Relining in Canberra: what to know
Your side only
Icon Water says you maintain the sanitary system up to where it joins its network, and Icon Water handles everything past that. Plumbers aren't authorised to work on its network, so a liner stops on your side.
Roots that keep growing
Icon Water calls tree and shrub roots a major cause of blockages. Once roots get into a pipe, it says, they keep growing until it blocks, and in severe cases they break it.
Protected trees
Groundwork in a protected tree's zone needs ACT Government approval. The zone covers the ground under the canopy, a 2-metre band beyond its edge and a 4-metre band around the trunk.
Plans on file
Approved sanitary drainage plans are held by the ACT Government and found through Access Canberra's plumbing tie search, so your line's route can be checked before the camera goes in.
Is relining the right fix?
A camera inspection should come first. It shows whether roots, a crack or a collapsed section is the problem, and how far the damage sits from the boundary.
A liner needs a pipe that still holds its shape. A collapsed section usually has to be dug out and replaced, at least in part. Our relining or replacement guide compares the two.
When some digging can't be avoided
Check the tree and easement rules before you sign a quote that includes excavation. A private tree counts as protected at 8 metres tall, with a canopy 8 metres wide, or with a trunk 1 metre around at 1.4 metres up, and every nature strip tree is protected.
Works near a stormwater easement need separate approval, and the ACT allows at least 15 working days to assess them. Ground cover over a buried stormwater pipe in an easement can't be reduced without approval.
Stormwater lines too
Relining isn't only for sewer pipes. A stormwater pipe above the tie point is the owner's, and below it the ACT Government's. A liner on your side stops at the tie, and a fault below it goes to Access Canberra.
Questions for a relining plumber
- Can I see the camera footage, and where is the damage relative to my boundary?
- Does the liner stop on my side of the Icon Water connection?
- Will any part of the job need digging near a protected tree or an easement?
- How will you deal with roots at the junctions once the liner is in?
What we would do
Pay for a camera inspection before you pay for anything else, and keep a copy of the footage. Pull your drainage plan from Access Canberra's plumbing tie search so everyone works from the same map. If the quote involves digging, look up the trees and easements on your block first, and get approvals lined up before the start date, not after.