When you have a damaged or obstructed sewer pipe, you’ll need to contact a drain repair company to assess the problem and advise you of the options available for fixing the issue. The first option that may be available is sewer pipe relining, which involves removing any obstructions in the pipe and washing it out before using a structural liner, which is formed and cured in the shape of your existing drain (we’ll outline this process in more detail later). The second option is drain replacement, which involves completely replacing the damaged section of pipe with a new one, which we’ll also discuss in more detail below.
It’s important to understand what’s involved with each method, as it makes a difference in regards to cost, time taken to complete the repair, general disruption, and to the dig area. In some cases, you’ll have the opportunity to choose between methods, and in others, you won’t have a choice, as only complete pipe replacement will be effective.
Sewer Pipe Relining
Sewer pipe relining (also known as drain pipe relining or trenchless drain repair) involves repairing a drain from the inside, rather than digging up and replacing the pipe. In essence, a new drain is created within the old drain, which then operates as effectively as a newly laid drain. In fact, the newly cured pipe will be 6-8 times stronger than a standard PVC drain.
The benefits of sewer pipe relining
Minimal disruption: Drain pipe relining involves much less disruption than traditional excavation methods. When digging up sewer pipes, digging may be required, which creates noise and vibrations, as well as dust. Often it’s inconvenient for residents or those working at a commercial property to stay on site during this work.
Cheaper than trench-dug drain replacement: Generally speaking, the sewer pipe relining is less costly than traditional trench digging pipe replacement, for a variety of reasons. Firstly, fewer workers are required to fix the drain, which means less cost in labour (the task can often be achieved by one worker). Secondly, there’s no digging involved, so there’s no need to pay for a permit, and little likelihood of post-dig property repair costs. There’s also no need to hire expensive digging equipment. Then, there’s the lack of disruption to the workday of those working on site, and no need to pay accommodation costs if residents need to vacate during a dig.
Less environmental impact: For a variety of reasons, sewer pipe relining has less of a negative impact on the environment. There is less damage to established plant life and less soil erosion, no requirement for heavy machinery, which uses fuel, and a faster turnaround, which means there’s less wastewater leaching into and contaminating soil.
How sewer pipe relining works
Drain Fixers have an efficient and effective approach to drain pipe relining, which goes like this:
- We use a high-definition CCTV camera to find out where the pipe is damaged, and understand what the cause is. Feeding this camera through the pipe shows us if there are any obstructions which need to be removed before we reline the pipe.
- If obstructions are present, we remove them using diamond-head robotic cutters (if possible). We then clean the pipe using a high-pressure water jet.
- We fill a new structural pipe liner with two-part epoxy resin, then insert a deflated bladder inside it. After that, we insert both the liner and the bladder into the damaged pipe. When it’s in the correct place, the bladder expands the liner to form the shape of the new pipe.
- The resin rapidly cures to form a permanent replacement sewer pipe. We remove the bladder, and check the new section with our CCTV camera to ensure the pipe is properly repaired.
Drain Replacement
Whilst pipe relining is a faster, more economical, and less intrusive method of repairing pipes, there are circumstances where it won’t be effective. After a CCTV Drain Camera Inspection, Drain Fixers will identify whether or not manual pipe replacement of the damaged areas of the pipe will be required. In some cases, there’s no choice but to replace damaged pipes.
When Digging is Required
Circumstances when excavation is required to repair pipes include when:
- There’s a solid obstruction within the pipe, and robotic cutting can’t remove it
- Downstream access to the pipe isn’t available, and therefore, the liner can’t be inserted
- The drain has caved in, so it’s impossible to perform sewer pipe relining
- Pipes are misaligned or there are detached joins in the pipes
- Water is running backwards, as the sewer pipe is falling the wrong way.
In these cases, digging is likely unavoidable.
How it works
At Drain Fixers, we use CCTV cameras and pipe location equipment to pinpoint the location where the ground needs to be dug exactly. This minimises the size of the area that needs excavating, and reduces potential disturbance to your garden. Whilst doing this, we do our best to contain the mess and keep things as tidy as possible.
The Benefits of Drain Replacement via Dig Method
Whilst it may be inconvenient and take a bit longer, there are some benefits to digging up a sewer pipe. These include:
Gain a full picture: When you dig up the sewer pipe, you get a full picture of what’s going on both within and outside of the drain. This means you can inspect the soil and surrounding infrastructure. Because of this, you can see where potential obstructions, such as encroaching tree roots, or multiple weak sections of pipe might soon pose a problem, and do preventative work to deal with them.
You can perform a full pipe replacement: rather than patching up only a section of drain. This may be essential in circumstances where the pipe is crushed, collapsed, or where there’s wide-ranging intrusion from roots.
Longer Lifespan in Some Cases: You can expect a long life on a new PVC or HDPE pipe, which can each last 50+ years, whereas on relined pipes, you’re dependent on the integrity of the original pipe structure.
No Risk of Reduced Pipe Diameter: When you reline a pipe within an existing pipe, the internal diameter of the new pipe will be slightly smaller than the original. This is usually not much of a problem, however if the original pipes were already very narrow, then replacing the pipes completely will likely be a better solution.
Better option for large-scale damage: If you have large areas of damaged sewer pipes, or multiple different sections that are damaged, in some cases it’s more cost-effective to replace those pipes completely rather than using sewer pipe relining to repair individual sections.
No need to bond to old pipes: Pipe relining requires that the reliner bonds to the existing pipe, however this will only work if the original pipe was in such a condition that it could be adhered to. If it was too damaged or had broken apart, then pipe replacement will offer better structural integrity.
Cost & Time Comparison Between Drain Pipe Relining and Drain Pipe Replacement
It’s difficult to put a firm cost on each method of drain repair, as cost will always vary based on how much of the drain is damaged, if the drain is obstructed, where the damaged pipe is located on a property, and so on. However industry averages for sewer pipe relining and traditional pipe replacement services can offer some insight.
Cost for Pipe Relining:
The cost for pipe relining includes CCTV camera inspections as well as pipe relining.
- First Metre: Costs usually range from $2,400 to $3,000 for the first metre.
- Additional Metres: Cost is approximately $650 to $1,000 for each added metre of pipe.
Cost for Pipe Replacement:
- Per Metre: Costs may exceed $1,000 per metre, however will vary depending on the length of pipe needing replacement, and the complexity of the job.
Time Comparison:
The fastest option for repairing pipe damage is sewer pipe relining, which can usually be completed in one day. (The liner should be cured within 6 hours.)
As pipe replacement involves digging a trench, it takes more time. The time it takes will depend on the severity of the damage, the location of the damaged pipe, how much of an area needs to be dug up, and what infrastructure surrounds the pipes, as this can complicate the repair.
For an accurate cost and time quote for your damaged drains, contact Drain Fixers directly.
Case Studies of Sewer Pipe Relining vs Replacement
Read on to see examples of when sewer pipe relining and sewer replacement were required.
For Drain Replacement and Pipe Relining services, contact Drain Fixers.