Pipe Relining Sydney: Understand The No-Dig Solution To Damaged Drains

The sewer pipe has cracks below ground. Roots from neighbouring trees have intruded. The old method of dealing with it was to dig it up and replace it. All of the modern rhetoric does nothing except scatter about.

One of the most important developments in the last 20 years in the field of residential plumbing was the development of pipe relining. This helps to fix a crack, or damage to the roots, or deterioration of the drain pipe without having to dig up the ground above the pipe. No excavation of the driveway. There is absolutely no rain on the parade. There will be no removal of and replacement for the concrete slab. No 3 day work and your yard has become a construction site.

A resin impregnated felt liner is then forced into the existing pipe at either an access point (cleanout, inspection opening, boundary trap) or both. The liner is inflated against the inside of the old pipe and the resin is cured (usually heated, lit by UV or just left to cure at room temperature) to create a rigid new pipe inside of the old pipe. This creates a liner that is seamless, joint free and protects the roots with no disruption to the surface.

The Need For Relining Is When…

Recurring drain blockages: When you are having recurring root blockages in your drains every 6 months to 18 months then you cannot stop trees from getting in by jetting the drain, as there are still gaps in the pipe at cracks joints and separated sections, so they will still re-enter. Sealing those entry points is permanent with relining. Roots can no longer invade pipe. In old suburbs in Sydney, this is the most common application for relining.

Cracked or displaced pipe sections: Over time, ground movement, aging and thermal cycling can cause cracks and displacement in pipes that are made of terracotta or earthenware. When the CCTV camera identifies cracking or displacement, but the pipe has not completely collapsed, relining fills in the cracks and produces a new pipe within the damaged pipe.

Corroded cast iron or galvanised pipes: internal drainage may be covered by old cast iron or galvanised steel pipes, which may have corroded and become thin over the years, especially in older houses, especially those built in the Eastern suburbs before 1960. The benefit of relining these pipes is that they can be resurfaced without having to be pulled from walls and floors.

Suburbs such as Point Piper, Woollahra and Bellevue Hill: The spaces above a sewer line may feature heritage sandstone walls or landscape architecture, or a paved entertaining area. It might cost as much as the pipe repair, even more, to move through these and replace a portion of pipe. There is no damage to the above-ground components when relining.

Where Relining Won't Work

Fully collapsed pipes: When a pipe fails, its cross section is flattened or cave-in and there is no pipe to be relined. The complete pipe bore has to be present to enable the liner to inflate against. In these instances, excavation and replacement will be required.

Severely misaligned sections: Should the pipeline have been so greatly misaligned that the liner will not pass through, reliner may not be possible. Some misalignment (less than about 25% pipe diameter) should generally be acceptable. Apart from all that the section was damaged and should be replaced.

Pipe diameter changes: Relining is best suited for a straight section (a “run”) of pipe that is the same diameter all the way through. It is also complicated and an additional cost where the pipe changes in size, for example 100mm in the house to 150mm in the outside environment. It is still typically achievable, but the plumber will have to make plans to do so.

What It Costs In Sydney

The average price Sydney users can expect to pay for pipe relining is in the range of $500 through to $1200 per metre. This of course varies depending on the diameter of the pipe, the access, and the reliner material which will be used. If you are interested in a sewer reline for your home, you can expect the cost of the job to be $3,000 to $8,000 for a 5-10 metre pipe.

Add to that the traditional excavation and pipe replacement for the same length: $5,000 to $15,000 or more, depending on the excavation (which in deeper trenches can require shoring), the installation of the pipe itself, re-backfilling and the restoration of the ground above such as a driveway of concrete, pavers or a garden “rework.”

When the pipe is a suitable candidate for relining it is usually cheaper to reline as opposed to replace. If there is a full collapse or a severe collapse of the area that has to be excavated there aren’t alternatives, this is the extra amount of work that’s required and it’s going to be more expensive.

How Long will the Reline Last?

Manufacturers warrant the majority of the relining products in Sydney for 35 to 50 years. The resin material (usually epoxy, polyester) is extremely resistant to all chemicals, roots, and corrosion. Because the lining is seamless with no joints, it rectifies previous failure points.

Realistically, the pipe after a relining should last the life of the house. Warranty is the manufacturer’s guarantee. But the material life, according to the true properties of the material, is probably even longer.

When tree roots continue to cause any clogs, talk to your plumbing expert about relining the drain before jetting it again and paying for the frustration of having to treat root clogs. A reline is about the same price as two or three years of re-jetting, but will fix the problem permanently, and the warranty is measured in decades, not months.