MaxLiner System(TM) to Appear on This Old House(R)

MaxLiner System(TM) to Appear on This Old House(R)

Root-Infested Sewer Pipe Sheds Light on Growing Nationwide Problem

MARTINSVILLE, Va., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The MaxLiner System(TM), the preferred solution for relining laterals, roof drains and interior pipelines, was chosen by the Emmy Award-winning home improvement series This Old House to help fix a root-infested sewer pipe as part of an 18-episode renovation on a nearly 100-year old two-family home in East Boston, Mass. Clearflow Water & Drain Solutions, a MaxLiner installer, will be featured on the series scheduled to air nationwide beginning Thursday, November 2 on PBS (check http://www.thisoldhouse.com/tvschedule or your local listings for exact times).

After learning that the homeowners, aunt and niece team Christine Flynn and Liz Bagley, had routinely faced problems with their sewer system causing backups in the basement, the This Old House crew quickly went to work to discover the problem. A diagnostic video camera was sent through the sewer pipe and a huge ball of tree roots was found in the location where the lateral line connects to the main sewer pipe. Roots had grown and expanded throughout both the lateral and the main line. This Old House contacted the Boston Water and Sewer Commission to fix the problem. As a result, Boston Water and Sewer Commission went to work fixing the main line and educated the homeowners that the lateral line was their responsibility, an important fact few homeowners know.

To repair the lateral, Boston Water and Sewer recommended MaxLiner, which was already working with them on a program to identify and repair leaky laterals that were causing sewage to get into the city's storm drainage system.

The Clearflow crew teamed with This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey to perform the lateral repair work using the MaxLiner System. Unlike traditional dig-and-replace methods for fixing cracked sewer pipes, the MaxLiner System is a Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) process which effectively relines the original pipe to create a new pipe within the existing pipe without digging. This trenchless technology is becoming the preferred solution for both residential and commercial applications because it's fast, proven effective and protects homeowners' costly landscape investments.

"It was great to be a part of the This Old House East Boston project because we're helping to educate homeowners on problems they don't even know are happening in their front yard," said Tim Moody, MaxLiner's Northeast Sales Representative. "Unfortunately, preventative plumbing is rarely thought of -- most people wait until a problem happens before they fix it, but aging pipelines and increasing regulations are changing all that."

Using the MaxLiner System, the Clearflow team restored 100% flow capacity and made the cracked and defective pipes like new in less than one day. The five step process involved: 1) removing roots from the pipe 2) mixing the epoxy 3) wetting out the liner 4) using air pressure to insert the liner into the pipe 5) using a hot water curing process to form the liner into a tight- fitting pipe within the existing pipe. The entire sewer line from the basement out to the city sewer was relined, forming a watertight barrier that is impenetrable by root intrusions.

The problem of root blockages in sewer lines is not unique to Boston. In fact, these problems are increasingly growing throughout highly populated areas across the country. As a result, significant investment in underground infrastructure is being planned. According to the National City Water Survey 2005, conducted by the United States Conference of Mayors' Urban Water Council (UWC), nearly 70% of cities plan investments in wastewater collection pipes between 2006-2010.

With no obvious signs of trouble, few homeowners realize they have a problem with their lateral lines and even less know that these aging lines are their responsibility. As homeowners and municipalities are forced to comply with regulatory demands, such as the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Water Act, and repair aging laterals and other pipelines, the plumbing industry will look for CIPP solutions such as the MaxLiner System to meet the growing demand.

"It's important for homeowners to understand they have options to tearing up their lawns when it comes to fixing their deteriorated pipes," said Tim Moody, MaxLiner's Northeast Sales Representative. "Most often, relining pipes is the right method because it only takes a few hours, and prevents damage to the landscape above the ground or the many gas, electric, cable and water lines that are below every street."

About MaxLiner

MaxLiner is a leading CIPP relining system for small diameter applications ranging from three to ten inches. The system uses highly-engineered equipment and materials to repair existing pipelines without digging. MaxLiner offers a wide selection of liners, all of which are extremely flexible and designed to maneuver multiple bends and joints. Using odor-free epoxy resin, MaxLiner repairs offer a quality that is unsurpassed in the underground pipelining industry. The MaxLiner System has been used and tested throughout the world and has received NSF Standard 14 certification. To learn more, visit MaxLiner at http://www.maxlinerusa.com/

About This Old House

This Old House is produced by This Old House Productions, Inc. for This Old House Ventures, Inc. and presented on PBS by WGBH Boston. Executive producer is Jeff Ruhe. Senior producer and director is David Vos, and producer is Deborah Hood. Founder is Russell Morash. Funding is provided by Andersen Windows, Inc., GMC, The Home Depot, and State Farm Insurance Companies.

This Old House is the No. 1 multimedia home enthusiast brand, offering trusted information and expert advice through award-winning television, a highly regarded magazine, an information-driven Web site, a comprehensive line of books, a DVD series, and live events.

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Source: MaxLiner

CONTACT: Michele V. Brier, +1-202-255-1798, or michele@mvbcomm.com, for
MaxLiner

Web site: http://www.maxlinerusa.com/
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/tvschedule

NOTE TO EDITORS: Still and video clips are available at your request. Please contact Michele V. Brier at 202.255.1798 or michele@mvbcomm.com for more information.

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