Pipe relining can be a bandaid that creates new problems down the line.
Here’s our honest take as a drain jetting company that camera inspects pipes for a living: pipe relining is not always the right answer, and it is frequently oversold.
The issues with relining: First, the liner reduces the interior diameter of the pipe — sometimes significantly. A 4″ pipe lined with a standard liner becomes a 3.5″ or 3″ pipe. For a line that is already struggling, this matters. Second, relining patches the existing pipe — if the pipe continues to deteriorate around the liner, the liner can delaminate, separate at joints, or collapse. Third, relining does not address what caused the pipe to fail. Root intrusion comes back through the liner’s ends or through new cracks. Deterioration continues in the host pipe.
There are cases where relining makes sense: inaccessible pipe sections where excavation would cause major disruption, short spans that are otherwise in good condition. But it is not the blanket solution it is marketed as.
When we find a pipe that is failed, we give you the straight answer: replace it, do not line it. You might not want to hear it, but it is the honest recommendation.
Questions about your pipes? Call Sunburst Environmental at 678-799-4389 — same-day response across Metro Atlanta and North Georgia. Or request a free estimate online.