When starting up new in the business, it is never easy to decide which type of CIPP lining products to invest in.  Let us help you decide.  Currently, there are two types of liner curing choices that are being frequently within the CIPP lining industry - Steam or water curing that has been used for 25+ years and now the new type is UV Curing.  Below is a brief explanation of the two types of preferred curing.

CIPP STEAM OR WATER CURING VS CIPP UV CURING
There are articles circulating that "Even though you will hear that CIPP UV curing is a major force in Europe and that UV CIPP technology is generating considerable interest in the U.S, providing additional options for the ever-growing CIPP market. UV-cured CIPP is just one more step in the evolution of CIPP in the United States where water/steam cured liners have been used successfully for years." That sounds good, right. But, not only is UV Cured CIPP extremely expensive, the truth is not mentioned that the main problem in a UV Cured liner is that the cured liner shrinks to about 1% and roots can migrate to the ends of the liner. Not forgetting that the main problem is water in pipes. This process does not like water! All water mains, laterals, and sewer lines to manholes have some form of fluid. There are some UV Systems that work but they have not revolutionized the process to the point of the longevity of a CIPP Steam or Water Cured-In-Place-Pipe that has proven its durability for over a quarter of a century.
Looking back at recent CIPP history, felt CIPP lining manufacturers and sanitary sewer service providers and contractors routinely used styrene-based resin. Since then, there are many optional felt CIPP sewer liners that have Styrene-free resin. Specific rehabilitation locations may dictate where specific resins can or cannot be used. While standards for styrene use may become stricter, there does not appear to be any immediate actions pending that would ban or prevent the use of styrene-based resins.

PROS & CONS of UV Curing
PROS for UV CIPP:
• Nice, clean process
• Minimal styrene emissions
• No cure water or steam condensate discharge
• Short curing times
CONS for UV CIPP:
• Size of pipes that can be rehabilitated is limited
• Cannot cure thick wall tubes without adding an initiator for heat cure which reduces wet out tube life
• Short cure times may not be shorter than some steam cure processes

The final decision is yours. Pipevision Products and FAST Pipe Lining have been doing the CIPP Steam or Water Curing for over 25 years. When properly installed, there have been no lining gaps or roots migrating to the ends of the liner. We have installed over a million CIPP liners with various resins, using the steam and water curing process, and have not been contacted to date to redo a single liner successfully installed. The quick and clean process is not necessarily the best route. Let's face it that in this industry we have to get down and dirty so which route would you choose, the longevity of the liner installed or how clean the initial process is?