In a house, the sewer runs from one stack out to the street. In a commercial building it collects from many places at once: restrooms on two floors, a kitchen, floor drains, a mop sink. All of those branches tie into one main, and that main usually runs under a concrete slab.
That is what makes the traditional fix so expensive. Reaching the pipe means cutting the floor, which means closing the part of the building above it.
Lining avoids the floor entirely. The catch is the branches: when a liner cures, it seals the main into one continuous pipe and closes every connection feeding into it. Those openings have to be cut back out from the inside, one at a time. That step is called reinstatement, and it is the reason most contractors will not line a commercial main.
How we do itAfter the liner cures, a robotic cutter is sent down the main. It carries its own camera, and the operator drives it to each branch, finds the dimple where the connection sits behind the new liner, and mills the opening back open. Every branch is restored before we leave.
Where a branch line is also failing, we line that too, then cut it back into the main the same way.
Our cutter works in 3 inch through 8 inch pipe, which covers most commercial mains in the Twin Ports. Without one, a contractor has to refuse any line with branches tying into it, because there is no way to reopen them afterward. That is the practical reason commercial mains around here get jackhammered instead of lined.
The heavy cleaning and the measuring happen the day before, while the building is using water normally. The only real interruption is the cure itself.
On a recent eight unit apartment building we lined the main under the basement floor with several branch hookups. Water went off around nine in the morning, once most residents had left, and was back on by mid afternoon. One day, no floor cut.
Banks and restaurants we line in the evening. Larger buildings can be done in sections across several nights so nothing closes. Tell us the hours you cannot lose and we build the sequence around them.
When it fitsLining works when the pipe still holds its shape and the camera can travel the full run. Cracks, separated joints, root intrusion and corroded cast iron are all good candidates.
It does not work on a collapsed section, a line the camera cannot pass, or a main with a severe belly holding standing water. We will tell you that from the inspection rather than after the invoice.
Driveways and sidewalks stay completely untouched.
Turf, gardens, irrigation, and trees left intact.
Most trenchless repairs are wrapped in a single day.
Usually yes. The liner is installed through existing access points and cured in place, so the slab stays intact. The connections that feed into the main are then cut back open from inside the pipe with a robotic cutter.
When a liner cures inside a main, it seals over every branch connection feeding into it. Reinstatement is the step where each of those openings is milled back open from inside the pipe, so the branches drain again. It is the part of commercial lining that most contractors are not equipped for.
Most of the building stays open. The affected line is out of service while the liner cures, so we plan the work around your hours and around which fixtures tie into that run. Tell us what cannot go down and we will build the sequence around it.
It depends on the length of the main and how many branch connections have to be reinstated. Many jobs are done in a day or two. We give you a schedule after the camera inspection, not before.
If a section has collapsed, if the camera cannot travel the full run, or if the main has a severe belly holding standing water, lining will not solve it. In those cases we quote excavation or pipe bursting and say so up front.
No. Ordinary grease and sewage do not degrade a cured liner, which is why restaurants are a common application for this method. The exception is industrial chemistry: some strongly acidic process chemicals used in manufacturing can attack a liner, so if anything unusual goes down your drains, tell us before we quote.
Yes. Commercial work is scheduled around the building, not around us. Banks and restaurants are usually done in the evening, and a larger building can be lined in sections across several nights so it never closes.
Yes. We work commercial properties throughout Duluth, Superior, Hermantown, Proctor, Cloquet, Two Harbors and the surrounding Twin Ports area from our shop on Rice Lake Road in Duluth.
The thing people say most: they couldn't tell we were ever there.
Based in Duluth at 4958 Rice Lake Rd. We cover 12 communities across northern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin, from Hermantown and Proctor out to Two Harbors, Hibbing and Ashland. Every one of them gets the same free camera inspection before any work is quoted.
We will open Google Maps with directions from our shop to your door.
Travel times are typical and vary with traffic and weather. For service outside this list, please call.
A camera inspection takes 30 minutes and tells you exactly what's wrong and what every option costs. Most people are relieved by that conversation.
No commitment · Same-week availability · Serving Duluth and the surrounding region
