What is Involved with Relining My Plumbing?

When attempting to counteract blocked drains, you might hear suggestions of pipe relining…but is this an option for you? How does it work? You’ll find everything you need to know in this guide!

Essentially, the name gives the process away because professional plumbers will aim to adapt the pipe network in and around your property. With a new pipe relining the old one, you don’t need to worry about trenching, and it should prevent numerous issues.

What are some of these issues? Well, Hero Plumbing has seen it all over the years, including tree roots. While society loves nature and enjoys greenery around the local community, opinion changes slightly when their roots affect pipes and plumbing. The larger and older the tree, the more invasive the roots under the ground. Since these roots seek nutrients under the ground, pipes are a popular option and can cause clogging.

Elsewhere, other symptoms of an issue with your pipes include sewer odour, blocked drains and backups, slow drains, rodents/insects (more than normal), issues with the foundation of your property, and even unnatural yard growth. When sewage leaks from a pipe, for example, many homeowners notice that their grass grows better than they ever could have imagined. While this might not seem like a problem at first, sewage is an effective fertiliser, so it could be a sign of a big problem.

Returning to the question, the process starts with an inspection by a reliable plumbing service. Using camera inspection and other modern tools that prevent the need for trenching, the professionals identify the problem.

From here, experts use advanced techniques to clean the pipe – this will remove cooking oil, sewage, hair, and other debris. At this point, the pipe is at its original diameter because all debris is removed. Therefore, it’s ready for relining.

What’s called an ‘epoxy-impregnated liner’ is placed into the old pipe – when inflated, it creates a new pipe without having to perform expensive restructuring. Depending on the damage, professionals will reline either a single section or the whole network. If a small section is fixed, this is known as a ‘spot repair’ in the industry. If the whole pipe needs this treatment, it’s considered a replacement because the pipe is essentially new.

With severe cases of damage, your plumbing company may not be able to avoid trenchless technology. However, this is something they will discuss with you as they discover the damage and work through potential solutions.

Inspecting Your Plumbing to Locate the Blockage and Determine What to Do

So, you’re having problems with blocked drains. How do you locate the issue? Firstly, noting where the problem arises is a helpful start. For instance, are you struggling to flush your toilet, or is the shower backing up? If you have a backup in one area, try the others to see if they’re also blocked – this includes the toilet, shower, and all sinks.

If it’s a shower or sink, an unblocking solution or plunger could clear the blockage; a plunger could also clear a blockage in the toilet. If nothing works, this suggests a deeper problem, and it’s best to contact a reliable and professional plumbing service. They will have the latest camera inspection tools so that the problem is identified quickly and efficiently. You don’t need to worry about unnecessary trenching because trained professionals always seek the most effective route.

If your initial checks and steps don’t work, contact a plumber because it could be that you need to reline your pipes to prevent future blocked drains!