The first thing that comes to mind when many of us think of Las Vegas is gambling, and that perception is supported by the facts. According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, taxable revenue generated over the past year (8/01/14 – 7/31/15) for the state of Nevada was $10.5 billion, with nearly $5.5 billion generated on the Las Vegas Strip alone. In 2014, the Las Vegas Visitor and Convention Authority reported more than 41 million people visited the Las Vegas Strip, with a hotel occupancy rate of nearly 90%. With gambling and tourism being the main sources of revenue for the Las Vegas Strip, shutting down a hotel casino for internal maintenance or repairs for even a day can devastate a hotel’s bottom line.

When a major hotel chain experienced lateral failure directly beneath its lobby casino, they turned to CIPP lateral lining as the best trenchless solution to prevent disruption of business and lost revenue. The four-inch lateral pipe ran fourteen feet beneath the slot machines and fed multiple bathrooms, the local coffee shop, a restaurant, bar and sundries store. The project was especially complicated because of the utilities and conduits located under the casino floor, including electricity and multiple communication lines to each and every slot machine.

“The initial inspection soon revealed that the line located from the 9:00 to 3:00 position was virtually gone,” said Dean Monk, Division Manager of Professional Pipe Services (Pro-Pipe), the firm ultimately selected for the inspection, cleaning and repair of the damaged pipe. “The high gas and acid levels from soda products deteriorated and virtually destroyed the pipe. We were faced with many challenges, including the ability to be as nimble and unobtrusive as possible.”

The MaxLiner lateral relining system was selected to reline the existing pipe for many reasons, including the equipment’s light weight and ability to repair pipes in hard-to-reach places. “MaxLiner allowed us to move the equipment from one access point to the next with a great amount of ease, but we also wanted to repair the broken and missing pipe with highest quality CIPP materials available because they provide better resistance to chemicals than untreated ductile iron pipe,” continued Monk. “In doing so, we were able to provide the hotel with a solution that will well outlive the lifespan of their original pipe at a cost that not only saved them money on the repairs, but also was better for the environment and allowed the hotel to keep their slot machines and customer services running the entire time.”

In addition to minimizing impact to customers, other concerns involving the indoor work included dealing with odors, minimizing impact to customers and gamblers, and getting the job done as quickly as possible. Completed within five days, with the crew working 12-15 hours per day, the 250 feet of pipe was relined successfully and did not negatively impact the business, guests, staff or revenue.

While the work for this project was completed in 2010, the success of the project has prompted the hotel’s engineering department to seek out CIPP relining for a newly discovered area of lateral failure – under the laundry room and kitchen areas. “The laterals in these areas of the hotel face the same concerns as the lobby casino,” said Monk, “including minimizing disruption since the kitchen and laundry are in service 24/7. These lines have deteriorated for the same reasons as the casino, and will require heavy yet gentle cleaning due to the condition of the pipe, as well as minor bypass pumping.” Two hundred feet long with two access points, the pipe relining project is currently in progress.

For more information about NASSCO’s Lateral Committee, please visit nassco.org.