Did you know 90% of drain blockage in Australia is caused by tree roots, grease, sanitary products, wet wipes, and hair? These everyday harmless items wreck havoc in your drain leading to mould growth, pipe corrosion, sewage backup and expensive repairs.

Fortunately, most blocked or cracked drains in Adelaide can be fixed from the inside without the massive mess of digging up your yard with Pipe Relining. Because imagine calling a plumber in Adelaide and they quote you with an excavator, a torn-up lawn, and a number that makes your stomach drop.

Stay hooked if you want to find a cheaper solution than to dig up your entire lawn.

What Does Pipe Relining Mean?

In Drain Relining, an expert plumber in Adelaide threads a resin liner into your existing pipe that hardens and form a new pipe from the inside. The liner is inflated so it presses tight against the pipe walls and is then left to harden. Once it sets, you have a new pipe formed inside the old one with no joints for roots to find.

The whole process is completed through small openings, your lawn and driveway remain untouched. The best part is that this process does not significantly impact your daily activities till the team is at your place. It is a very discreet process compared to digging up.

We explained the seasonal side of this in “Why spring is the best time to re-line your drains.”

Why Do Older Adelaide Homes Deal With Blocked Drains?

A lot of Adelaide’s established suburbs still run earthenware or vitrified clay sewer pipes. Those materials were solid back then, but decades later, the joints shift, and the clay cracks, and tree roots follow the moisture straight in.

If an older home keeps blocking in the same spot, ageing clay pipe is usually why this is happening. You’ll often see the same blockage return in autumn and spring as roots chase water through the seasons.

Is Pipe Relining As Good As Replacement?

For most Adelaide homes’ drains, the answer is yes. A cured liner is independently tested to last at least 50 years and performs as well as new PVC. It also fixes the weak points in your older pipes, since they tend to crack and allow roots to enter.

But relining restores a pipe that is still structurally there. If the pipe has collapsed or gone missing in sections, there is nothing to line, you will need a replacement.

How Long Does Pipe Relining Last?

A properly installed liner is built to last for 50-years, tested under the ASTM F1216 standard. This means decades can pass without having to worry about your pipes.

What a Relining Job Actually Looks Like

Most jobs are completed in a day.

1. First, we insert a camera into the drain to map the damage and measure the run.
2. We clean the pipe by jetting, so the liner bonds properly.
3. Next, the resin-soaked liner goes in and inflates against the wall.
4. It cures in place over a few hours, sometimes faster with hot water or UV.
5. Lastly, we send the camera back through to check the finish.

In most cases, your garden remains minimally affected, and you’re back to normal by the evening.

When Do You Need To Dig?

Digging might still be required when the pipe is beyond lining. For instance,

• A fully collapsed pipe has no shape left to hold a liner.
• A pipe has dropped or bellied so water pools inside it, needs re-laying at the right fall.
• A section has rusted or crumbled away entirely has to be replaced with new pipe.

The only way to find out which one you need is to book a CCTV drain inspection. We send a camera down the line and show its real condition first. You should never try doing this at your own.

Can you reline a pipe that already has roots in it?

Yes, we clear the roots first by jetting the root mass out, then insert a CCTV camera in the pipe to confirm if it’s clean. Our licensed plumber in Adelaide line over the cracks they used leaving no joint for the roots to emerge and invade.

This combination actually ends a recurring root blockage.

Which Fix Is Right For Your Drain?

Once the camera shows exactly what’s going on, we decide accordingly.

• If the pipe is cracked or root-invaded but still holding its shape, relining in the move.
• If the damage sits in one short section, a spot liner patches just that part. This costs less than lining the whole run.
• If the pipe has collapsed or lost sections, digging and replacing is the only fix.

The final decision happens after the CCTV drain inspection.

How Much Does Pipe Relining Cost in Adelaide?

Relining is priced by the metre. Industry figures put it around $400 to $800 per metre. The price depends on access, pipe size, and how much prep the line needs. For example, a spot repair on one bad section will costs less.

On paper, digging can look cheaper per metre. The extra cost is everything around the hole. Excavation adds the cost of lifting and relaying your lawn or driveway, plus the days it takes. Once that restoration is counted, relining often lands lower overall, and finishes faster.

We broke down the same logic in the real cost of DIY drain fixes.

What To Do If Your Drain Keeps Blocking?

If the same drain keep blocking, the problem usually comes out to be structural rather than a one-off clog. Here are a few steps that might help you:

1. Stop piring chemical drain cleaner down it.
2. Repeated blockages mean something physical is in the way and the chemicals just buy a day or two.
3. Book a CCTV camera drain inspection so you can see the cause instead of guessing.

And if it’s a sewer line backing up, treat it as urgent because a blocked sewer can food back into the house.

For anything actively overflowing, our emergency plumbers are on call around the clock.

If your drains keep blocking or backing up, relining is worth a proper look. Our drain relining team will run a camera down first. We’ll show you what’s going on, and say straight whether we can fix it without touching your yard.

Call ABA Plumbing on 08 8297 7637 to book a look.