Pipe Bursting in Bartlett, IL

Pipe bursting is the trenchless replacement method: a powerful bursting head is pulled through the old sewer line, fracturing the existing pipe outward into the surrounding soil, while a brand-new pipe — typically high-density polyethylene, or HDPE — follows immediately behind it into the same bore. The old line's path becomes the new line's path. Two access pits, one at each end of the run, replace the open trench that traditional replacement would carve across the property.

The method has a particular calling in the northwest suburbs. Postwar and 1960s–70s neighborhoods across Addison, Elk Grove Village, Streamwood, and Hanover Park still carry Orangeburg fiber pipe — a bituminized material that deforms into ovals and delaminates with age, and that bursting handles almost better than any other method because the brittle old pipe fractures cleanly. Clay-tile laterals with failed joints burst well too. What bursting needs is a traceable path: the head must be able to travel the line's route, which the camera inspection verifies before anyone commits.

1. 1

   Camera mapping and bursting plan

   The lateral is camera-mapped for length, diameter, depth, and defect locations. The crew confirms the path is traceable, checks for nearby utilities, and sizes the bursting head and new HDPE to the run.

2. 2

   Entry and exit pits

   Two excavations go in — typically one near the foundation and one near the street or main connection. Their positions are chosen to spare landscaping, driveways, and hardscaping between them.

3. 3

   Cable or rod through the old line

   A steel cable or bursting rod is threaded through the existing pipe from one pit to the other, establishing the pull path the head will follow.

4. 4

   The burst pull

   The bursting head — a cone larger than the old pipe — is drawn through the line by hydraulic power, fracturing the old pipe outward into the soil while the new HDPE pipe follows directly behind it into the fresh bore.

5. 5

   Connections at both ends

   The new HDPE is connected to the home's drainage at the foundation and to the municipal tap at the street, with proper fittings and verified grade.

6. 6

   Backfill, restoration, and camera verification

   The pits are backfilled in compacted lifts, surfaces are restored, and the camera runs the new line to document a continuous, jointless replacement.

Bursting applies tons of pulling force underground, so the pre-job utility locate is the single most important safety step: gas, electric, water, and telecom lines near the lateral's path must be marked, and the bursting plan adjusted where utilities crowd the corridor. The pits are excavated to standard trench safety practice, and the pull zone stays clear of everyone but the crew — a cable under that much tension is not something to stand near. Vibration and ground movement are monitored where the run passes near foundations, pools, or retaining walls.

Homeowners should expect the drains to be out of service during the pull and reconnection, with a clear timeline from the crew. Ask how the new line's grade is verified — proper slope is what keeps the replacement working for decades — and confirm the permit and inspection steps for your municipality before the pits are dug. Keep children and pets well away from the pits and the bursting rig while work is underway.