The owners of an Atlanta, Georgia home were in the final stages of a Class A complete remodel and renovation. They were in the midst of converting a 3,000 square foot home built in 1940 to a completely renovated and remodeled 6,500 square foot home. Part of the renovation process was to inspect the property's utilities, including the home's sewer lateral service. Bradford Hodges, General Contractor on this project, called Roto-Rooter® of Atlanta to inspect the sewer lateral to assess its condition.

The sewer lateral divided into two sections, a 150' cast iron main that ran from the side of the house to the property line and a Y service that connected to the main at the front left corner of the house that ran in the front of the house and underneath the bay window.

Both lines were inspected revealing severe root intrusion in the main lateral line. So bad in fact, they were unable to complete the inspection through the entire main lateral line because of the blockage the root intrusion had caused. The Y line in front of the house was in better condition than the main, but it was decided that both services should be replaced to eliminate any possible future problems.

The replacement of these lines would be tricky because the main lateral connected to the house was just five (5) feet from a fence line and ran underneath a mature oak tree in the front yard. The homeowners did not want this tree damaged so an arborist was contacted to evaluate the situation. The arborist determined that excavation could take place around the tree, however no more than 20% of the root system could be damaged or the tree could be lost.

Hodges wanted to keep his customer happy so he contacted Roto-Rooter and asked for a recommendation. He had worked with Roto-Rooter in the past on another project where pipe bursting was utilized and with excellent results. Roto-Rooter recommended that pipe bursting could be utilized to replace the main lateral and that the Y lateral slip-lined.

Hodges approved Roto-Rooter's recommendation and Roto-Rooter tackled the project with full force as they knew other homes in the area were in the same despair and referrals are the best accolades a company can receive. A successful job in this beautiful area of Atlanta could only be positive for everyone involved.

Roto-Rooter used a HammerHead® PortaBurst® PB30 sewer lateral pipe bursting system to complete the job and was impressed with the overall simplicity of the PortaBurst® PB30 system and the factory and dealership support they have received.

Jeff Merril, Master Plumber on the job utilized a mini excavator to dig a machine pit at the property line for the PB30. Geoff Gravius, Coordinator of Engineering Services, Robert Conley and Vashon White, Roto-Rooter Engineering Service Support personnel, were also on location to assist in setting up the burst.

The pit on the side of the house, used for a pipe entrance pit and re-connection to the house, had to be hand dug due to the limited space available. A mini excavator could have been used; however, swinging a backhoe bucket in such a confined space could have damaged the surrounding structures.

When the pits were dug, a duct rodder was slipped into the old line to pull back the cable that would be used by the PB30 to pull back the burst head and new HDPE pipe. Cable is used because of its flexibility. It allows the PB30 to burst pipe around 22° to 45° degree bends. Once the cable had been pulled back, and the necessary connections made, the job began.

The hydraulic power pack was started up and the PortaBurst PB30 began the burst. 150' and 45 minutes later, the home had a brand new lateral installed underneath their front yard. After the completion of the burst, the thirty (30) foot Y line was slip lined using a tractor.

With no damage to the mature oak tree, and minimal excavation of their landscaping, the homeowner's laterals were replaced and the customer was happy with the results.