Pipe repair terms, in plain English.

A

Annular space

The gap between an old pipe and a new pipe inserted inside it, usually filled with grout.

B

Backwater valve

A one-way valve in a sewer line that closes if wastewater tries to flow backward into a building.

Bell and spigot

A pipe joint where the flared end of one pipe section fits over the plain end of the next, common in clay and cast iron.

Belly

A low spot or sag in a sewer pipe where water and solids collect instead of draining.

Bypass pumping

Pumping wastewater around a section of pipe being repaired so the building can keep service.

C

Camera crawler

A small tracked vehicle carrying a camera and lights that drives through a pipe to record its condition.

Cast iron

A strong, older drain and sewer pipe material that corrodes from the inside over time.

CIPP

Cured-in-place pipe, a lining method where a resin-soaked tube hardens inside an old pipe to form a new one.

Clay pipe

Vitrified clay sewer pipe in short sections, long used for sewers and still common under older homes.

Cleanout

A capped pipe that gives direct access to a sewer line for cameras, cleaning and lining.

Collapse

A section of pipe that has caved in, flattened or broken apart.

Cure

The hardening of liner resin, driven by heat, steam or ultraviolet light.

D

Descaling

Removing rust and mineral scale from the inside of a pipe, often before lining or coating.

Diameter

The width across a pipe. Residential laterals are commonly four to six inches.

E

Easement

A legal right to use part of a property for a purpose such as a utility line.

F

Felt liner

A flexible fabric CIPP liner saturated with resin, commonly cured with hot water or steam.

Fiberglass liner

A rigid, strong CIPP liner often cured with ultraviolet light.

G

Grade

The slope of a pipe, which lets gravity carry wastewater downhill.

Grout

A cement or resin mix pumped into gaps to fill, seal and support.

H

HDD

Horizontal directional drilling, a trenchless method that bores a new underground path with a steerable drill.

HDPE

High-density polyethylene, a tough, flexible plastic used for pipe that is pulled in by bursting or boring.

Host pipe

The existing old pipe that a liner or new pipe goes into.

Hydro-jetting

Cleaning a pipe with high-pressure water from a nozzle on a hose.

I

Infiltration

Groundwater entering a sewer pipe through cracks, open joints and bad connections.

Inflow

Stormwater entering a sewer through roof drains, sump pumps or other direct connections.

Invert

The bottom inside surface of a pipe, where the flow runs.

J

Joint

The point where two pipe sections meet.

L

Lateral

The private pipe that carries wastewater from a building to the sewer main.

Liner

The new pipe formed inside an old pipe during CIPP lining.

Locator

A receiver that follows a transmitter in a camera or probe to trace a buried pipe’s path and depth.

M

Main

The larger sewer pipe, public or private, that laterals connect to.

Manhole

A vertical access shaft to a sewer main, with a cover at ground level.

O

Offset joint

A joint where one pipe section has slipped sideways or dropped relative to the next.

One-call (811)

The service that notifies utilities to mark public lines before digging, boring or opening a pit.

Orangeburg

A mid-century sewer pipe made of wood-pulp fiber and pitch that softens and deforms with age.

P

Packer

An inflatable device that carries and presses a patch liner against a pipe wall.

Pilot bore

The first small guided hole drilled in horizontal directional drilling.

Pipe bursting

A method where a cone fractures the old pipe outward while new pipe is pulled in behind it.

Point repair

A short patch liner that repairs one defect in a pipe, also called a spot repair.

PVC

Polyvinyl chloride, a smooth plastic pipe common in newer sewers.

R

Reinstatement

Reopening side connections after a pipe has been lined, usually with a robotic cutter.

Resin

The liquid that hardens in a liner, giving it strength and a watertight surface.

Root intrusion

Tree roots growing into a pipe through cracks and joints.

S

Sewer main

The public pipe under the street that carries sewage from many properties.

Sliplining

Inserting a smaller new pipe inside a larger old one and grouting the gap.

Slope

The downhill pitch of a pipe, measured as a drop over a run.

Spray lining

Coating the inside of a pipe with a spray-applied protective layer.

T

Trenchless

Any repair or installation method that avoids digging a continuous trench.

Tuberculation

Rough rust nodules that form inside cast iron pipe.

U

UV cure

Hardening a liner with a train of ultraviolet lights pulled through the pipe.

V

Verification

A final camera pass recording the finished pipe and its connections.

W

Wye

A Y-shaped fitting where a branch pipe joins a main at an angle.

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