If you’re experiencing problems with your drains, you might wonder what kind of services you’ll need to get them in working order. Your options are to have your drains relined, or, in some cases, it may be necessary to get them replaced.
Relining
By far the easier of the two methods is to get your drains relined. This is also the least disruptive option. In order to know whether this is possible, a professional drainage company will take CCTV images of your drains to assess the extent of the damage.
If there’s only a small section of wear and tear, and no other problems have presented themselves on the images, then you might want to consider relining your drains.
In order to do this, you should choose a reputable drain lining company such as https://www.wilkinson-env.co.uk/sewer-repairs-drain-lining-concrete-cutting/. They’ll first clean and descale the area to be lined using machines and high-pressure water jets.
The drain lining will then be installed using air inflation, where it will cure against the drain over a period of a few hours. Once this is complete, the inflation tube is taken out and the drain is further cleaned to remove any leftover resin.
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Although you will have to wait until the lining has cured, this is still a quicker solution to solve your drain dilemma, compared to replacement. These days, it is also a standard procedure for any drain lining company.
Replacement
In some cases, your drains won’t be suitable for drain lining and will need replacing. This is often necessary where large areas of damage has occurred, or if there are other problems with your drains. It’s not a straightforward task, however, and involves a lot more work compared to lining.
According to The Telegraph, drain replacement involves digging a trench and laying a new drain. This could involve excavating and re-laying your drive, so it will be expensive and disruptive. It could be a particular problem if the drains lie underneath a building, for example, which would mean that pipes would need diverting.
However, the real benefit of choosing this more time- and money-intensive option is that it provides long-lasting results. Lining your drain may need re-doing over time, if there are bigger drain problems that need tackling, whereas once your drains have been replaced, they should last for the foreseeable future.
Why drains smell in hot weather
Bad smells from drains are often at their worst in summer, when hot weather makes any trapped waste break down faster. The cause is usually a blockage, and it is rarely just one thing. Old food washed down the sink, dental floss and other debris can combine and lodge in the pipe.
A smell is more than an inconvenience. The same blockage that causes it can put strain on the pipes and, left alone, lead to significant long-term damage. That is why it is worth acting quickly as soon as you notice an unpleasant odour, rather than waiting for it to clear by itself.
Drains are hard to reach, so a professional inspection is the most reliable way to see what is going on. A CCTV survey shows the inside of the pipe and helps diagnose whether the problem is a simple blockage or damage that needs repair. That is also the information you need to decide between relining and replacement, and it means the drains will be ready to cope with the heavier demands of winter.
How drain lining avoids digging
Traditionally, fixing a damaged drain meant digging up the ground around it, cutting out the faulty section and replacing it. That causes a lot of disruption to the surrounding area, and leaving the pipe open during the work often leads to flooding.
Relining offers an alternative in many cases. A polymer lining is inserted into the existing drain, where it bonds to the inside of the pipe and forms a new, sealed surface. The lining reduces the internal diameter of the pipe slightly, but there is no need to excavate it, which usually makes the repair quicker and less disruptive.
Whether lining is suitable depends on how badly the drain is damaged and where the damage is. The drain should always be inspected first to confirm the problem can be repaired this way. In severe cases, such as a collapsed section, lining may not be possible, and replacing that part of the pipe will be the only reliable option.