Is relining cheaper than digging up a drain?

It depends on depth, access and the extent of damage, but relining usually avoids the cost of reinstating lawn, paving or a driveway, which can make it the more cost-effective option even when the liner material itself costs more than a short dig and replace.

How long does relining last?

A properly installed resin liner is designed to last for decades and effectively creates a new structural pipe inside the old one.

Will tree roots come back after relining?

Relining seals the joint the roots were growing through, so root regrowth at that specific point is very unlikely. Roots can still find other unsealed joints further along the line, which is why we check the whole run with the camera first.

Drain Repairs Christchurch: Reline or Dig

25 April 2026 · 6 min read · Taylor Plumbing

A damaged drain rarely fails without warning. Slow drainage that keeps coming back, a bad smell in the yard, or a soft wet patch over the pipe run are usually the first signs, and by the time they show up the pipe underneath often needs more than a clear-out.

Christchurch has a lot of ageing earthenware drainage still in the ground, and a good number of those pipes have been disturbed by tree roots or ground movement. The question is almost always the same: reline it or dig it up.

What causes drain damage in Christchurch

Tree roots forcing their way into earthenware joints and cracking the pipe
Cracked or collapsed earthenware pipe, common in homes built before the 1980s
Ground movement from the earthquakes shifting joints out of alignment
Pipe bellies where a section has settled and no longer holds a consistent fall
Corroded or rusted-through cast iron on older properties

Starting with a CCTV camera

Before quoting any repair we put a camera down the drain. It shows exactly where the damage is, how bad it is, and what's causing it, whether that's a single cracked joint, a long root intrusion, or a section that's collapsed. You see the footage yourself, and the quote is based on what's actually wrong rather than a guess.

Relining explained

Relining involves pulling a resin-saturated liner through the existing pipe and curing it in place, forming a new pipe within the old one. It's done through existing access points, so there's no trench, no lawn or driveway to reinstate, and the job is usually finished in a day.

It works well for cracked joints, root damage after the roots are cleared, and pipes that have lost some structural strength but are still roughly in the right alignment. It's not suitable for a fully collapsed section or a pipe that's badly out of line, since the liner needs a continuous shape to bond to.

When excavation is the better option

The pipe has collapsed rather than just cracked
A section has bellied and lost its fall, which relining can't correct
Ground movement has shifted the pipe significantly out of alignment
The damaged section is short and easily accessed, making dig and replace more cost-effective than relining setup

Root damage specifically

Cutting roots out with an eel or jetter restores flow immediately but doesn't fix the crack the roots grew through, so they'll be back within a year or two unless the joint itself is repaired. Relining seals the crack the roots were using, which stops regrowth at that point without removing the tree.

What a repair job looks like

CCTV inspection to confirm the damage and its exact location
Written quote covering the recommended method before work starts
Relining or excavation carried out to the affected section
Post-repair camera check to confirm the fix
Reinstatement of lawn, paving or driveway if excavation was needed

Frequently asked questions

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Repairing Damaged Drains in Christchurch: Relining vs Excavation