Could your apartment building, condo or co-op benefit from pipe retrofitting? Retrofitting simply refers to the process of installing or modifying a piece of equipment with parts that were not available or not installed at the time the product was manufactured. For plumbing pipes, this could mean installing epoxy liners in order to increase the durability and longevity of your existing pipes.
Pipe Retrofitting with an Epoxy Pipe Lining System
Pipe retrofitting with an epoxy lining system involves thoroughly cleaning all of the corrosion and debris from inside your existing pipes in order to ensure there’s a smooth surface for successful adhering of the epoxy. Next, our team of pipelining technicians will insert a pipe liner with an air bladder. At the time the liner is inserted, it is flexible, which allows it to be easily inserted into your existing pipes, even if your pipes are missing sections or have large holes.
Once the liner is in place, the bladder is filled with air. The air pushes the outside walls of the liner firmly against your existing pipes. The air bladder is left in place while the epoxy cures and hardens. Once that process is complete, which can take anywhere from a few hours to a day, our technicians remove the bladder and inspect the installation. If everything look great, your pipes are returned to service. This leaves you with clean, blockage free pipes that will not experience any further corrosion or pinhole leaks that can be hard to trace.
Benefits of Pipe Retrofitting
- Installation is much faster than traditional pipe replacement
- Less costly than replacing your existing plumbing system
- Walls, floors and ceiling tiles do not need to be removed for installation
- Works in a variety of different pipe types, including PVC, copper and cast iron
- No need to hire additional contractors after the work is performed
- Pipe lining can occur during the least busy hours for your building
Pipe Systems You Can Retrofit with Epoxy Liners
Epoxy liners can be successfully used to reinforce and restore many different types of pipe systems. Here at Nu Flow, we retrofit sewer lines, sanitary systems, storm and roof drain lines, water mains, horizontal plumbing pipes, risers and vertical stacks for residential homes and multi-unit properties as well as commercial and industrial businesses. Our technology has even retrofitted government and municipal buildings, and we can retrofit all the plumbing pipes in your Chicago building. Just take a look at the below case studies.
Retrofitting Apartment Buildings: A Case Study from Nu Flow Tech
Christian Care Communities in Louisville, an older 10-story apartment building, was retrofitted with epoxy pipe lining technology. Nu Flow technology was used because their community vertical drain stacks were corroded and clogged with grease and other debris, leading to slow drains and a multitude of building-damaging leaks. They were interested in a permanent fix to their drain line problems.
Nu Flow technicians suggested pipe relining because it does not involve removing drywall to reach the pipes, and the residents in the building would not need to be temporarily displaced. A schedule was determined that would allow retrofitting the entirety of each 10-story, 100-foot pipe. Upon finish, the building had vertical drain stacks that were free of corrosion, grease, and debris, and the pipes no longer leaked.
Retrofitting Historic Buildings: A Case Study from Nu Flow Tech
Saint Bartholomew’s Cathedral in New York, New York was in dire need of repairs for its 175-year-old roof drains. This was a challenging task because the owners of the building new it’d be extremely difficult to replace the roof drains, since they were located behind two feet of historic brickwork and located 100 feet above the street. Complicating matters was the fact they they had more than 50 drains on the building that ranged in length from 30 to 100 feet. Since they didn’t want to damage the historic bricks or incur the costs of hiring a historic restoration company after the pipe replacement was complete, they decided to retrofit their pipes with epoxy pipelining. They contacted a company, not Nu flow, and had their drains lined. Sadly, this basic retrofit failed after a short time, leaving them in the same predicament they were in prior to contacting the initial company.
The good news is that St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral wasn’t deterred from their mission. In the aftermath, they contacted Nu Flow for another assessment of their roof drains and more epoxy pipe lining. After a thorough inspection, the Nu Flow team in NYC decided that pipe liners would benefit them better than the previous lining job. After the cathedral agreed to the solution, the Nu Flow technicians got to work. They relined all the roof drains with a PIP pipe liner. Since this method involves the use of a felt liner and a two-part epoxy solution, it succeeded where the other pipe lining job had failed. The benefit to the cathedral was immense. Their brick masonry was left intact, and the pipe liners stopped all the roof drain leaks that were causing damage to the building.
Retrofitting Casinos: A Case Study from Nu Flow Tech
Epoxy pipe lining is extremely versatile. It can be used to line the pipes of all types of buildings, including the Western Village Inn and Casino is Sparks, Nevada. The hotel noticed that their sanitary drain system was failing. The majority of the sanitary pipes and drain lines were located under the casino floor and under several restaurants. The building’s owners knew that a traditional pipe replacement would cause an extreme disruption to their business. At the very least, the slot machine section of the building would have to be closed along with several eateries. Since this would cause a significant decrease in revenue and disrupt the experience of the patrons, they decided to have their drain and sewer lines retrofitted with epoxy pipe liners.
The team at Nu flow in Nevada inspected the pipes, determined the best pipe lining solution and worked with the building owners and staff to make sure the pipeliners were installed during the slowest periods. Over the course of the project, Nu Flow installed Nu Drain in the drain line and Nu Main in the failing drain main lines. The end result was restored drain and main waste lines without the need to remove any casino equipment or shut down any restaurants. The client was thrilled with the work, especially since once Nu flow finished the job there was no additional work that needed to be performed.
Retrofitting Your Pipes with Nu Flow Midwest
Here at Nu Flow Midwest, serving Chicago and the surrounding areas, we offer two affordable ways to retrofit your pipes. The first way is with epoxy pipe liners. The second way is with pipe coatings, which is essentially a spray-on pipe liner that can be used to stop leaks and corrosion in water supply lines. Our pipe lining technicians can help you decide with option is best for your apartment, condo or co-op. All you have to do is call us at 815-790-9000 fill out the form here for a pipe assessment.