Trenchless Water & Sewer Replacement
Replace your aging water service line or sewer line without trenching. Our trenchless pulling machine installs new piping along the existing line's path with as few as two small access pits in most cases — saving your driveway, lawn, garden, hardscaping, and irrigation. Lower restoration costs, faster completion, and a new full-length pipe instead of a patched repair.
A Smarter Way to Replace Buried Pipes
Traditional water and sewer line replacement digs an open trench from your home to the city connection — tearing up driveways, lawns, gardens, and walkways along the way. Restoration costs alone can easily exceed the cost of the plumbing itself.
Trenchless pulling uses a hydraulic pulling machine to draw a new HDPE or PEX line through the path of the old one. In most cases only two small access pits are required — one at the building, one at the city connection — and everything in between stays untouched. Additional access points may be required if the existing line has unnavigable fittings or 90° bends, where the line passes through foundations or retaining walls, where the cable run exceeds our 100-foot reach, or where unexpected subsurface conditions are encountered during the pull. Any additional access points needed will be discussed with you up front where possible, or as soon as discovered during the work, and added to the scope.
Less-invasive water service replacement
A single access pit replaces a full trench. We pull the new line through the old path — driveways, lawns and landscaping stay intact.
What We Can Pull
Our equipment handles the full range of residential and light-commercial water and sewer line replacements across Metro Vancouver.
- 3/4" standard single-family — the most common residential service replacement
- 1" high-flow single-family — for larger homes, multi-bathroom upgrades, or higher fixture counts
- HDPE or PEX (code-compliant for Metro Vancouver municipalities)
- Replaces aging galvanized, lead, copper, or Poly-B lines
- Also capable of larger 1-1/4", 1-1/2", and 2" pulls for duplex, multi-family, and light-commercial
- 4" residential sewer laterals
- Replaces clay tile, cast iron, Orangeburg, and aging ABS
- New HDPE or SDR-35 PVC pipe rated for decades of service
The Real Savings Are Above Ground
The pipe itself is rarely the biggest line item on a water or sewer replacement quote. It's everything that has to be put back.
Signs Your Service Line Needs Replacement
A trenchless pull is the right answer when:
From Quote to Completion
Why Choose Us
Replacing a buried water or sewer line is a job you want done once, correctly. Here's why Metro Vancouver property owners trust Bluetech with trenchless work:
Camera Diagnosis Before We Dig
We confirm the line’s condition, depth, and route with a camera and locator first, so the trenchless plan is built on what is actually underground — not a guess.
Two IP Red Seal Plumbers On Site
Service-line replacement is structural plumbing. IP Red Seal journeyman plumbers run the job from access pits through final tie-in and the city connection.
We Restore, Not Just Replace
Because trenchless uses small access pits instead of a full trench, we backfill and restore the disturbed areas — protecting driveways, landscaping, and hardscape.
Permits & Inspection Handled
We pull the municipal permits and coordinate inspections for the new service line, so the connection is documented and code-compliant from day one.
Trenchless Questions
Is trenchless really cheaper than digging?
For most residential properties, yes — once you factor in restoration. Open trenching may have a lower line-item plumbing cost, but the driveway concrete, lawn re-sod, irrigation repair, garden replanting, and hardscape restoration usually exceed the savings. Trenchless is rarely the highest-priced option once the full picture is on paper.
How long does the work take?
Plan for about three days on a typical residential job: roughly one day to dig the access pits, one day to pull and connect the new line, and one day for backfill and cleanup. Larger or sewer jobs can run longer. It is still less invasive than a full open trench, which disturbs the whole property and usually takes longer to restore.
What sizes can you pull?
Our primary focus is 3/4" and 1" residential water service lines — the standard sizes for virtually every single-family home in Metro Vancouver. We also handle larger 1-1/4", 1-1/2", and 2" pulls for duplex, multi-family, and light-commercial properties. For sewer, we pull 4" — the standard residential and light-commercial sewer lateral size.
Will my lawn or driveway be damaged?
In most cases only at the two access pits — one at the house, one at the city connection. Everything in between stays untouched, and your driveway, garden, irrigation, mature trees, and hardscape are not disturbed. Additional small access points may be required if the line passes through a foundation or retaining wall, has unnavigable fittings or 90° bends, exceeds our 100-foot cable reach, or where unexpected subsurface conditions are found during the pull. We restore all disturbed pit areas as part of the work.
Do you need to be on a particular soil type?
Trenchless pulling works in nearly all Metro Vancouver soils — clay, sand, mixed fill, and rocky soil. We do a site assessment before quoting to confirm the route is suitable. In rare cases (extensive rock or large obstructions) we'll recommend a hybrid approach or open trench for a short section.
What pipe material do you install?
For water service, we use municipally-approved HDPE or PEX with a service life of 50+ years. For sewer lines, HDPE or SDR-35 PVC. Both are far more durable than the galvanized, clay, or Orangeburg pipe being replaced.
Will I be without water or sewer service?
Water will be off for the duration of the pull and connection — usually only a few hours on the pull day, not the whole job. Sewer service is off briefly during the cut-over but is otherwise normal during the work. We coordinate timing so you're only without service for the shortest possible window.
Do you offer warranty on the work?
Yes — our trenchless work is fully warrantied. The new HDPE and PEX pipes themselves carry decades-long material warranties from the manufacturer, and our installation work is backed by our company warranty. We're licensed, insured, and bonded.