Replacing Clay Or Terra Cotta Sewer Pipes

Unlike PVC and other forms of plastic, clay sewer pipes aren’t able to fit flush together. No matter how well they were laid, there will always be little gaps between the sections of piping. These gaps are all that root ends need to infiltrate a sewer pipe system that is made of clay.

Once inside, thirsty tree roots have found an environment where they can thrive. Over time, these roots will grow and embed themselves into the clay, causing them to break. This blocking process is called tree root ingress and it is bad news for a sewer system

Clay pipes are strong in some ways and considered weak in others. One of their downsides is their tensile strength. Though they can handle serious amounts of pressure and last for over 100 years, once a clay pipe is compromised, it will quickly crumble.

Clay pipes are susceptible to collapse even from the smallest stress fracture or crack. A stress fracture in your clay sewer pipes can be brought on by a blunt impact or something more severe like an earthquake or severe flooding event.

Clay flaking occurs on the inside of a clay pipe. Slowly but surely, a few flakes will turn into a few more flakes, and before you know it, your clay sewer pipes will be compromised.

Clay pipes that are essentially being eroded from the inside out, one flake at a time, are prone to catching and trapping sewer sediment.

Whether clay sewer pipes were ever-so-slightly misaligned from the offset or from ground movement matters little, what does matter is that they are misaligned.

Misaligned clay pipes are a major cause of disruption to the natural flow of your sewer drainage system. In a similar light to flaking, misaligned pipes create a trap for debris and sediment to get stuck on.

Replacing Clay Or Terra Cotta Sewer Pipes