You don’t need to know how to plumb a wall to buy a house, right? So why waste time and energy getting your head around pipe relining just to clear a blocked drain? Here’s exactly what you need to know about relining plumbing pipes.<\/p>\n
There are a few reasons it pays to understand at least the basics of relining plumbing pipes; not the least of which is the fact that even just a little bit of knowledge can help you pay a lot less when it comes to fixing the plumbing systems in your own home.<\/p>\n
This article explains:<\/p>\n
We’ve also provided some links to further information (for those who just can’t get enough of pipe relining!). Armed with all that, we’re confident you’ll have everything you need to know about relining plumbing pipes and how to find the pipe relining solution that’s right for you.<\/p>\n
A bit of history real quick!<\/p>\n
Way before Cleopatra wove her magic, early Egyptians formed pipes out of baked clay and straw to carry waste and water. With a mostly undeveloped world and thousands of slaves around to do the hard yards, digging up broken pipes and replacing them was an easy fix.<\/p>\n
But fast forward a few millennia and it was time for a new system.<\/p>\n
Increased industrialisation (that thing they kept harping on about in Modern History) and urban sprawl in the 20th century meant more and more pipes were being laid – particularly post WWII. But it also meant more pipes needed repairs 30-50 years later. Trouble was, by then there were massive apartment blocks and shopping complexes built above those pipes and digging them up became significantly more problematic.<\/p>\n
But once again thanks to the marvels of human ingenuity, we created a solution: relining.<\/p>\n
With so much infrastructure (roads, homes, shops etc.) built above pipe networks the savings relining has brought for statutory authorities and governments in terms of costs and inconvenience are huge. As with most new technologies (think phones and laptops) prices were often out of reach for the average homeowner initially (unless replacement involved demolition and reconstruction of their dwelling). But as uptake spread and manufacturing costs came down, relining plumbing pipes became much more affordable and in many cases is now significantly more cost-effective than traditional dig-and-replace methods.<\/p>\n
But there are other savings beyond what relining can do for our bank balance.<\/p>\n
It’s not just people who live around pipes. When pipes are initially installed the soil is dug up and aerated and when it’s put back in it’s less compact, which makes life easier for insects and plants that want to set up shop in the area. Over time small cracks will often leak water and nutrients (sewage) into the surrounding soil as well, which makes this real estate even more attractive to our friendly fauna and flora.<\/p>\n
Pipe relining is a highly sustainable practice which protects our environment and the plants and small animals living in our soil. It is much kinder to our earth than excavation, it is safer to install, and it creates less waste and noise pollution. All in all, relining plumbing pipes rather than excavating them is a smarter, safer and more responsible way to go as we plunge head-first into the third millennium.<\/p>\n
Put very simply, pipe relining involves creating or inserting a brand new pipe within an old, damaged one where it sits in the ground. There is usually no excavation involved at all. This means lower overall cost, faster repairs and no destruction or reinstatement costs for buildings, floors, walls, driveways, gardens or other assets or services located above or near the damaged pipe.<\/p>\n