When most people think of plumbing trouble, they imagine a clogged toilet or a leaking faucet. Repairs to these kinds of problems can be costly, but often the solution is fairly straight forward. But what happens when the pipes under the house or lawn get damaged? That is not an inconvenience. That becomes a real nightmare.
There are only two ways to fix damaged pipes underground. An owner can either begin digging up the landscaping and blowing holes in the concrete foundation to expose and replace the broken pipes, or they can reline the existing pipes internally using a resin coated liner. The first option can cost thousands of dollars in both the process and subsequent restoration. The second can be done in an afternoon with minimal to no exposure, at far less cost.
Sewer Pipe Relining
Damages to underground pipes come from many different sources. Tree roots are a common culprit, compromising pipes by slowly working their way through joints, seeking the water the tubing carries inside. Some pipes develop cracks due to age or environmental factors such as heat or moisture. Heavy machinery or vehicles can easily crack sewage lines hidden beneath the surface of a lawn or landscape. Pipe relining is a remarkably simple option to any of these problems. Here is how it works.
Here is how it works.
First, a technician inspects the damaged pipes using a remote camera. This is done using a robotic interface that allows the interior of each branch in the system to be inspected closely for cracks or collapsed walls. Once the damage is located, a high-pressure jet clears away the debris and any blockage that may have occurred due to roots or incursion. Only rarely do technicians need to actually dig a hole. Quality repair specialists will always make it a priority to fill these back in after repairs.
Once the damage is located and the site prepared, service personnel insert a specialised textile liner coated with an adhesive resin into the faulty channel using either pressurised air or water. This process inverts the textile liner, pushing the adhesive resin against the inside of the pipe as it expands to perfectly cover the damaged areas, creating a uniform protective seal across the length of the broken pipe. The pressure used to impress the liner against the walls of the cylinder is held steady until the resin has set and cured.
Finally, once the repair is made and the liner has become solid, the technician will re-inspect the area using the remote camera. This is to confirm that the repairs to the damaged section have held and that all obstructions have been removed from the system. Once cured, the sewer pipe relining is a permanent repair. The textile liner and resin have a guaranteed lifespan of twenty-five years, and most will last over fifty under normal conditions.
Trenchless Pipe Relining
Underground pipe repair traditionally consists of digging a trench along the length of pipe assumed to be the area in need of restoration. This can be incredibly damaging to the surrounding landscape and structural foundation and is often done with a “best guess” of where the break or collapse actually occurred. If the rupture is located quickly then the old pipe is removed and a new pipe is used to replace it. This removal exposes the entire area to whatever sewage the system contains for as long as the repairs take. Even after the repairs are finished, cleanup and landscaping can take days if not weeks to complete.
But with trenchless pipe relining, repairs are made on the spot with minimal excavation. No pipes are removed and the only exposure to sewage comes from the initial damage. The textile liner is flexible and strong. It is injected into the compromised system in one smooth motion, sealing and repairing the passage without disrupting the surrounding grounds or building. This is faster and less expensive than traditional repairs.
While trenches can ruin landscaping, traditional pipe repair inside of a building that has a leak beneath the concrete slab can mean tearing out entire sections of floor with a jackhammer. Replacement and repair costs for returning a concrete foundation to its original state can quickly dwarf the costs of the pipe repair itself. Relining minimises the affect the repairs have on the surrounding grounds and structure, saving owners both trouble and money.
A Permanent Solution
Pipe relining is not a patch. It is not a temporary repair that flakes away or washes off after a season. It is not something to be done in an emergency, to last until a proper repair can be made. This is the entire repair, done quickly and without complication or mess. It is inexpensive, permanent, durable and proven. Once the resin coated textile liner is set in place, it will last dozens of years without the need for repair or maintenance.
Whether the system has roots creeping in through the joints, a crack that is letting in sand, or an entire section missing due to wall collapse, pipe relining is the only solution that makes sense. It is the easiest, most inexpensive way to make quick repairs to a compromised sewage or stormwater system.
The Relining Company are based in the Eastern Suburbs, with our head office in North Bondi and our relocated factory in Alexandria.
