Reline 08 5 min read Guide
Patch or full reline: which repair does your drain actually need?
One fault is a patch from $2,500. A failing line is a full reline. How the camera decides, and why patching a failing line is paying twice.
Short answer: one fault is a patch, from $2,500. A line failing along its length is a full reline, $5,000 to $15,000 and up. The camera makes the call, and you should see the footage that made it.
What a patch actually is
A sectional patch is a short length of the same structural liner, cured over one localised fault: a cracked joint, a displaced collar, a single root entry. The sound pipe either side is left alone. It runs $2,500 to $5,000, takes an afternoon, and carries the same written 50 year liner warranty over the patched section.
What tips a job into full reline territory
Age and pattern. Pre 1980s earthenware fails joint by joint, and once roots have found two or three entries the rest of the joints are the same age and the same material. A full reline runs one seamless pipe through the whole line, so there are no joints left to fail. If the survey shows faults at 4 metres, 6 metres and 9 metres, patching all three costs most of a full reline and leaves the other joints waiting.
Patch, from $2,500
Full reline, from $5,000
One fault, confirmed isolated on camera.
Faults at several distances, or a line failing joint by joint.
An afternoon on site.
Usually one day for a standard house line.
Priced per patch.
Priced as setup plus a rate per metre, plus junctions.
Same liner material, same written warranty on the section.
One seamless pipe, no joints left in the run.
Paying twice
The expensive mistake is patching a line that is failing everywhere. The roots come back
through the next joint within a season, and the patch money is gone. If a survey shows
multiple faults and someone still sells you one patch, they are selling you a repeat visit.
Before you approve either scope
- Watch the survey footage and note the distance stamp on every fault.
- Count the faults. One means patch. Several means reline the run.
- Check the quote scope matches the count. Same faults, same metres, same junctions.
The honest tell
An operator who sometimes says "that is only a patch" is an operator whose full reline
quotes you can trust. We publish patch pricing for exactly that reason. If the camera
shows one fault, you will be quoted one patch.
When it is neither
Some drains do not need lining at all. A first blockage in a modern PVC line is usually just a blockage: jet it, camera it, and keep the footage as a baseline. Relining fixes structural faults. If the footage shows sound pipe, the honest answer is the cheap one, and you should get it in those words.
Common questions
How does the camera decide between a patch and a full reline?
By counting faults and reading the pipe between them. One crack or root entry in an otherwise sound line is a patch. Faults at multiple distances, or a pipe failing joint by joint, is a full reline. The footage timestamps every fault by metre, so the call is checkable.
Can I patch now and reline later if it gets worse?
Yes, and sometimes that is the right budget call. The patch is the same liner material, so it does not have to be redone if the line is fully relined later. But if the survey already shows multiple faults, staging the job usually costs more than doing it once.
Why would a company quote a full reline for a single fault?
Sometimes the footage genuinely shows more than one problem. Sometimes the bigger number is just the bigger number. The difference is visible on the recording, which is why you should never approve scope without watching it.