The pipe has collapsed
A liner forms against the inside wall of the existing pipe. If a section has caved in there is no wall to form against, and no amount of resin changes that.
Guide · Comparison
Reline it,or dig it up?
Relining wins most of the time, and we will tell you plainly when it does not. Here is the comparison without the sales pitch, including the four situations where a liner is the wrong answer.
- 50yrLiner warranty
- 1,300+Five-star reviews
- 25+Years in Melbourne drains
- 130+Suburbs covered
VBA licensed #43464Master Plumbers #504231Fixed price before we startSame-day CCTV inspections
01 — Side by side
The comparison in full
| Criterion | Pipe relining | Dig and replace |
|---|---|---|
| Time on site | 1–2 days | 3–5 days, often longer |
| Your driveway | Untouched | Cut, removed, re-poured |
| Garden and paving | Untouched | Excavated and reinstated |
| Root re-entry | Sealed permanently | Returns at the new joints |
| Reinstatement cost | None | Concreting, paving, landscaping |
| Council permits | Rarely needed | Often needed for crossings |
| Warranty | 50 years on the liner | Workmanship only |
Honest caveat: if a pipe has fully collapsed there is nothing left to line against, and we will tell you to dig. The camera decides, not the quote.
02 — When digging wins
Four cases where we will tell you to excavate
01
02
The pipe has been crushed
Usually a vehicle load over a shallow run, or subsidence. A crushed section has lost its bore, so the liner cannot be inflated to shape.
03
The run has real back-fall
A liner follows the grade it finds. If the pipe runs uphill, lining it gives you a beautifully sealed pipe that still does not drain.
04
The camera cannot get through
A severe offset where one length has dropped off the next is a replacement job. If we cannot pass a camera, we cannot pass a liner either.
In practice a lot of jobs are both: we dig out the failed metre and line the remaining twenty. You get a sound run without a trench down the whole block.
03 — What it looks like on your property
The disruption nobody quotes for
An excavation on a typical Melbourne block means a machine down the side, a spoil heap on the nature strip, your driveway cut and removed, and three to five days of open trench. Then the reinstatement trades arrive: concreter, paver, landscaper, each on their own schedule.
Relining means a van, a hose run from the inspection shaft and a crew of two. Nothing is cut, nothing is dug and nothing needs putting back. On most jobs the only evidence we were there is the footage we hand you.
If you want the cost side of this in detail, read what pipe relining actually costs. If you already know which you need, here is how the lining itself works.
04 — Proof
People who chose one over the other
★★★★★
“Great service by Joe and the team on our stormwater pipe. Turned up when they said they would and left the place cleaner than they found it.”
Ivan B.
Essendon · Stormwater repair
★★★★★
“The whole experience was seamless from start to finish. Quoted up front, no surprises at the end, and the report was in my inbox the same day.”
Brandon C.
Oakleigh · Drain repair
★★★★★
“Rang at 3pm Saturday, fixed by 8pm. Believe the five star reviews — under two hours on site and everything was working again.”
Longy
Glen Waverley · Weekend emergency
Reviews shown are from the Google profile of our parent business, DrainPro — same crews, same trucks, same licence.
Questions
Relining vs replacement — FAQ
Is pipe relining as good as a new pipe?
Structurally, yes. A cured liner is a standalone pipe rated to carry load in its own right, which is why it carries a 50-year manufacturer warranty rather than a workmanship guarantee. It is also continuous, so unlike a replacement it has no joints to fail.
When is replacement genuinely the better option?
Four situations: the pipe has collapsed and there is no wall to form against; it has been crushed flat; the run has real back-fall so the grade itself is wrong; or the line is so badly offset the camera cannot pass. In those cases a liner will not fix the problem and we will tell you so.
Can you do both on the same job?
Often that is the right answer. We excavate and replace the metre or two that has actually collapsed, then line the rest of the run so the remaining joints are sealed. You get a sound line without a trench down the whole block.
How much longer does replacement take?
Three to five days is typical against one to two for lining, and that is before any reinstatement. Concreting, paving and landscaping are usually a separate trade on a separate timeline.
Does relining reduce the pipe diameter?
Slightly — the liner wall is a few millimetres thick. Flow usually improves anyway, because a smooth epoxy bore has far less friction than rough, scaled, root-filled terracotta.
Which option is better if I am selling the house?
Relining, in most cases. It is faster, it leaves the property looking untouched, and you hand the buyer before-and-after footage plus a transferable 50-year liner warranty. A fresh trench down the driveway invites questions a photo of a sealed pipe does not.
Is relining a new or unproven technology?
Cured-in-place lining has been used on municipal sewers since the 1970s and on residential lines in Australia for well over two decades. The resins and liners have improved; the principle has not changed.
Who decides which one I need?
The camera does. We inspect, show you the footage, and recommend accordingly. We would rather quote you an excavation we are less excited about than sell you a liner that will not hold.
Book an inspection
Find out which one you actually need
Tell us what the drain is doing and we will book a CCTV inspection, usually same day. No charge, no obligation, and you keep the footage either way.
Oakleigh depot48 Downing Street, Oakleigh VIC 3166
Essendon depot65 Rose Street, Essendon VIC 3040
Ivanhoe depot26 Seddon Street, Ivanhoe VIC 3079
Mon – Fri6:30am – 7:00pm
Saturday7:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday8:00am – 4:00pm
Emergencies24 hours