Underground Drain Repairs

Some drains can be repaired without digging them up

Where the existing drain still has a usable shape, patch lining or a longer liner can sometimes create a new internal surface without digging down to the pipe. Connections and bends still have to be considered.

Sometimes the damaged pipe has to be dug out

A complete collapse, badly displaced pipe or failed connection may leave too little of the original bore for a liner to pass through. Excavation then allows the damaged section to be rebuilt directly.

Do not repair a defect just because it appears on camera

CCTV footage often shows minor imperfections in older drains. The presence of a defect alone does not establish that it is causing the symptom. Repair decisions should relate the defect to flow, leakage, root entry or repeated blockage.

Make sure the fault has been located before anyone digs

If excavation is recommended, the defect should be located from a known chamber or other fixed point rather than estimated from where the blockage was first noticed indoors. Camera sonde equipment and drain tracing can reduce the size of an excavation by placing the repair over the actual failed section.

Where several defects appear on a survey, they do not all necessarily need the same treatment. It can be sensible to separate defects that are causing blockage or leakage from incidental ageing elsewhere in the run.