Pipe Bursting in San Jose

How pipe bursting works

A steel cable is threaded through the old sewer line from a pit at one end to a pit at the other. A cone-shaped bursting head, with new high-density polyethylene pipe fused to it, is pulled through by a hydraulic unit. The head splits the old clay or cast iron outward into the soil and the new pipe follows in the same alignment at the same depth. The result is a single fused length of pipe with no joints for roots to find.

When bursting is the right call

• Collapsed sections — a liner needs a host pipe to hold its shape; a collapsed run has none.
• Bellies — a low spot that holds water stays a low spot after lining. Bursting lays new pipe on a fresh bed.
• Undersized lines — bursting can upsize a 3-inch lateral to 4 inches; lining slightly reduces diameter.
• Badly deformed pipe — Orangeburg that has flattened, or cast iron with most of its bottom gone.

What the job looks like

One pit at the house or cleanout, one at the property line or the street connection, each a few feet square. Utilities that cross within a foot or two of the sewer path are located and potholed first. The pull takes an hour or two; the whole job, including fusing, connections, inspection and backfill, is usually one day.

Permits and the street

If the downstream pit is in the sidewalk, parkway or street, a right-of-way permit and restoration to city standards are required in addition to the plumbing permit. If the connection at the main is replaced, the city inspects it before the pit closes. Confirm who is handling this before work starts.

Estimates are free. Call now: (877) 880-8125.

Pipe Bursting by city in Santa Clara County

Local conditions, the ZIP codes covered and how to reach the contractor for each city.

• Pipe Bursting San Jose
• Pipe Bursting Alum Rock
• Pipe Bursting Almaden Valley
• Pipe Bursting Alviso
• Pipe Bursting Berryessa
• Pipe Bursting Cambrian
• Pipe Bursting Willow Glen
• Pipe Bursting East San Jose
• Pipe Bursting Campbell
• Pipe Bursting Cupertino
• Pipe Bursting Gilroy
• Pipe Bursting Los Altos
• Pipe Bursting Los Altos Hills
• Pipe Bursting Los Gatos
• Pipe Bursting Milpitas
• Pipe Bursting Monte Sereno
• Pipe Bursting Morgan Hill
• Pipe Bursting Mountain View
• Pipe Bursting Palo Alto
• Pipe Bursting Santa Clara
• Pipe Bursting Santa Teresa
• Pipe Bursting Saratoga
• Pipe Bursting Sunnyvale
• Pipe Bursting East Foothills
• Pipe Bursting Evergreen
• Pipe Bursting Fruitdale
• Pipe Bursting Lexington Hills
• Pipe Bursting Loyola
• Pipe Bursting San Martin
• Pipe Bursting Silver Creek
• Pipe Bursting Stanford
• Pipe Bursting Bell Station
• Pipe Bursting Casa Loma
• Pipe Bursting Chemeketa Park
• Pipe Bursting Coyote
• Pipe Bursting Redwood Estates
• Pipe Bursting Rose Garden
• Pipe Bursting Rucker