Are you ready to celebrate with us on World Trenchless Day? In 2024, we’ll be celebrating World Trenchless Day on September 28. This is a day where we celebrate the advancements in trenchless technology, the improvements in safety, and its benefits for the environment. Each year, this special day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of September. Let’s take a look at why trenchless technology is worth celebrating.
What is World Trenchless Day?
World Trenchless Day is a day when all of the scientists, engineers, manufacturers, associations, publications, and public works agencies that are involved in trenchless technology celebrate their achievements and advancements in this ground-unbreaking technology.
If you’re wondering how World Trenchless Day started, it was all because of Dr. Mohammad Najafi, who published the first textbook on trenchless technologies in 2016. two years after its publication, the first World Trenchless Day was born. It was celebrated on September 22, 2018. This year, we will be celebrating the sixth World Trenchless Day.
Trenchless Technology Evolution
You may be surprised to find out that trenchless technologies aren’t actually that new. While it may seem like trenchless pipelining and pipe bursting just appeared a few years ago, it’s actually been around since the 1970s. That means that trenchless technology is over 50 years old. Of course, you may be wondering what trenchless technology encompasses. The truth is that it includes all types of pipe installations, repairs, and replacements that are performed without digging or with minimal digging. This includes pipe bursting, pipelining, micro tunneling, horizontal drilling, pipe ramming, and hydro evacuation.
The trenchless wave started with one man in 1970, Eric Wood, who had a leaky air duct above one of his mushroom beds. This air duct was in a difficult location that made a traditional replacement nearly impossible. Rather than fight the duct, Eric decided to use some non-traditional materials, including pipeliners and resin. His idea repaired the duct and led to the development of cured-in-place piping (CIPP).
By the late 1970s, the UK had a major piping problem. The country had thousands of deteriorating underground pipes. Normally, replacing underground pipes would mean digging trenches, pulling the old pipes out, and replacing them. For this plumbing project, that approach wasn’t feasible. Luckily, they contracted with the right engineering company, and they discovered trenchless pipe bursting. This method breaks apart the existing pipe and pushes those pieces out of the way. At the same time, the new pipe is put in place. Since then, more trenchless technologies have been developed, and they help save time and money while being just as good, if not better, than traditional methods.
Trenchless Technology Is Eco-Friendly
Trenchless technologies are an environmentally friendly approach to installing, repairing, and replacing pipes. This is because it doesn’t dramatically change or remove the landscape. During traditional pipe laying and pipe replacement methods, large trenches are often dug into the soil. This can disrupt wildlife and their habitats. With trenchless technology, small holes or pits can be dug in order to access the area where the pipe needs to be laid or replaced. Then, the majority of the work happens underground where it doesn’t disturb the plant life or wildlife. This means that trenchless technology has a smaller ecological footprint than other methods.
For example, when you have your pipes lined with epoxy, no plumbing pipes are taken to the landfill. When you opt to use pipe bursting, the original pipe is shattered and pushed away from where the new pipe will lay. These pieces are left in place to degrade instead of being transported to a landfill. If you opt for hydro evacuation, water is used to break apart the soil, and the loose soil and water are vacuumed into a tank. All of these methods are less disruptive and produce less waste than traditional pipe installation and replacement methods.
Trenchless Technology Offers Economic Upsides
When we look at the average life of plumbing pipes and think about when most of the pipes were installed, it’s easy to come to eh realization that most of the underground pipes are now at or beyond their expected useful lives. After all, the majority of pipe materials have an expected useful life of between 40 and 70 years. This means that any pipe installed prior to 1953 is at the end of its useful life, and any pipe installed prior to 1983 is nearing the end of its useful life. Trenchless technology has the ability to aid in the repair and replacement of all the thousands of miles of pipes that need to be replaced due to the aging infrastructure. Trenchless technology can be used to repair and replace these pipes at a much faster rate, which results in less cost and less disruption in the areas where the pipes are being replaced. This means that cities and businesses don’t need to spend as much money on their replacement, and the local economy won’t suffer as badly due to people not being able to navigate the area where the work is being performed.
Trenchless Technology Puts Safety First
Trenchless technology is actually safer for the employees and others who may be in the area where the work is being performed. When trenches are dug, they can create fall hazards, and mud and water can get into that trench, leading to injuries from mudslides. It also prevents the need to work in tight or cramped spaces. This means that trenchless technology provides an extra level of safety.
Looking Ahead for Trenchless Technology
Trenchless technology has experienced vast growth and innovation over the last 50 years, and it’s no surprise. Companies, municipalities, and individuals are always on the hunt for cost-effective pipe repair and replacement methods that last, and trenchless technology often meets those requirements. When it comes to the next stages of advancement, we can expect to see better diagnostic tools, advanced inspection systems, and robotic tools. This means that we’ll start to see more plumbing inspections performed by tiny robots that can take pictures of the pipe, analyze the conditions of the pipes, and recommend a solution. We’ll also see more sensors and other types of technology that are designed to monitor the pipes and send an alert when a problem is detected. This can greatly speed up the process of getting pipes repaired and help prevent unnecessary downtime.
Join the Trenchless Celebration
There are lots of ways to get involved in World Trenchless Day. If you’re a business that’s involved in trenchless technology, consider having open houses or scheduling site visits so that your customers can view your facilities. You can also host an event, like a luncheon or other type of event where your key employees explain trenchless technology and how you are making a difference in the community.
If your business is more academic, consider writing a research paper or report and publishing it. You could also write an op-ed or let everyone know about trenchless technology via your social media accounts. Just don’t forget to monitor your accounts so that you can answer questions and provide additional information for anyone who may be interested in getting trenchless technology for their building or entering the field.
Celebrating with NuFlow Midwest
Here at NuFlow Midwest, we’ll be marking the day and celebrating the advancements in trenchless technology. After all, we are Chicago’s premier pipelining installation company. We’ve installed pipeliners in condos, restaurants, historic buildings, municipal buildings, and even at outdoor venues. We pride ourselves in our innovative pipelining methods that can help reduce costs, decrease the time it takes to install the pipeliner, and help you keep your plumbing pipes operating far into the future.
If you’re interested in learning more about trenchless technology and how it can extend the life of your plumbing pipes while minimizing the environmental impact, don’t hesitate to contact us.