Drain Relining
Most of the sewer and stormwater drains under older Brisbane homes are earthenware, and tree roots find every joint. Relining repairs the pipe from the inside: no excavation, usually finished in a day, and a liner built to outlast the pipe it went into.
What is included
How we approach it
- CCTV camera survey first, so the repair is designed around what is actually wrong
- High pressure jetting and root cutting to clean the host pipe back to its full diameter
- A resin-impregnated structural liner installed and cured in place, forming a seamless pipe within the pipe
- Junctions and branch lines cut back in with a robotic cutter, so nothing downstream is lost
- Sectional repairs for a single cracked joint, or full-length relining for a drain that has had it
- Sewer and stormwater lines, residential and commercial, from 100mm house drains up
- A final camera pass and a written report with footage, so you can see the finished pipe
- Notifiable work registered with the QBCC where the regulations require it
No two jobs are the same. If you are not sure whether what you have is urgent, call and describe it. We would rather tell you it can wait than charge you for an after-hours call you did not need.
How it works
What happens on the day.
Camera survey
We put a CCTV camera down the line to find the cracks, root intrusion and displaced joints, and to confirm the pipe is a candidate for relining rather than replacement.
Clean and prepare
High pressure jetting and root cutting take the pipe back to its original bore. A liner needs a clean wall to bond to.
Install the liner
A liner saturated with structural resin is inverted or pulled into the pipe and inflated against the wall, then cured in place until it is hard.
Reinstate junctions
Every branch the liner covered is cut back open from inside the pipe with a robotic cutter. Your toilet, shower and kitchen lines all flow again.
Final inspection
One more camera pass, and you get the footage and a written report. Then the water goes back on, usually the same day.
When it is the right call
Relining suits
- Cracked or fractured earthenware and PVC drains
- Tree roots getting in through joints, especially the ones that keep coming back after clearing
- Displaced or leaking joints letting water into the ground and causing subsidence
- Drains under concrete slabs, driveways, paving, pools or established gardens, where digging means destroying something
- Older Queenslanders and post-war homes with the original clay drainage
- Body corporate and commercial properties where a trench would mean closing a car park or a shop
When it is not
We will tell you to dig instead when
- A pipe that has fully collapsed, with no path left for a liner to travel through
- A long section that is missing altogether
- A drain that has sagged and holds water in a belly. A liner follows the shape of the pipe and cannot fix the fall
- Severe misalignment where the joint has offset further than a liner can bridge
- In those cases we excavate and replace the section, and we do that in-house too. The camera survey tells us which it is before you spend anything.
Straight answers
Questions we get asked.
How long does it take?
Most residential jobs are done in a day. The water is typically off for a few hours while the liner cures, and we tell you exactly when before we start.
How long does a relined pipe last?
The liner materials we use are rated by their manufacturers for 50 years. We will tell you plainly what warranty applies to your particular job before we start, and it will be in writing.
Is it cheaper than digging the pipe up?
Often, once you count reinstating the driveway, paving or garden that a trench would go through. Not always. Where both are possible we quote both and you choose.
Can you reline just one bad section?
Yes. A sectional or patch reline repairs a single cracked joint or root entry point without lining the whole run.
Does the liner make the pipe smaller?
By a few millimetres. The new wall is smooth and seamless, so flow is usually better than the old jointed pipe, not worse.
Will the roots come back?
Not through the relined section. Roots get in at joints and cracks, and a cured liner has neither.
Do I need to be home?
Only for access at the start and a quick walkthrough at the end. The work happens through existing inspection openings and access points, not inside the house.
What Brisbane says
4.8 out of 5, from 45 reviews.
“The team at Goanna are so good! We had a few issues with an old house, and were concerned with the cost. They came over, sorted each problem, and then helped with some more, and explained everything to us. Amazing service, people and very grateful for Goanna, nothing a problem!”
“Jessy and Tim rang us on time and provided us with updates of their arrival time. I congratulate them on their communication skills and their personability. They were great to deal with and the job they did was efficient and thorough.”
“Highly recommend Goanna Plumbing! They recently installed a new toilet and kitchen tap for us, and the whole experience was fantastic. The team was professional, punctual, and clearly takes pride in their work.”
Also from Goanna
Other things we handle
Blocked drains
Cleared fast with professional jetting equipment, then a camera down the line so you know what caused it.
Learn more →
Hot water
Repaired today where we can, replaced properly where we cannot. Electric, gas and heat pump.
Learn more →
General maintenance
Taps, toilets, cisterns, leaks and the long list of small things that stop a property working properly.
Learn more →
Renovations
Bathrooms, kitchens and laundries. Rough-in while the walls are open, fit-off when the tiler is done, and the paperwork lodged.
Learn more →Got water where it should not be?
Call and you will get a person, not a call centre. Any hour, any day, and we will tell you straight if it can wait.