CIPP stands for Cured-In-Place Pipe. It’s a sewer repair method that installs a new structural pipe inside your existing sewer line without digging up the yard. The work happens through one or two small access pits (typically one at the building, one near the property line) instead of an open trench from house to street.

For a lot of Pittsburgh homes, especially the ones with mature landscaping, established driveways, sidewalks, or hardscape over the sewer route, trenchless is the difference between a manageable repair and a destructive multi-day excavation.

How CIPP actually works

The short version: we pull a felt or fiberglass liner soaked in epoxy resin through the existing pipe, inflate it tight against the old pipe walls, cure it solid (with heat, steam, or UV light depending on the system), and then reinstate any connections. The result is a smooth, jointless, structurally rated pipe inside your old one. The new liner pipe is rated for 50-plus years of service.

The detailed steps for a Wahl CIPP install:

1. Camera inspection and locate. We see what we’re dealing with, mark the route on the surface, and confirm the line is a CIPP candidate.
2. Pre-clean. The old pipe is hydro-jetted clean. All grease, scale, and root intrusion gets cleared. The host pipe has to be smooth or the liner won’t seat correctly.
3. Second camera inspection. We re-camera after cleaning to verify the inside is ready.
4. Access pits dug. Typically a 3 by 3 foot pit at the building wall and another at the connection or cleanout. Small, focused, much less invasive than a full open-cut trench.
5. Liner prep. The liner is measured, cut to length, and saturated with epoxy resin under controlled conditions in our truck.
6. Liner inversion or pull-in. Inversion (the more common method) flips the liner inside-out as it travels through the pipe, pressing the resin-soaked side against the host pipe walls. Pull-in dragged systems are used in some configurations.
7. Curing. Heat (hot water or steam) or UV light cures the resin to its full strength. Cure time varies by system; most jobs cure in 2 to 6 hours.
8. Camera inspection of the cured liner. We verify the result.
9. Reinstate connections. If there are branch lines tying in mid-run, we use a robotic cutter to reopen them through the liner.
10. Test the line. Water test and final camera.
11. Backfill access pits and restore surface. Per the restoration tier you selected.

Most CIPP projects on residential laterals finish in one day. Larger jobs or jobs with extensive cleaning needs can run two days.

What CIPP can and can’t fix

Good candidates for CIPP: – Cracks, fractures, and minor breaks in an otherwise intact pipe. – Root intrusion at joints (after the roots have been cleaned out). – Pinholes and small holes in cast iron. – Pipe with mild offset joints. – Pipe with surface degradation but reasonable structural integrity. – Clay pipe with intact alignment.

Not candidates for CIPP: – Fully collapsed sections (the liner has nothing to support it). – Major bellies (the liner follows the existing pipe’s profile; a belly stays a belly). – Pipe that has lost grade. – Pipes with severe ovaling or major dimensional changes along the run. – Connections that aren’t where the camera shows they should be (sometimes uncovered during prep).

Our camera inspection determines which category your pipe is in. We don’t sell you a CIPP that won’t work; we tell you it’s an open-cut job and you choose.

Why we offer it

Most Pittsburgh plumbers don’t. CIPP requires:

• The right equipment (liner inversion drums, resin mixing, curing systems, robotic cutters).
• Trained crews who do it routinely (not once a quarter).
• The capacity to keep a sewer-jet truck on call to pre-clean lines.
• Camera and locate equipment that meets the spec.

Wahl invested in this capability years ago because it’s the right answer in a meaningful share of sewer jobs we run, especially in Pittsburgh’s older neighborhoods where the existing landscaping or hardscape would be expensive to restore.

If a contractor only offers open-cut, you’re going to get an open-cut quote even if your project is a great CIPP candidate. We give you both options on every applicable job.

Where it shines in Pittsburgh

Mature landscaping you don’t want to lose. A 60-year-old maple, a hedge line that took 15 years to fill in, a perennial bed that’s been worked over for a decade. CIPP saves it.

Driveways and sidewalks. A typical Pittsburgh urban or suburban lot has the sewer running under at least one of these. Restoration cost on a concrete or asphalt driveway often exceeds the cost difference between open-cut and trenchless.

Stamped or decorative concrete patios. Same logic, often with a higher restoration cost.

Tight access lots. Some Pittsburgh row houses and older urban lots don’t have machine access for traditional excavation. Two pits plus liner equipment fits where a backhoe can’t.

Multi-unit and commercial properties. Where shutting down the entire property for an open-cut trench creates significant operational disruption.

Cost vs open-cut

We present exact pricing in your home after a free in-home estimate. CIPP usually costs 10 to 30% more per linear foot than open-cut, before accounting for restoration. When restoration costs are high (concrete, asphalt, mature landscape, hardscape), CIPP often costs less total than open-cut once the surface is back to where it was.

We price both options on the same proposal, with the restoration scope spelled out for each. You see both totals side by side, on paper, and choose.

Relative investment tiers for typical Pittsburgh residential CIPP:

• 40 to 60 ft typical lateral, no branches: upper-mid tier ($$$).
• 60 to 100 ft with one or two branches: upper tier ($$$$).
• Longer runs or complex routing: flagship tier ($$$$).

Tiers above are pre-restoration. Most CIPP jobs need only minor surface work at the access pits.

What’s included with every Wahl CIPP install

• Pre-job camera, locate, hydro-jet pre-clean.
• Permits and inspection coordination.
• All liner material, resin, equipment.
• Reinstatement of any branch connections (robotic cutter).
• Post-cure camera verification.
• Surface restoration at access pits per the tier you select.
• Written warranty (manufacturer-rated 50 years on the cured liner; Wahl’s workmanship warranty on top).
• Video before and after, provided to you.

Pittsburgh permitting

CIPP work requires the same permits as open-cut replacement in most Pittsburgh municipalities. PWSA in the city, individual municipalities elsewhere. Inspection requirements vary; some require post-install camera verification submitted, some require an in-person inspection. Wahl handles all of it on every job.

Financing

CIPP projects are major investments and most homeowners use financing. GoodLeap, Synchrony, Wells Fargo, or EasyPay. Approval is two minutes. We walk through payment options before you commit.