Drain relining repairs a damaged pipe from the inside: a resin-soaked liner is put into the drain, pressed against the old pipe wall and left to cure, forming a new pipe within the old one. Because it goes in through an existing chamber, there is no trench across the lawn, drive or floor. It is one of the methods in our no-dig drain repairs work. Whether lining is right for your drain depends on what a camera shows, so it always starts with a survey. Call 07427 195142.
What is drain lining?
Drain lining and drain relining mean the same thing. A flexible tube of felt or glass fibre is impregnated with resin, pulled or inverted into the pipe, and inflated so it presses tight against the inside. When the resin cures, it sets hard, sealing cracks and open joints and stopping roots getting back in. The trade term for this is cured-in-place pipe, or CIPP.
Patch lining and longer liners
Not every repair needs the whole drain lined. Where the survey shows one cracked section or one leaking joint, a short patch liner is placed over just that point. Where defects are spread along a run, a longer liner may cover several of them in one go. Which suits your drain is decided from the footage: the number of defects, how far apart they are, and the condition of the pipe between them.
Faults lining can fix
- Cracks and fractures in clay or concrete pipe
- Open or slightly displaced joints
- Root entry through joints, once the roots are cut out
- Leaking sections that let water out into the ground
- Porous old pipe that is sound in shape but no longer watertight
When relining is not the answer
A liner needs something to form against. If a section has collapsed, crushed or lost its shape badly, there is no pipe left to line and it has to be excavated and replaced. The same applies where a pipe has sagged so far that water sits in it, because a liner follows the old line and would sag with it. In those cases we explain why and set out the excavation option on our drain repairs page, or see collapsed drain repair for what that involves. Older homes with deformed pipe are covered in our guide to pitch fibre drains.
How a relining job runs
First a CCTV drain survey records the drain and measures where each defect sits. Before lining, the pipe is cleaned with high pressure water jetting and any roots or deposits are cut back, so the liner bonds to clean pipe. The liner is then positioned at the measured distance, inflated and cured. Afterwards the camera goes back in to check the finished repair and confirm any side connections are open.
Because the work is done from inside, gardens, patios and driveways stay as they are. That matters most where the drain runs under something expensive or awkward to lift, such as a monoblock drive, a conservatory or a kitchen floor.
Drain lining cost
The cost depends on the pipe diameter, the length to be lined, the number of patches and how easy the chambers are to reach. That is why we do not quote it from a phone call. Once the survey has measured the defects, you get a written report and a costed repair option, and you can compare it against excavation where both are possible.
Questions
What is drain relining?
It is inserting a resin-soaked liner into a damaged drain and curing it in place, so it forms a new watertight pipe inside the old one without digging.
How much is drain lining?
It depends on the pipe size, the length lined and access. After a camera survey we give a costed repair option based on what the footage shows.
Can every damaged drain be relined?
No. Collapsed, crushed or badly sagging sections have no sound pipe to line and need excavating and replacing instead.
Is drain lining the same as patch lining?
A patch is a short liner over one defect. Relining can also mean lining a longer length. Both use the same cured-in-place method.
Will relining stop roots coming back?
Once the roots are cut out and the joint is sealed by the liner, there is no gap left for them to grow back through.