If a CCTV camera has shown a cracked or root-shattered sewer line under your home, you have two real options: excavate and replace, or reline. Both are valid. Here's how we choose between them on Illawarra properties.
Pipe relining (cured-in-place liner)
A resin-impregnated felt liner is pulled or inverted through the existing pipe, inflated against the inside wall, and cured in place. The result is a smooth, jointless pipe-within-a-pipe with a 50-year design life. No excavation, no garden destruction, no slab cutting.
Pipe replacement (excavation)
The old pipe is dug up, removed and replaced with new PVC. Garden, paths and driveways have to be cut and reinstated, which often adds significantly to the overall job.
When relining wins
- Pipe is structurally mostly there (cracks, root intrusion, minor displacement)
- Pipe runs under a slab, driveway, paving or established garden
- Multiple short sections need repair along one line
- You want minimal property disruption
When excavation wins
- Pipe is fully collapsed or has lost shape (the liner needs something to inflate against)
- Severe back-fall or belly that needs grading correction
- Section is short and in soft, easily-restored ground
- Pipe diameter needs upgrading
What we do on inspection day
Every blocked-drain customer gets a CCTV inspection first. You see the footage; we mark the defect locations on a sketch; and we walk you through both relining and excavation side-by-side so you can pick on facts, not pressure. Most older Albion Park, Warilla and Wollongong sewer lines end up relined — it's faster, cleaner and lasts longer than most homeowners expect.