Pipe repairs on multi-story buildings present unique challenges. Accessing the pipes alone is a tough job. Structural soundness is always top priority. Multi-story buildings often feed all drains into central pipe lines, creating the need for a uniquely durable repair. Cured-in-place pipes are a solution that can handle the unique stresses of pipe repair on multi-story buildings.
Access is difficult to attain
Multi-story buildings require multiple access points to install traditional pipes. For example, pipelines often do not follow a logical pattern. Because of this, it may not be possible to easily gain access to a pipe from first source to final connection to a horizontal pipe. Repairing a broken pipe in a commercial office building may require the notification and/or consent of multiple businesses, because it requires opening the walls and/or floors of several stories in order to repair the pipe. Of course, this access is difficult to coordinate. It slows down your business and interferes with the goodwill of your tenants.
Structural implications
Pipes may not seem important to your building’s structure, but there’s no such thing as a load-bearing drain. Corroded, leaking, or broken pipes do present a much higher risk to multi-story buildings. Long-term leaks can present significant risk to building structure. Repeated leaks and repeated repairs only increase that risk.
Varied uses for vertical pipes
Vertical pipes don’t just carry water up and sewage down. Multi-story buildings will carry a variety of liquids through the pipes, as these multi-story buildings are much more likely to be multi-purpose. Oils and fats, acidic liquids, waters and soaps, and other various chemical compounds can all mix together in the pipes of a multi-story building. This potent mixture is quite likely to corrode pipes. The variety of the products makes picking a traditional, metal pipe to carry it all difficult.
CIPP handles pipe repairs for multi-story buildings
Cured in place pipes (CIPP) are capable of handling the loads that traditional pipes can’t. Using a hardened resin pipe helps reduce the odds of pipe breakdown and corrosion. CIPP requires minimal access to the original pipes. This makes it easier to schedule with tenants. It also leaves less of a mess to clean up afterwards. With a long lifetime, CIPP is better for building structure as you can vastly reduce the need for future repairs.