Pipe relining on the Gold Coast

Pipe relining fixes a damaged drain by building a new pipe inside the old one. The City of Gold Coast calls it a “pipe within a pipe” and uses it on its own sewers (City of Gold Coast). For a home, it means a cracked or root-filled drain can often be repaired through an inspection opening, without trenching through the lawn, driveway or garden.

When relining is the right fix

Relining makes sense when the pipe itself is the problem, not just what’s inside it. The usual signs:

• the drain keeps blocking in the same place, weeks after it was cleared
• a camera shows tree roots coming through the joints
• the pipe is cracked, or the joints have pulled apart
• the damaged section runs under something you don’t want dug up, like a driveway, slab or established garden

Tree roots are a common cause on the Gold Coast. The City’s planting guidelines single out camphor laurels, figs, rubber trees, Queensland umbrella trees, cocos palms and bamboo for problems with underground pipes and drains (City of Gold Coast).

How it’s done

1. Camera inspection. The plumber runs a CCTV camera through the drain to find the damage and measure it.
2. Cleaning. The pipe is cleared of roots, fat and debris, usually with a high-pressure water jet.
3. Relining. A liner soaked in resin goes into the old pipe and is cured in place, so it sets hard against the old pipe wall.
4. Final inspection. The camera goes through again to check the new lining.

This is the same sequence the City uses on its own sewer mains.

Relining or digging?

Relining avoids most of the digging, so there’s less to repair afterwards. Digging is still needed where a pipe has collapsed, where a section sags badly enough to hold water, or where the pipe needs to change route. A licensed plumber can tell you which applies after the camera inspection, and can quote both if both are possible.

Your pipe or the City’s?

The City of Gold Coast maintains the sewer from its main up to the connection point. If that point can’t be found, the City takes it as one metre inside your property boundary. The drains and inspection openings on your side are yours to maintain (City of Gold Coast). So a relining quote should say where the damaged section starts and stops.

Questions to ask before you agree to a quote

• Can I see the camera footage, and where exactly is the damage?
• How many metres are you relining, and what’s the price per metre?
• Does the price include the camera inspection, cleaning and the final inspection?
• What’s your QBCC licence number? (You can check it on the QBCC licence register.)

What it typically costs on the Gold Coast

Prices are a guide only. The plumber quotes your job after looking at it.