Mamba Drainage Services
Trenchless Water Line Replacement Vancouver
Replace a failed water line or a lead service connection without digging up your front yard, driveway or landscaping. Two small pits, one pull, the lawn between them untouched.
Pipe bursting, CIPP lining, pull in place. Lead service line replacement across Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, New Westminster, Surrey and Delta. Call (778) 961-0824.
What disqualifies a pipe from trenchless
Not every failed line is a candidate. The camera scope is what settles it, and it is the cheapest part of the decision.
- The pipe has fully collapsed, so there is nothing left to line or burst through
- There is a severe belly, a sagging section holding standing water
- Offset joints wider than about half an inch
- The run has been previously repaired with a section the bursting head cannot pass
- The line crosses under a structure with no room for an access pit at either end
- Ground conditions at the pit locations will not hold an open face safely
What trenchless means in Vancouver
Old school water line replacement meant digging an open trench from the city main at the curb all the way to the house. On a Vancouver lot that is typically 25 to 65 feet of trench across driveway, lawn and garden, sometimes straight through mature root systems and irrigation. You pay for the excavation before any pipe goes in, then you pay again to put the landscaping and the driveway back.
Trenchless skips most of that. We dig two small access pits, one at the city stop valve near the property line and one at the house entry. Then we pull a new HDPE or copper line along the path of the old one with a hydraulic bursting head that fragments the existing pipe outward while drawing the new pipe in behind it. Total open ground is roughly six feet of pit at each end. Everything between them stays where it is.
The same technique covers sewer laterals. CIPP, cured in place pipe, pushes an epoxy impregnated felt sleeve into the existing pipe, inflates it and cures it into a structural pipe inside a pipe. No digging at all between the cleanouts. It is the right call when the host pipe is structurally sound but cracked, open at the joints, or root invaded.
Where trenchless wins hardest. Mature landscaping, a finished concrete driveway, a City of Vancouver street cut permit, or anything involving the city sidewalk. Open trench on a typical lot means breaking twenty to thirty feet of driveway. Thirty year old hydrangeas, established lawn, irrigation lines and decorative pavers all stay in place with two pits. The harder your yard is to put back, the bigger the trenchless advantage.
Lead service lines. Many pre-1950 Vancouver homes still have a lead service line running from the city main to the house, and lead in drinking water is a documented health risk, particularly for children. The City of Vancouver runs a lead service line replacement programme with cost sharing for eligible properties, and the split is straightforward. The City handles the public side, from the curb stop back to the main. The private side, curb stop to the house, is the owner’s. Trenchless on the private side keeps the front yard, walkways and driveway intact while modern Type-K copper or HDPE goes in. We coordinate with the City inspection schedule so private side and public side work land back to back. Most of ours have been in Hastings-Sunrise, Strathcona, Grandview-Woodland and Mount Pleasant, the East Van neighbourhoods with the highest concentration of pre-1950 service lines.
What Vancouver customers say
Ryan was great! My landlord called him to fix my blocked kitchen sink. He showed up the same day (on a Sunday) and fixed the problem. He even cleaned the sink and dried up all the water that had leaked before he got there. And he was very careful coming in and out of the house so my cat wouldn’t get out. I’d definitely recommend him.
Ryan is INCREDIBLE. He has been responding to all of us (four houses and families!) affected by a sewage back up. This is all on Boxing Day and beyond, in terrible weather full of ice, cold and rain. He is so knowledgeable, and knew what was needed right away. Just the top of his field I am sure. As well as that, he is incredibly calm, respectful, kind and fair. I am truly amazed by this person's capacity and competence in combination with his noble, calm presence in the face of a real mess. Thank you Ryan, so very much!
I had very positive experience with Mamba Services, Ryan was amazing to work with and took care of my drain issues in no time. He arrived on time, was very professional and efficient in carrying out the work. What impressed me was how honest he was in recommending needed repair. He was very patient in explaining the different options. I will certainly call them for future projects.
Had an excellent experience. Ryan was fantastic, it was an after hours call late in the evening and he showed up exactly in the time frame he gave. Took care of the kitchen sink issue within minutes all systems were running like new. Pricing was extremely reasonable, Ryan was patient and explained everything to me while fixing my problem. I would highly recommend this company for any plumbing work.
Ryan was efficient, experienced, and knowledgeable. He was able to squeeze me into his schedule with short notice and wasted no time with my appointment. He arrived on site inspected the issue, and was quickly at work with resolving the problem. I am very pleased with his service and honesty. He provided recommendations that will help assist me in future occurrences.
24/7 emergency dispatch
Save the driveway. Save the lawn.
We quote trenchless and open trench side by side, with the camera footage that decides between them. Free written quotes.
Trenchless replacement FAQ, Vancouver
Two small access pits, roughly four feet square and four feet deep, at each end of the line. Everything in between stays intact. The pits are restored as part of the project. An open trench equivalent would dig the entire run.
Usually, once restoration is in the number. The trenchless project on its own can be similar or slightly higher than the excavation alone, but an open trench also brings a concrete driveway re-pour, lawn restoration, irrigation repair and a city sidewalk permit. Net saving is typically 30 to 60 percent.
No. Collapsed pipe, a severe belly, and offset joints wider than about half an inch all need an open trench. We scope on camera first to confirm trenchless will work. If it will not, we say so up front and quote the open trench instead.
HDPE water service carries a 50 year manufacturer warranty on the pipe and a 10 year workmanship warranty on the Mamba install. Type-K copper runs about 50 years of typical service life. CIPP liner carries a 50 year manufacturer warranty on the cured liner. All the documentation is emailed at project completion.
Yes. A plumbing permit from City of Vancouver, or from Burnaby, Richmond, New Westminster, Surrey or Delta depending on where you are. We pull the permit, coordinate the inspection and produce the stamped certificate. It is in the quote.
Yes. Pre-1950 Vancouver homes often have one. The City of Vancouver runs a lead replacement programme with cost sharing for eligible properties. We handle the homeowner side trenchless replacement and coordinate with the City for the public side. You pay the homeowner portion.
Trenchless usually avoids the sidewalk entirely, because we set the pit just inside the property line. Where an open trench across the sidewalk is unavoidable, we pull the sidewalk permit, arrange traffic control and have the concrete patched by the City’s approved contractor.
Pre-1950 Vancouver homes are the highest risk. Lead is soft grey, slightly bendable, and a magnet will not stick to it. Galvanized is silver grey, hard, and a magnet does stick. Copper is pink orange. If you are unsure we test the visible portion in the basement and confirm the buried portion against City of Vancouver service records.
Not in any way you will notice. The cured liner takes roughly a quarter inch off the inside diameter of a four inch lateral, and residential flow rates do not care. What you gain is a smooth wall with sealed joints and no entry points for roots.
HDPE is flexible, tolerant of freezing, does not corrode and costs less. Type-K copper has a hundred year track record and the resale familiarity that comes with it. We quote both with the trade offs written down so you can pick.
24/7 EMERGENCY DISPATCH
Water where it should not be?
Ryan picks up. Live dispatch, and you get a real arrival window on the call.