracts in Egg Harbor Township, Galloway and Pleasantville have similar sandy ground. What the crew does watch for is the old pipe's bedding: a lateral set in a concrete cradle, or encased where it passes under a foundation wall, resists the head and may call for a short excavation at that point. The locate done before the job identifies those spots along with any gas, water or electric line running close to the lateral's path.
What the owner ends up with
High-density polyethylene is fused into a single continuous length before the pull, so the new lateral has no joints anywhere between the house and the main. Brackish groundwater does nothing to it, roots have no seam to enter, and its smooth wall resists the grease and sediment that built up in the old iron. It is flexible enough to tolerate the minor ground movement that will continue in the fill without cracking. Its rated life is measured in many decades. The tie-in fittings at each end are the only joints in the system, and they are made in the open pits where they can be inspected.
Permits, pits and restoration in Atlantic City
The pit near the main usually lands in the sidewalk strip or at the curb, which puts it in the municipal right-of-way and brings a road-opening permit with restoration to the town's standard. The pit at the house is on private property. The plumbing itself is permitted under the state Uniform Construction Code through the local construction office, with a licensed master plumber responsible for the work and for the connection at the main. Each town in Atlantic County owns its collection system and has its own tap requirements. the verified installer covering Atlantic City obtains the permits, performs the locate, does the pull and handles the sidewalk and curb restoration, and offers bursting for homes, motels and commercial buildings throughout the island and the mainland. Readers who want to understand where bursting fits alongside lining in the broader trenchless toolkit will find that context at the CIPP reference, and installers vetted for other regions are listed at the verified installer directory.
Scheduling a burst
Call (877) 739-3789 or send the form. The inspection and locate come first, the pipe is fused to length ahead of the job, and the pull itself is done in a single day. The lateral is out of service for the hours of the pull and the tie-ins, and is usable the same evening.
Estimates are free. Call now: (877) 739-3789.
Other trenchless services in Atlantic City
Trenchless Sewer Repair Atlantic City
Repair or replace a failed sewer line with little or no excavation.
Sewer Pipe Lining (CIPP) Atlantic City
A resin-saturated liner cured in place forms a new, jointless pipe inside the old one.
Sectional Point Repair Atlantic City
A short liner fixes one bad spot and leaves the rest of a sound line alone.
Sewer Camera Inspection Atlantic City
See what is actually wrong before anyone quotes a fix.
Hydro Jetting Atlantic City
High-pressure water strips roots, grease and scale so the pipe can be inspected and lined.
Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Atlantic City
When a line cannot be lined: spot excavation or trenchless replacement, chosen from the footage.
Questions we hear about pipe bursting
Will bursting disturb the neighbor's foundation on a rowhouse block?+
The bursting head displaces soil only a few inches outward along the pipe path, and in loose sand that displacement is absorbed quickly. The installer checks the distance to adjacent foundations and to other utilities during the locate, and on a tight lot may choose a smaller upsize or a lining approach instead.
Can the new pipe be larger than the old one?+
Yes. A larger bursting head makes room for a larger pipe, and a four-inch lateral is commonly replaced with a six-inch one when a house has been converted to apartments or a restaurant has outgrown its line. The municipality's connection rules are confirmed before the size is chosen.
How are the pits kept dry in tidal sand?+
The pits are small, usually three feet by four, and are shored with a box. A pump keeps the water down during the pull, and the job is timed to the tide if the lateral is deep. Because the pits are open for hours rather than days, dewatering is a minor part of the work.
Does bursting work on Orangeburg?+
It does, and it is often the better choice for Orangeburg that has gone oval on the mainland, since a liner cannot seat in a pipe that has lost its shape. The fiber pipe breaks apart easily ahead of the head and the new polyethylene takes its place.
How do I get a price?+
Call (877) 739-3789 or send the form. The lateral is scoped and located, the pit positions and the new pipe size are set, and the quote lists the footage, the pits, the restoration and the permits. Estimates are free; call now.