Clearing roots without sealing the joint they came through is a subscription, not a repair. The root mass regrows to the same size within twelve to eighteen months, because the crack that fed it is still open.
Or speak to a relining specialist now — (03) 9059 2707Roots do not break into a sound pipe. They follow moisture and vapour escaping from a joint that has already opened, send a hair-fine tip through the gap, and then thicken inside the pipe where there is water and no competition. By the time a drain blocks, the mass inside is often larger than the pipe's own diameter.
So the job has two halves. First we cut the roots back to the wall with a high-pressure jetter and, where the mass is solid, a mechanical root cutter. Then we line the run so every joint on it is sealed. One without the other is why people call a plumber about the same drain every spring.
Not sure which of our services you need? Start with a CCTV drain inspection — it is free with any quote and it decides everything else.
A high-resolution camera goes down the line so we can measure the damage, find the depth and confirm relining is actually the right call. Thirty to ninety minutes. You keep the footage whether you book the work or not.
Roots, scale and debris are cut back with a high-pressure jetter until the inside wall is bare. A liner can only bond to a clean pipe, so this step is not optional and it is where cheap operators cut corners.
A felt liner saturated in epoxy resin is pulled through, inflated hard against the wall and cured in place. Junctions are reinstated with a cutter. Nothing is excavated and nothing is cut.
A second inspection confirms a continuous, joint-free liner from end to end. You get the before and after footage, a written report and the 50-year liner warranty paperwork.
Three depots — Oakleigh, Essendon and Ivanhoe — covering 130+ Melbourne suburbs. These are the ones we are in most weeks.
Almost never. The tree is not the problem — the open joint is. Seal the pipe and the roots have nothing to grow into, so the tree can stay. We would rather reline a drain than take out a forty-year-old liquidambar, and so would most councils.
If the line is only cleared, twelve to eighteen months is typical and we have seen six. If the line is cleared and then lined, there is no joint left to enter through, which is why the liner carries a 50-year warranty.
They kill what they touch and do nothing about the opening. Foaming root treatments can buy a few months between blockages, but they are a holding pattern, and repeated use on a cracked line does nothing for the leak feeding the tree.
Yes, with the right pressure and the right head. Terracotta that is already fractured needs a careful hand, which is one reason we camera first — so we know what we are putting a cutter into.
Clearing alone is priced on the length of the run and the size of the mass. Clearing plus lining costs more on the day and less over five years, and we will show you both numbers so you can decide with the footage in front of you.
Generally not — insurers treat root intrusion as gradual damage rather than a sudden event. Where a storm has brought a tree down onto a line that is a different conversation, and our report and footage is what the assessor will want.
The pipe is still yours to repair, but the footage matters if the conversation gets formal. We mark the entry points and the surface position of each one, which makes it clear whose side of the fence the root plate is on.
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.