Can my drain be relined

[goginan]

The power company cracked my clay drain while replacing their pole. CCTV revealed the general condition of the drain to be good but the pipe had been shattered. The engineer was unable to CCTV the rest of the drain as the fresh mud and earth filled the pipe as fast as he could jet it out! The power company were very apologetic and (surprisingly) came to repair it the next day. There is a 2 foot break in the pipe, under the pavement, which they repaired with a length of PVC pipe and two flexible rubber couplings. They had no way to check work internally although I watched the repair and feel the work was fairly well done. Material flushed appears at the septic tank in 20 or so seconds although I haven't counted the sheets!

My drain is private running under a trunk road from the house to septic tank. I am now concerned about the risk of future damage under the road, which would be very expensive to repair and am considering relining the under road portion at least.

I have two questions:
Can a drain repaired in this way be relined?
Cost per meter for relining?

 

[Ian H]

At my place there is a minimum charge for lining of about £300, that includes the first 3mtrs then it's £55/mtr after that.

You could line through their repair because the internal size of the clay and plastic are the same.

Although if it's been repaired properly there is really no need. If you even had future trouble with roots or movement your buildings insurance would more than likely foot the bill.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

As above, it's a common and accepted method of repairing a broken drain, highly unlikely their will be any further problems if the rest of the drain is in good condition. Should you experience future problems with the repaired section, refer back to the power company as it was their responsibility to repair their damage.

 

[goginan]

Thanks Ian H & Hugh Jaleak so much for your help. You have set my mind at rest about the security of the repair and, in case of problems, the possibility of relining. May invest 30 quid or so in a USB inspection camera - just in case.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

If you are concerned about the condition of the remainder, then get it CCTV surveyed for peace of mind. You can decide if any further works are then needed, but dont be sold something you dont need. If drain looks in good condition, with no cracks, displaced joints or signs of root ingress, there's not much to worry about. Any displaced joints or a belly (dip) in the pipe cannot be solved by lining anyway, needs to be dug up.

 

[goginan]

Thank you for the information Hugh. No roots as it goes under a concrete parking area and a trunk road. As for belly, who knows, but it has been working without fault for the last 30 years, so I can't see there can be a problem.

 

[muggles]

If you did find that it needed replacing, modern pipe bursting tech means that it can be done without the need to dig up the road

 

[dilalio]

You might also want to think about how much soil and spoil ended up being jetted into your septic tank when they tried clearing the collapsed pipe and if they should also pay for that to be cleared?!

 

[noseall]

NOTE: Ironic that this was posted in the plumbing section. Hard graft, shovels (and brooms) are not words you hear much around (pipe) benders.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Some of us aren't scared to get our hands dirty and use a shovel.

 

[Ian H]

Some of us shouldn't be let near them

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Could happen to anybody.

 

[Ian H]

Shame it was us though, we are digging up a rooted junction in here which was bad enough without the water pipe:

 

[dilalio]

Some of us shouldn't be let near them

View attachment 135139

I’ve done exactly that a few times and, when questioned, I always say “was a fu€king good shot though, wasn’t it!”

 

[dilalio]

One I made earlier