While this can be expensive to replace, there are alternatives to pipe replacement available thanks to modern engineering, equipment and the plumbing skills of Sherlock Drains.

There are several reasons why your pipes can become damaged or cracked, such as:

Age – If your home is older the pipes might be worn and brittle with age. This is especially common with homes where the practice was to lay clay pipes. While a great material to use at the time, it isn’t able to stand the test of time like PVC piping can.

External Pressure – There’s a strong possibility of damage from groundwork or invading tree roots. Tiny tree roots seeking out water can do some big damage as they grow. Although they start as fine as hairs, they can break through pipes with incredible force in a short space of time.

Internal stress – As well as the outer shell, your pipe has a lining to protect its materials from anything that might reduce its lifespan. Unfortunately, many chemicals can damage the pipe lining, particularly harsh drain cleaning solutions. If your lining is damaged your pipes will be much more susceptible to decaying.

With incredible technology at our fingertips, there’s no guessing games involved at Sherlock Drains. We know how to pinpoint exactly where your pipe issues are and how bad the damage is.

The best-case scenario is that your pipes are intact enough for us to offer to reline rather than replace them. Pipe relining is a professional service we offer to strengthen your pipes, seal up cracks and remove the need for invasive digging and pipe replacement.

What is Pipe Relining

When a pipe is broken or damaged, accessing it can be difficult. The old method was to dig up the pipe buried underground and replace the broken section with a new one. If an entire pipeline needs replacing then more digging, more mess and more money are required.

Nowadays, there are better options available. Pipe relining is where a flexible internal lining is inserted into your cleaned pipes and sealed to the existing pipe walls with a strong epoxy resin. This reinforces the brittle pipes, making them better than new without any messy excavation.

Pipe relining isn’t a temporary patch job. The finished result will last for decades – even as long as 50 years – giving you peace of mind that your pipes will manage their job and provide maximum value no matter how long you own the property.

Pipe relining work can be completed in just a day or two, getting your water turned back on faster and allowing you to get on with your regular schedule.

How Are Pipes Relined?

Our qualified plumbers will start by assessing your property and analysing your pipe condition and any obstructions we find. When the project is fully scoped out we can recommend the best ways to go about repairs.

Pipes need to be cleaned for the epoxy resin to stick. We start with high-pressure water jets, strong enough to cut through tree roots, leaving your pipes clean and completely clear.

If jetting equipment is not able to move debris we can also engage our manual cutting technology to scour or grind out pipe blockages.

Once your pipes are ready, it’s time to insert the epoxy resin-infused lining and seal it in place with hot water. The hot water will create an instant watertight pipe inside the existing one all from above ground with very little access requirements. After letting it set, we’ll come back to give your lining one final test and clean before heading on our way.

What Are the Costs of Pipe Relining?

There are two methods of pipe relining which we can discuss with you to see what suits your needs and budget.

Patch Pipe Relining

This is a permanent patch job that closes over one small section of damage. If your pipes are in excellent condition apart from a few isolated cracks, this could be your best option as it’s less complicated and more cost-effective. The piece is inserted at the drain end and manoeuvred into place using CCTV drain camera equipment and air pressure. Once in place, hot water is used to lock it in and seal the deal.

Inversion Pipe Relining

Inversion pipe relining is a sheet of resin-infused liner that is completely seamless and whole. The single piece is inserted into the drain using an inversion drum and positioned with air pressure. The method is best suited to older sewers, stormwater pipes and other pipe sections longer than three metres.

As well as the relining costs, you’ll need to consider a few other considerations that can influence the final cost.

Factors that affect cost

The biggest costs are the lining itself which is factored at cost per metre and the time it takes your plumber to complete the job, with minimum charges in place.

Along with the price of relining, here are some factors that affect costs and may come into play:

The quality and type of your existing pipe material
The length of the pipe needing treatment
Difficulties with pipe access (this may require some curing or minor digging)
How wide or narrow the pipe is
The number of breaks and extent of damage
Which pipe relining method you use
Any issue with reconnecting PVC pipes when completed

Indicative prices

When looking at quotes for domestic sewer and drain relining, you can expect to see prices around $500-$700 per linear metre for a standard 90/100mm pipe. This is a good way to compare the epoxy resin lining but won’t factor in work time. Depending on the factors and conditions of your actual pipe, relining prices could start at around $2,000 for the first metre and $660 for every metre after that.

Treat a quote as a guide to getting started. A good plumber will be happy to talk to you about the cost and provide details regarding your required pipe works. However, you won’t be able to get exact costs until a full site assessment has been completed.

Alternatives to Pipe Relining

A new piece of pipe is relatively cheap to buy. What’s not cheap is accessing your existing pipes to replace them.

Pipes are buried out of the way, which means excavation equipment needs to be brought in to get deep enough to access them. Not only is this expensive, but it may disrupt your landscaping and require it to be redone. In other cases pipes are located under your house, making them almost impossible to get access to. Relining these can save a lot of headaches and disruption.

The final thing to consider is that even after all that digging, pipe replacement and filling-in has been done, only a small portion of your overall pipework has been looked after. Any wear to other pipes won’t be dealt with until they fail, meaning you might have to go through the entire process again in the future. Pipe relining insulates your entire pipeline and sets to make it stronger from end to end. It’s a one-off payment that will most likely cover the rest of your time on the property.

At Sherlock Drains, we make sure to give you a fully itemised upfront quote that includes all the costs of your pipe relining as well as discussing possible variables we may discover along the way. Contact us today to find out more.

What is the Cost of Pipe Relining?