Trenchless · Pipe bursting · No dig
Trenchless sewer repair in Yakima, without a trench across your yard
Worn-out, broken or collapsed sewer lines replaced by pipe bursting, with minimal excavation and no ditch through the lawn.
Chapter 01
When an underground waste line gives out
A sewer line fails out of sight. You don't see the collapse, you see what it causes: drains that back up all at once, a toilet that gurgles when the tub empties, a soft or sunken patch in the yard, or a smell outside that wasn't there last month.
The pipe itself is usually the story. Old lines wear thin, joints separate, roots work their way in, and the ground shifts. Once a waste line is worn out, broken or collapsed, no amount of drain cleaning gives it a smooth run back, and the repair is new pipe.
That's where the real question starts. The pipe has to come out of service, but the yard doesn't have to come apart with it.
Mini excavator digging in snow with a Shephard truck parked behind it
Pipe bursting: new pipe along the old path
Pipe bursting is the trenchless method our technicians are trained in for worn-out or broken underground waste lines. Instead of opening a trench along the whole run, we dig small access points at the ends. New pipe is pulled through the old line's path and breaks the old pipe apart as it goes.
We've invested in the equipment for it, and a trained crew runs it. Before anything is set up we use a camera and sewer locating to learn where the line sits, how long the run is and what's actually wrong with it.
You'll hear this work called no dig sewer repair, trenchless drain repair or trenchless pipe repair. It's all one idea: replace the line without digging up the yard.
Chapter 03
What you keep: the lawn and the budget line
A trench across the yard means days of mess and a restoration bill on top of the plumbing. Pipe bursting avoids most of both.
Compared to the conventional way of fixing underground sewage pipes, trenchless sewer work is faster, less messy, more economical and more environmentally friendly, because it takes minimal excavation. There are fewer days of equipment in your yard and less to repair afterward in the lawn, the plantings and whatever else sits above the line.
That matters most when the line runs under things that are costly to rebuild: a mature lawn, a patio, a walkway. We'll walk the route with you and point out what's in the path before we choose a method.
When trenchless isn't the answer
Not every line can take it. If the pipe has collapsed or shifted so badly that new pipe can't follow its path, or if a section has to be rerouted, a trench is the right call, and we'll say so once the camera has looked.
When a dig is needed we keep the trench as short as the job allows, so you still get less than a full-length cut.
After any sewer replacement, watch for a few weeks: drains running freely, no new wet spots in the yard, no smell outside. If anything looks off, call us and tell us what you're seeing. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm.
Shephard Plumbing, 18 S 4th Ave, Yakima, WA 98902. Washington L&I plumbing contractor license SHEPHPL791N6. Serving the Yakima Valley and Tri-Cities. Call (509) 728-3403.
Trench vs pipe bursting
What the yard goes through, side by side.
The trench
- A full-length cut along the line
- Days of open ground and equipment in the yard
- Lawn, plantings and walkways to rebuild
- A restoration cost that lands on top of the plumbing bill
Pipe bursting
Same sewer, same result: a new line in the ground. The difference is how much of your property it takes to get there.
- Faster
- Less digging and less putting back, so the job moves quicker than a full-length trench.
- Less messy
- Small access points at the ends of the run instead of a ditch across the yard.
- More economical
- Minimal excavation means far less to restore, so there's no second bill for the yard.
- Easier on the ground
- Less soil moved and fewer plants lost, which is where the more environmentally friendly claim comes from.
A trench is still the right call when the pipe has collapsed too far for new pipe to follow it, or when the line has to be rerouted. The camera inspection tells us which side of this comparison your yard is on, and we'll tell you straight.