What is Orangeburg Pipe?

Orangeburg pipe, also known as "fiber conduit", is bituminized fiber pipe made from layers of wood pulp and pitch pressed together.  It is similar to multiple layers of tar paper pressed together and rolled to form a pipe.  It was used from the 1860s through the 1970s, until it was replaced by PVC pipe.  The name comes from Orangeburg, New York, the town in which most Orangeburg pipe was manufactured.  It was manufactured largely by the Fiber Conduit Company, which changed its name to the Orangeburg Manufacturing Company in 1948.  The pipe is sometimes referred to as Bermico pipe, based on a different company making a similar pipe.  It became a very popular material of choice during the 1940's and 1950's due to metal rationing during World War II.

This pipe is commonly found in the Holland area serving as a sanitary sewer service pipe constructed before 1970.  Many contractors connected to the public sewer main with this type of pipe.  The pipe worked well for the first 20-30 years in service, but the material generally begins to break down over time.  Invasive tree roots cause blockages.  Pipe weakness over time results in the ground above collapsing the pipe.  Orangeburg pipe tends to have a useful life of about 50 years.  It is no longer an acceptable material for usage as an underground building drainage or sewer pipe according to the Michigan Plumbing Code.  These tar paper sewer service pipes have been failing at an alarming rate throughout the Holland BPW service area.  There are no public sewer mains that are maintained by the Holland BPW that are made of Orangeburg pipe.

Here is an informative testimonial from Lake Oswego, Oregon where they have experienced similar problems.

Customers are responsible for their private sanitary sewer service pipe between the public main and the home.  Many homeowners are unaware of the condition of their sewer pipe unless there is a problem in the pipe and it causes a sewer backup.  Customers are encouraged to find out the material of their sewer service pipe by contacting the Holland BPW Wastewater Services group at 616.355.1643 or email waterengineer@hollandbpw.com if you have questions or concerns.  We will provide you any information we may have on your sewer service including location, date installed and material if known.  Here is an example of what one of our records looks like.

If you have an sewer service line that is made of Orangeburg, we recommend that you have the pipe replaced as soon as you can afford to.  It is an expensive effort, but it is better to plan, save and replace it than to have it fail and deal with sewage backed up in your basement.  We recommend contacting a licensed plumber to have the pipe dug up, removed and replaced.  We also recommend getting more than one price estimate.  A plumbing permit from your Building Department is required.  Although the pipe is the customer's responsibility from the home to the public sewer main (typically in the street), the Holland BPW does replace sewer services under the street if they are reconstructing the public main in the street.  If your street was recently reconstructed and the sanitary sewer main was rebuilt as a part of that project, then your sewer service was likely replaced to the curb.

If you are considering replacing your sanitary sewer service, we recommend contacting the Holland BPW for information.  We may be replacing the sewer main in your street in the near future.