Technology is ever-growing; innovators are developing better and more efficient ways of solving everyday problems. One innovation gaining traction in the plumbing industry is Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) lining. It enables plumbers to repair damaged pipes from their current position. With this method, they won’t have to dig and replace the corroded or broken lines.
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What Is The CIPP Process?
The CIPP experts will first inspect the damage to your pipes using cameras. This inspection will help them know the needed liner length and the extent of the damage. The experts will then manufacture the appropriate resin required for your damaged pipe. They will then bring it on-site for installation. But before the installation begins, the CIPP experts will flush water through the line under high pressure to remove any dirt. Without dirt on the pipes, the lining will better stick to its surface.
The team will then insert the resin lining and later invert it. After that, the contractors will pass air through the lining under high pressure. That will make the lining stick to the sides of the damaged pipe. This is where curing comes in. Curing is where the resin lining hardens against the pipe’s surface, keeping it in place. You can adopt various curing techniques, each with a different cure time.
What Are The Curing Techniques?
Hot Water Curing
As the name suggests, the CIPP expert will use hot water to enhance the curing process. Usually, they will use a boiler on-site to source hot water. They will pass the hot water through your damaged pipe. The hot water quickens the curing process. Lastly, they will pour cold water through the lining to maintain cool temperatures.
Steam Curing
Here, instead of using hot water, the experts will use steam for the process. They will generate steam from a boiler and pass it down the length of your liner. It hardens the resin in the process. Steam curing has a less cure time than hot water curing.
Hot Air Curing
This technique uses hot, dry air to cure your resin lining. It is unlike steam curing, whose air contains moisture. You can purchase max inferno or any other high-quality tool that can help you generate dry heat for curing. It’s good to point out that most of the procedure is done digitally, including heat generation. It’s also portable, making it a convenient curing solution.
Ambient Curing
This type of curing is where the experts leave the resin to harden on its own, using the surrounding temperatures. The surrounding temperature determines the cure time of your CIPP lining. If it’s hot, the process could be quicker. However, if it’s the winter season in your location, the curing may take some time.
Ultra Violet (UV) Curing
This technique uses UV light for curing. The CIPP professionals will pass a UV light train along the length of the resin lining. As the UV light train courses through, the resin will harden. The speed at which you pass the UV light determines the cure time. However, you shouldn’t pull the light too fast to cure faster. There’s a high probability of some parts not hardening adequately. You should find a balance in speed for efficient curing.
With UV light, it’s vital to acknowledge that there are two types of it. One uses lamp light, while the other uses LED light. The UV lamp light technique is mainly efficient for fiberglass and felt liners.
Which Technique Has The Quickest Cure Time?
The steam curing technique is the quickest in solving your plumbing issues; all other factors are constant. It’s followed by hot water curing and UV light, with ambient curing taking the longest time. However, as previously stated, the cure time of the ambient curing depends on surrounding temperatures.
How Does Cure Time Affect Installation?
A lengthy curing time prolongs your pipe rehabilitation process, affecting other aspects.
One aspect it affects is cost. Cost becomes an issue if you’ve agreed with the CIPP professionals to pay them hourly on your premises. Therefore, if they adopt a time-consuming curing technique, they will work for longer hours, increasing the amount you will pay them.
The cure time also determines the length of time you will stay without utilizing your services, in this case, water. It is because, before the pipe repair, you have to stop the water flow from the main source. Your pipes need to be dry for efficient service delivery. Suppose the curing takes a whole day. You might spend the entire day without using your tap water, which might be inconvenient.
Conclusion
As you have read, curing is essential for rehabilitating your damaged pipe using the CIPP lining technique. The discussion above has also shown how the cure time affects your installation. It has also divulged information on the various curing techniques. With all this information, you’re in a better position to choose an ideal curing method to match your desired cure time. It’s the only way you can prevent the negative consequences of prolonged cure time.