Can Pipe Relining Fix My Corroded Pipes?

Can Relining Effectively Repair Corroded Pipes?

Pipe corrosion frequently leads to complications, including leaks, affecting both pipes drains considerably, and may even precipitate pipe failures in residential and commercial plumbing networks. As pipes corrode over time, it leads to a reduction in water flow, potentially causing blocked drains, water damage, and health hazards.

Pipe relining is a trenchless method that introduces a new lining to compromised sections and does not need excavation, using a flexible epoxy resin liner to craft a seamless pipe within a pipe.

This seamless liner bonds to the inside walls and can take the form of a new pipe within existing structures, creating a smooth, corrosion-resistant pipe that restores water flow and structural integrity.

Typical Causes of Pipe Corrosion

There are several common causes of pipe corrosion in plumbing systems:

• Chemical corrosion - Exposure to acidic or alkaline substances that react with pipe materials and cause deterioration.
• Electrolytic corrosion - When two different metals are in contact, as often found in traditional pipe systems, electric currents can cause corrosion on one of those metals.
• Oxygen corrosion - Dissolved oxygen in water can react with materials like copper pipe and steel, affecting their integrity.
• Soil corrosion - Underground sewer lines come into contact with corrosive soils.
• Stray electric currents - Currents running through soil from nearby electrical equipment can accelerate corrosion.
• Water quality - Hard water, aggressive and acidic water can lead to corrosion and mineral build-up inside pipes over time.

The extent of corrosion depends on factors like pipe material, age, water chemistry and soil conditions around buried pipes. A variety of types pipe materials, including galvanised steel, copper, cast iron, and PVC plastic, all face vulnerability to corrosion, which can ultimately cause leaks, constrict water flow, and lead to breakdowns.

Evaluating the Extent of Pipe Damage

It’s crucial to accurately evaluate the extent of pipe corrosion before deciding whether trenchless pipe relining is an appropriate repair solution. This involves assessing factors between pipe relining suitability, such as:

• Type and length of the damaged section of pipe
• Location of affected pipes
• Severity and type of corrosion
• Presence of holes, cracks or leaks

Having the pipe inspected visually from the inside is the initial strategy, and this is precisely where we can help, utilising a small CCTV camera on a flexible cable to identify damage and measure the length of affected pipework. More detailed pipe scans such as Magnetic Flux Leakage tests can also measure wall thickness and pitting to quantify the degree of corrosion.

For extensive corrosion, replacement might be essential, but for other types, proactive measures can be taken. But damaged pipes with under 10% wall loss across short sections often fit the bill for the various types pipe relining techniques available, offering a solution pipe rehabilitation from within.

Having an accurate measure of corrosion levels and damage location assists our team greatly, and we can help assess the feasibility of relining pipes as a structural and cost-effective trenchless solution.

Pipe Inspection Methods

Thorough inspection can evaluate corrosion levels effectively and we can help establish if restoring your pipe without excavation is a suitable resolution. Our team’s thorough CCTV inspection targets the very heart of the issue, visually assessing the interior of the pipes, pinpointing any cracks the damage pipe relining can address, and evaluating the extent of corrosion.

A camera mounted on a flexible cable is fed through old pipes, transmitting images. Footage is examined in detail so homeowners need not worry about corrosion levels, as we measure pitting, and locate any broken pipe with leaks or cracks. Other advanced methods like electroscan testing also help map pipe wall integrity.

These no-dig inspection strategies are vital to the comprehensive relining process, creating a new, strong layer inside your property’s intricate piping system while safeguarding it against disturbance. Unlike relining pipe replacement that involves excavators digging up your yard, we insert small cameras on cables through pipe access points, limiting surface damage.

Visual footage also allows our team to evaluate if we are able to fix your piping before corrosion reaches critical levels necessitating full pipe replacement. If less than 10% corrosion over small areas is found, pipe relining is often the optimal no-dig solution to restore pipes.

When is Relining an Appropriate Repair Method?

Pipe relining is an optimal choice when containment of corrosion levels allows for effective work repairs and the pipe damage is minor. Specifically, Epoxy relining creates new opportunities for extended pipe life if:

• Corrosion damage is less than 10% of the pipe’s wall thickness
• Failure, leaks or cracks have not yet occurred
• Affected sections are reasonably short (under 3-4 metres)
• The structural integrity and shape of pipes is still intact

In contrast, severe corrosion above 50% wall loss, large sections of damage or existing pipe breaches/deformation may require full pipe replacement as relining feasibility reduces.

For pipe types like copper, galvanised steel, cast iron, concrete, and clay, seeking a solution that integrates into the damaged pipe within existing parameters? Pipe relining may be suitable when the damage falls within permissible parameters. While PVC and ductile iron pipes are not suitable, various types pipes can successfully undergo relining if the damage is addressed promptly.

Overall, controlled corrosion of less than 10% impacting short lengths, the pipe relining process emerges as the ideal scenario for this procedure. This no-dig repair method is faster, cheaper and less invasive than pipe replacement in such minor damage cases.

Materials and Processes Used in Pipe Relining

The pipe relining procedure involves inserting a flexible tubular liner made of epoxy resin, making your pipe last significantly longer. This seamless lining material bonds intimately with the interior walls, constructing a smooth, structurally robust new pipe within the already existing ones.

The flexible liner is designed to be coated and cured in place using hot techniques with a special 2-part thermoset vinyl ester resin, integrating smoothly with existing pipes. Our technicians meticulously prepare the pipe interior, ensuring it’s cleared for the liner to be cured in place with precision. Subsequently, the vital liner is cured in place using special resin and the correct heat treatment to ensure it adheres firmly to the pipe walls.

By applying heat with hot water or steam, and with curing techniques employed, the liner strengthens and adheres within the old pipe, achieving a complete transformation feasibly in 2 to 4 hours depending on pipe specifics. The result is a jointless, strong durable pipe within the old one, offering corrosion-resistance and restoring full pipe function.

Epoxy liners can restore structural stability in your pipes, ensuring they remain functional for 30 to 50 more years, becoming resistant to corrosion. They withstand high temperatures, chemicals, abrasion, and bacterial buildup - These qualities are used in pipe relining to create a new, functional plumbing system within the old one, with minimal invasion to yards and landscaping.

Effectiveness of Epoxy Coatings

Epoxy coatings provide excellent protection against corrosion when used for pipe relining. The smooth epoxy layer creates a barrier between pipe walls and water, preventing further corrosion damage.

We use epoxy resins that are highly resistant to chemicals, abrasion and bacterial build-up. We use assorted techniques and robust materials for pipe relining, featuring durable liners able to resist temperatures up to 140°C, delivering comprehensive resistance against all pipe corrosion forms.

The seamless application of the epoxy coating yields a hydraulically smooth surface, which not only improves but also maintains optimal water flow and causes minimal internal disruption. Rough corrosion tubercles inside pipes are eliminated, and flow efficiency is restored.

When properly applied, epoxy liners have an impressive service life, offering reassurance that relining your pipes can prevent issues such as a blocked drain, even in aggressive soil or water conditions. Annual failure rates are less than 2% for epoxy CIPP relining, proving an extremely durable corroded pipe solution.

Showcasing the benefits pipe relining offers, epoxy relining deftly coats the compromised area, safeguards nearby sections, and maintains both structural integrity and fluid dynamics. This makes it an essential corrosion prevention tool to extend the lifespan of pipes within your house.

Comparing Relining and Full Replacement

When pipes are significantly corroded, homeowners face the critical choice of relining vs pipe replacement, each with its own distinct advantages and conditions. Each option has pros and cons to determine the best choice for your home:

Pipe Relining

Benefits:

• Much faster process taking just 1-2 days
• Trenchless - without need to dig up pipes and yards
• Significantly lower cost at 60-70% less than replacement
• Less mess and upheaval poised right your own doorstep
• Suitable for up to 80% corrosion over short sections

Limitations:

• Only viable for pipes still structurally sound
• Not effective for extensive corrosion and damage
• Some pipe types like PVC cannot be relined

Full Pipe Replacement

Benefits:

• Fully replaces severely corroded pipes
• Long lifespan if good quality materials used
• Copes with all pipe types and extreme damage

Limitations:

• Major excavation works required
• Much higher cost at 2-4 times more expensive
• Significantly longer project taking up to 1-2 weeks
• Major disturbance with landscaping reinstated

In summary, for corrosion confined to small sections, call us for insights into how pipe relining offers a minimally intrusive yet efficient remedy. But for extreme corrosion and pipe defects, full replacement may be required despite higher costs and disruption.

Cost-Effectiveness of Pipe Relining

Pipe relining provides a wide range of cost-effective alternatives compared to full pipe replacement. On average, consider pipe relining as it costs approximately 60-70% less than digging trenches and installing entirely new pipes.

The trimmed expense is largely due to key approaches including the utilisation of existing structure within old pipes:

• Minimal materials are utilised in pipe relining as used pipe is resourcefully redeployed
• Faster 1-2 day process with less labour time
• No excavation equipment or landscaping reinstatement needed

To give an idea of pipe relining cost, approximately $2,500 is the average for a 10 metre length of 100mm diameter pipe, whereas full replacement tallies up between $6,000 and $8,000.

Short setup times and lower material costs involved in inserting epoxy liners compared to laying full lengths of new piping make this a very affordable option.

The longevity of pipe lining procedures also boosts cost-effectiveness. When the situation allows, then pipe relining, when installed meticulously, contributes to crucial pipe repairs, leaving one to wonder how long does pipe lining lasts? Well, it can offer an impressive lifespan of 30 to 50 years, enhancing pipes at a fraction of replacement expenses.

Ultimately, where corrosion is confined to less than 10% wall loss over limited areas, pipe relining stands out as the choice plumbing solution for exceptional value and extended service life.

Longevity of Relined Pipes

Pipe relining can notably prolong the life of old pipes that have endured the effects of corrosion. The epoxy liners are devised to amplify the pipe’s service life considerably, certifying long-lasting performance for pipes which then offer enhanced protection over original piping.

Reflecting on durability, industry tests confirm that epoxy pipe liners coated special resin with precision can rejuvenate the system and ensure they remain serviceable for another 30 to 50 years. This masterly technique effectively rectifies your plumbing issues, rejuvenating old pipes and drains, breathing new life into them. The smooth, jointless epoxy layer is highly durable, ensuring that the repairs can withstand internal/external corrosion factors.

Specifically, third-party studies found that old systems with pipes relined with epoxy CIPP displayed a failure rate of just 0.9% after 30 years. And only 1.8% had failed after being in service for 50 years. This impressively minimal rate of long-term failure underscores the exceptional longevity of quality pipe relining applications that could last up to fifty years.

Proactively rehabilitating pipes at the earliest sign of corrosion issues, we would give homeowners a reliable method to extend their pipes’ life by at least 30 years. This avoids expensive emergency pipe failures down the track, securing your plumbing system’s optimal water flow and resilience for decades through this preventative maintenance approach.

Case Studies of Relining Success

Here are a couple case studies illustrating how our Sydney pipe relining expertise successfully rejuvenated and extended the operational life of aged, corroded plumbing systems in the Penshurst area:

Mrs. Lee’s Investment Property

The galvanised pipes under Mrs. Lee’s rental home were badly corroded after 30 years buried underground, a challenge our experienced technicians were equipped to handle. Frequent leaks and dropping water pressure were disrupting tenants and costing money in emergency repair services every few months.

Our team performed an inspection, identifying a damaged pipe in a 20 metre section of 100mm downpipe with over 50% corrosion damage. But as the structural integrity was intact, We recommended a pipe repair approach through relining for your damaged plumbing, but what exactly does pipe relining entail? It’s an advanced method of rehabilitating pipes without full replacement.

We inserted flexible epoxy liners suitable for the pipe reline, which we can easily cure in place using hot water steam, forming a resilient protective inner layer. This intervention, lasting a mere 2 days, will properly take care of the restoration, having minimal impact on the property and revitalising full water flow in the affected section pipe.

That was 5 years ago, and Mrs. Lee has shared that the pipe patching and relining solution remains impeccable, with the absence of leaks or problems, a testament to the diligent workmanship. She saved thousands compared to replacement, with happy tenants enjoying upgraded, reliable plumbing.

Commercial Building Relining

The basement pipes, part of the plumbing electrical system in a 3-storey office building, had deteriorated into damaged conduits after 40 years, presenting an ideal scenario for our bespoke pipe relining services. Repeated leaks and corrosion buildup were identified during annual fire safety checks.

We performed CCTV pipe inspection and discovered 70 metres of 150mm fire sprinkler mains with corrosion levels nearing 30% wall loss. With pipes still structurally intact ensuring there no major issues, our team relined the entire basement network over a 4 day project.

Almost a decade later, there’s been no issue; the building manager informs us their fire pipes have had zero issues since our pipe relining solution was installed. Thanks to the non-invasive nature, the office avoided any disruptions, relocating staff or network downtime.

In both residential and commercial settings, pipe relining gave ageing plumbing with modest corrosion damage an extensive 30-50 year lifespan boost. This prevented major pipe failures down the track through affordable, timely intervention.