What is Pipe Relining?
Pipe relining is a trenchless repair method that avoids excavation. It involves inserting a flexible epoxy resin lining into the existing pipe to essentially create a robust new pipe within old infrastructure. The liner bonds with the existing pipe’s interior, sealing off any cracks and preventing leaks.
Pipe relining is suitable for various segments of your plumbing system, such as sewer and stormwater pipes, effectively restoring functionality and flow capacity. This non-invasive technique preserves gardens and driveways by creating a strong new pipe within the existing one.
Addressing issues such as tree root intrusions and cracks promptly is essential to secure your plumbing and prevent significant damage. A CCTV inspection is the first step, accurately pinpointing damage before inserting custom-sized liners into the pipe. Subsequently, the lining cures and hardens within the section pipe inside the old structure to form a smooth, seamless and enduring solution.
When to Opt for Pipe Relining
There are several situations when pipe relining is recommended over traditional pipe replacement or repair methods:
- When cracked broken pipes have defects causing disruptive leaks
- To address slow or blocked drains caused by blockages like roots or grease
- In systems showing signs of aging where remediation of a broken pipe is essential to avert future complications
- For pipes compromised by tree roots that have managed to grow into them over time
- To sidestep the need dig into your yard expensively and disruptively or to demolish to access pipes
- To prevent future leaks and stop minor pipe issues from becoming major failures
Pipe relining allows for comprehensive repair of damaged drains with minimal impact on the surrounding landscape or infrastructure. As it is a trenchless technique, it lets you get your driveways, gardens and yards spared from being dug up. The process can aid in repairing your pipes to achieve a faster, cleaner, and more efficient outcome than traditional methods, which caused disruptions and were costly.
Factors such as the extent of damage, pipe length, and choose pipe type are crucial considerations to ensure optimal repairs. An initial CCTV drain inspection helps determine if relining is appropriate for the damaged pipe sections.
How Pipe Relining Works
The pipe relining process begins with a CCTV inspection to evaluate the damage and identify the affected pipe sections. The inspection ascertains the feasibility of relining and pinpoints the precise sections that require repair.
Subsequently, the damaged pipe section must be thoroughly cleaned and prepped for relining. Tools like the cutter water jetter and robotic cutter are essential to remove debris and ensure the new lining bonds firmly to the pipe walls.
After cleaning, a resin-soaked felt liner is inserted into the pipe via access points. The liner is expanded and then filled against the pipe walls, plugging crevices and punctures where damage may lurk unnoticed within the aged infrastructure.
Once the liner cures under ultraviolet light, it becomes a seamless, durable lining that can last for decades. After pipe relining, with flow capacity restored and leaks prevented, the relined pipe only requires post-installation CCTV verification.
When addressing your plumbing issues, relining using pipe relining techniques is faster, cleaner and more cost-effective compared to the traditional method of digging up and replacing your plumbing. Relined pipes boast a life-span exceeding 50+ years, causing minimal commotion or disruption to properties as they restore plumbing infrastructure in situ, without the need to excavate gardens, driveways or yards.
The Pipe Relining Process Step-by-Step
Outlined here are the key steps involved in the pipe relining process, crucial to restoring your piping:
- Initial CCTV camera inspection - A drain camera is fed through the pipes to assess damage and determine if relining is suitable.
- Pipe cleaning and preparation - Specialist tools like robotic cutters and water jetters prep the pipe interior so liners can adhere properly.
- Felt liner insertion - A custom-sized felt liner soaked in epoxy resin is integrated into the damaged pipe within the old structure.
- Liner inflation - The liner is inflated with compressed air to fit snugly against pipe walls, sealing holes and cracks.
- Liner curing - The epoxy resin liner is left to cure beneath UV light, solidifying over time to bond tightly and form a durable pipe lining.
- Final CCTV inspection - Post-installation footage verifies leaks are fixed with the area pipe relining below secured, flow is restored, and the relining was successful.
As a trenchless and non-invasive method, pipe relining abolishes the need to dig, thus safeguarding your gardens and landscaping. By restoring pipes from the inside-out, it offers durable results for your property for decades while avoiding future damage.
The Equipment and Materials Used
The key equipment and materials utilised in the pipe relining process include:
- A CCTV drain camera - Used to inspect pipes and determine suitability for relining. Guides the process.
- High-pressure water jetters - Commonly used to clear debris and buildup inside pipes ensuring liners can securely adhere.
- Robotic cutter water devices - These tools play a crucial role in pipe clearing techniques to remove dense blockages, including tree roots and mineral deposits that reside within.
- Epoxy resin - The material used to coat the felt liner and create a protective pipe lining once cured.
- Felt liner - Soaked in resin then inserted into pipe. Forms the new pipe surface.
- UV lights or steam - Cures and hardens liner into a smooth, watertight pipe lining.
The materials are specialised and precise, tailored to match the specific diameter and length required. Your plumber and our expert team handle these steps with care throughout the trenchless relining process until the new lining is hardened and restored.
Preparing and Installing the Liner
After establishing suitability through a CCTV inspection, the critical next steps are preparing and installing the liner. Our experts use customised tools to meticulously clean the damaged section pipe.
Pipe cleaning is done using high-pressure water jetters that clear minerals, roots, and debris, enabling the liner to bond well to the pipe walls. We may also use scraping tools and robotic cutters to cut out substantial blockages that are involved in pipe obstructions.
With the pipe interior prepped, we introduce a soaked liner inside the pipe through an existing access point. This flexible liner is sized to the exact length and diameter needed. We carefully insert it into the damaged pipe through an existing access point.
The liner is then inflated with compressed air, pressing it against the pipe walls to seal any cracks and leaks. Over a few hours, UV lights cure and harden the resin-coated liner to form a tough, seamless new pipe lining.
Our techs make sure proper inflation and curing are achieved to prevent wrinkles or air voids that could impact structural integrity. The outcome is a perfect finish to the pipe inside, with an enduring liner that precludes further damage while reinstating flow capacity.
Curing the New Pipe
Once the resin-coated liner is inserted into the damaged pipe section, a critical step is curing the liner to harden and bond it permanently in place. We utilise UV light curing as an eco-friendly and effective method.
Positioning a specialised UV light train inside the pipe, we activate the curing process, causing the epoxy resin to solidify. This securely bonds the new liner to the pipe which was old, reinforcing its walls. Curing with UV light is quick, solidifying the liner in 2-3 hours and preventing structural damage from occurring.
Other curing methods, such as hot water or steam, though slower, are suitable for longer pipe sections and help to ensure a thorough resolution of any blockages. Ambient temperature curing also works but takes 12+ hours. We select the ideal curing method based on pipe size and location.
Throughout the curing process, we monitor the pipe lining using CCTV to ensure no faults, wrinkles or air pockets form that could impact structural integrity and flow capacity. This creates a unified, leak-proof lining that provides reliable service for many years.
Inspecting the Relined Pipe
A post-installation CCTV inspection is the final step to ensure the quality of the pipe relining. Our technicians carefully inspect the repaired pipe in its entirety to validate the quality and confirm no faults, upholding our commitment to excellence.
We confirm through CCTV footage:
- The liner is fully bonded to the old pipe, free from gaps or air pockets
- No drips, leaks or moisture infiltration within the repaired section
- Smoke testing shows no breaches in the pipe lining integrity
- Flow capacity and drainage has been fully restored
- No blockages, obstructions or buildup impeding the flow
Only Only when our experts confirm a successful pipe relining through CCTV validation do we consider the task finished, and your plumbing solutions come out from our establishment. This quality assurance process is vital to guarantee decades of leak-free performance from the trenchless pipe repair.
The Benefits of Pipe Relining
The advantages of pipe relining are numerous, significantly benefiting Cronulla homeowners and businesses by serving as a remedy into damaged piping systems:
- Less invasive - No necessity to excavate trenches or dismantle driveways, gardens or landscaping, preserving the integrity of your home environment
- Much faster - Pipe relining can be completed in just a few hours to days, contrasting the weeks traditional methods may take.
- More durable - Pipe relining ensures that the pipe can last 50+ years compared to 10-20 years for replacements
- Eco-friendly - Avoids landfill waste from pipe replacements
- Cost-effective - Pipe relining is significantly more affordable than full pipe replacement.
- Versatile - Sewer pipe relining is also effective for stormwater and water pipes
- Preventative - Stops minor problems turning into major failures in your piping system
- High success rate - 95%+ of pipes can be relined using trenchless relining techniques
By repairing pipes internally, pipe relining restores functionality and flow while preserving property integrity. This trenchless technique is the modern, practical and green solution for leaky, damaged or slow-draining pipes.
Pipe Relining vs Traditional Repair
Pipe relining offers numerous advantages compared to traditional pipe repair methods that involve excavating and replacing pipes:
Factor Pipe Relining versus Traditional Pipe Repair
| Cost | Generally offers savings of 50% or more, making it a cost-efficient alternative | Often costlier due to extensive excavation work and the need for new pipes |
| Time | Completion is rapid, typically within 1-3 days | Takes weeks with digging, replacement and refilling trenches |
| Property Impact | Minimally invasive with no digging or demolition | Major destruction to driveways, landscaping, gardens etc |
| Longevity | Epoxy linings properly cured can last over 50 years | New pipes may last 15-20 years before needing replacement |
Understanding the internal rehabilitation of pipes with durable epoxy resin linings reveals the rapid restoration function of pipe relining without property damage. This modern technique is faster, greener and more affordable than traditional exterior pipe repairs or full replacement.
