The superior alternative in SMS rehab

Alternative Lining Technologies’ specialised sewer maintenance structure rehabilitation method is helping keep sewers and wastewater systems working better for longer.

An SMS with a CIPM liner installed.

Traditional sewer maintenance structure (SMS), or manhole, rehabilitation can be costly and time consuming. But one company has devised a method for cured-in-place manhole (CIPM) liners that minimises downtime and reduces environmental impact, removing the need for excavation.

Alternative Lining Technologies uses trenchless methodologies to install CIPM liners that form impervious barriers between corrosive gases and the host structure, no matter the substrate type. Unlike coatings, the CIPM liners form a reinforced structure within the host.

This method is faster and less error prone than spray-on coating methods. In just a few hours, a structure can be prepped, lined, and reinstated. It is also more effective: in a test carried out by the Sanitation District of Los Angeles County, Alternative Lining Technologies had proven superiority in acid resistance to other technologies. Trusted by engineers, utility owners, and industrial facilities, Traditional SMS rehabilitation can Alternative Lining Technologies satisfied Australian clients include be costly and time consuming. Melbourne Water, Yarra Valley Water, Abergeldie Infrastructure and more. CIPM liners were first introduced in 1998, and for more than 20 years have been meeting demands of countless commercial and municipal clients on a variety of projects. These liners add years of utility to ageing sewers, saving thousands of dollars through rehabilitation rather than reconstruction. A liner can extend a structure’s life by 50 years or more, and Alternative Lining Technologies’ CIPM lining systems come with a 20-year warranty. Each SMS liner has to be custom fabricated – therefore, it can be installed in any size, type or shape of underground structure. First, the internal dimensions of the SMS are measured, and the liner pattern is generated. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coated felt panels and fibreglass coated panels are shaped and cut to match the specific dimensions of the manhole and the PVC panels are heat-welded together. Thermally fused PVC works to protect against sewer-gas corrosion and groundwater infiltration. CIPM liners are saturated in epoxy resin, reinforced with the fibreglass, pressure installed, and cured in place to form a corrosion resistant lining that bonds to the host structure. The specialised design employs an inward-facing layer of PVC, which forms an impervious barrier against sewer-gas corrosion and groundwater infiltration. Fabricated to consistent standards, CIPM liners do not significantly reduce the opening into the host structure, typically no more than 0.5-inch (12 mm) access diameter is lost. CIPM Liners are often the preferred technology of municipalities, utilities and other industries for rehabilitating SMS, vaults, wet wells, pump stations and other underground structures. With minimal disruption to the sewer and the above-ground environment, Alternative Lining Technologies trenchless CIPM liners save operators both time and money.

For more information visit www.altliner.com.au