Pipe relining and sewer renewals

If Brad has cleared your drain twice in the last couple of years, the blockage is not the problem. The pipe is. This is the page about fixing the pipe.

What it usually is

Most sewer lines under older Illawarra houses are earthenware, laid in short lengths with a joint every metre or so. Over fifty or sixty years the ground moves, the joints open up and tree roots get in. Once roots are in, they grow every season and the drain blocks again and again. Eventually the pipe cracks or collapses and nothing gets through at all.

You will usually know because:

• The same drain keeps blocking.
• A camera inspection has shown roots, cracks, a displaced joint or a collapsed section.
• There is a wet patch in the yard over the sewer line, or a smell.
• A sale or a renovation has turned up a bad pipe.

Relining or dig up

There are two ways to fix a damaged sewer, and Brad does both.

Pipe relining means a new pipe is formed inside the old one. A resin-soaked liner is fed into the existing pipe, inflated against the walls and cured hard. The result is a smooth, jointless pipe inside the old one, with nowhere for roots to get in. It is done from the existing access points, so there is no trench through the garden, the driveway or the slab. For a pipe that is cracked, full of roots or has open joints but is still roughly in shape, relining is usually the cheaper and much tidier option.

Sewer renewal means digging up and replacing the pipe with new PVC. If a section has collapsed, dropped badly, or is so far gone there is nothing left to line, replacement is the right job. Sometimes it is a short section. Sometimes it is the whole run from the house to the boundary.

Brad will not push you towards one or the other. He puts the camera down, shows you the footage, and tells you which one makes sense for your pipe and your budget. Often it is a mix: replace the collapsed bit, reline the rest.

What Brad does

1. Camera inspection to see exactly what is wrong and where.
2. Locates and marks the line so you know what is happening underground.
3. Clears the pipe with the jetter and cuts out the roots, so the liner has a clean pipe to bond to.
4. Relines or replaces, as agreed.
5. Camera again afterwards, so you can see the finished pipe and keep the footage for your records.

Is it worth it

Compared with paying to have the drain cleared every year, and living with the odd overflow in between, usually yes. Ask Brad for a free quote. If it is not worth it for your pipe, he will say so.