Pipe Relining
Tree roots are able to enter pipes through loose cracks or joints. Once they have an access point, they will continue to grow and on many occasions the tree roots break the pipe.
No-dig pipe relining is a great alternative to the dig up method especially for difficult to access pipe under concrete etc. This process is non-invasive and takes a lot less time to complete than digging up a pipe. Often, a pipe will be under a slab or bathroom floor and to dig this up is time consuming, messy and costly. The pipe relining process essentially involves placing a new pipe inside the old broken one.
The pipe relining process is quite simple:
- The pipe will need to be cleaned out thoroughly with a drain camera and high pressure water jetter. This will remove any existing tree roots from the pipework.
- The drain camera is reinserted to assess the damage and locate the area which needs relining.
- An inflatable bladder then is placed inside a fabric liner coated with resin. This is positioned inside the pipe over the area which needs to be repaired.
- An air compressor is used to inflate the bladder which expands the fabric ‘sock’ to the full diameter of the pipe.
- It will then need to cure for anywhere between 1.5 and 6 hours. Once it sets, the ‘sock’ is removed and the pipes are able to be used again.
This process generally takes 1 day whereas dig up jobs can often take up to a week!
Advantages
Some of the advantages of no-dig pipe relining are:
- It is much more cost effective and less time consuming than the traditional ‘dig up’ method
- Minimal disruption – no digging up landscaping or driveways
- Small sections of pipe or whole lengths are able to be relined
- Tree roots will not be able to penetrate the section of pipe that has been relined
- Junctions, bends and joints are able to be relined
- Effective on both clay / earthenware and PVC pipes
- Structural strength pipe repairs
- Restore existing pipes to former glory (50 years life expectancy)
- A new pipe within the old one
- Suitable for industrial / commercial / residential
Learn more about pipe relining quotes.