There is no manmade feature of the landscape less romantic than the trench. It is a brutally practical gouging of a line, and the only good trench is one that’s been filled in again because the work is done. They serve a purpose, of course, but they are temporary blots on the landscape, and when that landscape is your property, if you can avoid scraping out large quantities of earth, so much the better. Even the modern word, excavation, and the powerful machines that do the work don’t alter the basic fact that your garden or yard has been savaged and you’re going to have to start again with all the expense of repaving or the time and trouble of landscaping, sowing a new lawn or recreating the flower beds.
No, regardless of the issue that needs to be attended to, to dig a trench is to cause trouble on top of trouble.
But what is the alternative? Until recently, there wasn’t one, but fortunately, there are brilliant minds in the plumbing industry just as there are elsewhere. The innovative solution in this case is drain relining, which is done from the inside and doesn’t require all that scraping and scooping, it just involves relining the drain.
But what is drain relining? In drainage as in anything else, the lining is a kind of thin coat on the inside. In a nutshell, the benefit of trenchless drain relining is primarily the absence of a trench. No requirement for a trench = no digging, no excavation, no mechanical rough-and-tumble and no further disruption. It means relative peace and quiet; a civilised way of doing things.
How Does Trenchless Drain Relining Work?
Let’s cover the trenchless bit once and for all: there is no gouging of your property involved. The work is done from the inside. The people doing the work will need to gain access to the pipeline at a convenient point, creating a base of operations. With that established, they work from the inside, spreading a coat of resin through the pipe and sealing the crack(s). The resin hardens (or “cures”) to create a new solid lining that is tougher than a PVC pipe. PVC has been used everywhere in recent years because it is light and easy to work with, and in normal circumstances does a good job. All it has to do is sit there and allow liquid to flow through it, after all. But if tree roots, for instance, go about their relentless business and the pipe is in the way, they may crack it.
Other ways in which pipes can be damaged is when heavy vehicles are driven or parked on top of them and the earth, concrete or whatever is forming a buffer, isn’t up to the task. Cue massive downward pressure and a cracked pipe. But nowadays it’s not the end of the world. Irritating, yes, and it will have you examining your insurance policy to see if this is covered, but that’ life. Just when you think it’s all plain sailing, there’s some random hiccup that is going to take time, effort and money to resolve.
It has to be done, though, and the logical answer is to go for a high-quality fix, so there is a good chance it’s not going to happen in the foreseeable future.
How Long Does Trenchless Pipe Lining Last?
Not only is the hardened resin tougher than PVC, but it lasts well too. More than 50 years, in fact. This is no temporary fix, it’s a permanent one that will outlast many other features of the building, so if you go for trenchless drain relining you are investing in the future or your property.
Is Trenchless Drain Relining Cost-Effective?
Most people who have had this kind of work done would probably say yes because if you go the traditional route, you have to factor in the cost of not only digging the trench in the first place but reinstating what was there when you’ve finished. That can mean engaging a gardening or landscaping firm to make the place beautiful again, or a drives and pathways outfit to get your place looking solid and professional again. And, of course, these problems don’t just occur on residential property. If they affect commercial areas, they can disrupt a whole car park or what is meant to be a pleasant outdoor area. Inconvenience in a domestic setting can look like unprofessionalism in a place of business.
The solution is the same, but the question will be asked in boardrooms rather than around the kitchen table: “What is drain relining?” And of course, “How long does trenchless drain relining last and how much does it cost?”
What Are the Reasons to Go for Trenchless Drain Relining?
There is only one alternative: bring in the excavators and rip long holes in the ground. Yes, it’s the way things have been done for a long time, but it has been found to be unsatisfactory. It is unnecessarily destructive. The digging technology may have moved on from spades and shovels to mechanical diggers, but that has only increased the noise and disruption. The process has become faster but louder and more intrusive.
That is not how things are done in this day and age. We are moving towards quieter and more gentle options in everything. The term “noise pollution” may be mocked by lovers of loud music, but as we become ever more aware of health issues including mental health, there is a need to take things easy and be good to ourselves whenever possible. If you can get your cracked drain fixed without turning the place into a building site, why not do it? The process of trenchless drain relining is straightforward when it has been explained, and the benefits of trenchless drain relining are undeniable.
Contact J.O. Plumbing to see if Trenchless Drain Relining is right for you
J.O. Plumbing are experts in trenchless pipe and drain relining. Contact us today today to see if trenchless drain relining in Melbourne is the right option for you.
