Our Services:

Hydroman Rooter's trenchless system allows our technicians to replace underground pipe without disturbing any surface materials such as driveways, landscapes, porches, floors, roadways, parking lots and electrical, gas and water lines.

Hydroman Rooter's system gives the home owner a cost effective alternative to traditional dig methods of pipe replacement, but still offers the structural strength of new pipe.

Our Services:

Trenchless pipe replacement: Replacing old pipe with new pipe of the same or larger inner diameter is accomplished by drawing a hardened steel splitting head through the old pipe. The process literally splits the old pipe, following its path and then lying in its rubble.

The Pipe: High-density polyethylene (HDPE) extra-high molecular weight 3408 SDR 17 Pipe is used to replace the existing pipe. A big advantage to this pipe is its ability to retain its circular shape even when bent on a 4-foot radius during and after installation.

The other advantages of corrosion-proof HDPE include heat fused "zero leak rate" joints, smooth interior with high-flow factor, zero root intrusion, and earthquake and ground movement resistant. It also flexes and bends, allowing up to 45-degree turns.

This pipe comes in 20- and 40-foot lengths, two or more segments can be heat-fused together at the installation site, the heat-fuse process takes only a few minutes.

A fuse iron is heated to 500 degrees F and placed between the two pipe sections in the butt fusion machine. The two sections are then tightened together until the pipe is cool enough to rest a hand on it.

A bead reamer is then used to clear out the pipe interior where the section was fused together. The result is a seamless pipe with the same strength as any other part of the pipe.

The heat fusion pipe has been used and proven in pressure water, sewer, and natural gas utilities applications.

In addition, a butt head section of pipe with an attached bursting head is then heat-fused to the complete pipe length.

"There's the perception that when you push the two melted pipes together you get a rolled melted edge at that junction," says Dave Bischof, president, FaucetCraft Faucet Co., Los Angeles. "Plumbers think, 'Oh, stuff will get hung up on the joint.' That's a misconception."

At the launch pit, a fiberglass rod that pulls a steel cable is pushed completely through the existing pipe. The bursting head is then attached to the steel cable at the entry end.  The new pipe with attached bursting head is placed in the launch pit. In the exit pit, an aluminum alloy plate is placed over the pipe and against the wall of the pit.

The hydraulic puller assembly is then attached and locked in place.

The hydraulic puller is controlled by a push button attached to the mechanism.  This allows the mechanism to be operated outside of the exit pit. The pipe is pulled through by the dual-action hydraulic rams, which pull the cable, release the cable, then hold the cable and pull again at a rate of one foot per minute.

Hydroman Rooter's trained technicians employ the TRIC Trenchless pipe replacement method and equipment to insure top performance and quality.

 TRIC Trenchless received IAPMO approval and a UPC listing for trenchless underground pipeline replacement using TRIC equipment and methods at the August 31, 1999, IAPMO meeting.

The new standard appeared in the January 2000 publication of the Uniform Plumbing Code. The Installation standard for Trenchless Polyethylene (PE) Pipe for Sewer Laterals is IAPMO 26-99.

The cities of Los Angeles, Arcadia and Pasadena among others has approved the TRIC Trenchless pipe replacement method used by Hydroman Rooter.