This was especially important for Cairns International Airport when they needed to update the ground floor sewer lines of their administration building. Major interruptions would have massively inconvenienced commercial tenants, especially over an extended period of time, not to mention the potential costs this would involve. Luckily, Nuflow Cairns had the tools to get things sorted quickly and efficiently.

Aging bathroom pipes needed some TLC

The sewer line of the administration building’s entire ground floor bathrooms, both male and female, were starting to age. The team in charge of maintenance knew this was something they needed to sort out immediately, otherwise they could potentially risk major damages down the line. So, seeking preventative repairs, they called their regular plumbing contractor who then referred them to Nuflow Cairns.

Relining saves the day

When the Nuflow Cairns technicians got on site, they followed standard procedure and began with a camera inspection. This meant they were able to get a comprehensive view of the 100mm fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) pipes. They could see that the sewer line was nearing the end of its life.

The cost to completely replace the sewer line replacement cost would have been significant, and not to mention time-consuming, especially for two bathrooms. It’s impossible to replace a sewer line without digging, so this course of action would have involved removing all fixtures, wall and floor tiles, as well as cutting up concrete slabs just to excavate and remove the existing pipe work. Then, after the pipes were replaced, it would all have to be recemented, retiled, rebuilt and refurbished back to its former glory. Plus, the upstairs bathrooms also deposited into this sewer line, meaning they would be out of commission as well.

With pipe relining, all of this could be avoided, repairing the FRC pipes in less than half the time with very little intrusion.

Blueline gets the job done

The technicians decided on Nuflow’s blueline, which was perfectly suited to the needs of this pipe repair. As one of the most versatile liners in the world, its adaptability for any pipe configuration meant it could easily account for the 20 plumbing junctions within the admin building’s sewer line.

Because of the size of the pipe network, this was a big job for the Nuflow Cairns team. Including the initial camera inspection, it took the team 2 days to prepare the site and clean out the pipes so they were ready for relining. The whole pipe relining process took 11 days to complete with no destruction. They were also able to by-pass the upstairs bathrooms so they could stay in operation the whole time. The below video shows the full scope of what the team was able to achieve.

Nuflow Cairns successfully relined all piping in the aging sewer line

At the end of the job, the team ran the CCTV camera back through the pipes, and found everything to be in perfect working order. They completed a full sewer pipe repair without digging, leaving the pipes better than new.

Another Nuflow client thrilled with the result

Cairns International Airport was very happy with the results, and that they were able to avoid costly excavations.

“The company provided a professional and well-organised service,” says the maintenance manager. “Giles is very knowledgeable, and provides excellent advice with a comprehensive explanation of ‘what’ and ‘how’ for the works he performed. He came in on budget and his time estimate was spot on. If asked to recommend him and Nuflow, I would not hesitate to put his name forward.”

Get in touch with Nuflow Cairns

If you’re ever in need of commercial sewer line repairs, you know who to call. Nuflow Cairns will find the best possible solution for your pipe problems, and save you tonnes of time and money thanks to our relining technology. Get in touch with the team today.

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The building itself has stormwater pipes which run down from the roof, through the concrete walls and along the ceiling cavities. Over the years, due to a mix of ageing pipes, deterioration and movement in the building, the stormwater pipes had started to leak. If this leaking persisted, it would not only cause flooding in the building, but also mould and potential health risks for occupants.

The managers needed a solution to fix the leaks, so the building’s plumbing hydraulic engineer investigated their options and provided recommendations for the repairs.

Repairing a broken pipe can mean high costs and long downtime

One option for repairs was to replace the broken stormwater pipes altogether. This would have required costly repairs to reinstate the ceilings and walls to their existing state. The building’s walls are made of solid tilt slab wall-panelling with difficult-to-get to-ceiling and concealed wall cavities, so any works done to access the stormwater pipes would have required major excavation and costly repairs.

This kind of project would have taken up to five months to complete, potentially longer, and would most likely have required the building’s workers to relocate during repairs.

Relining services to repair water pipe leak in concealed wall cavities

Another option was pipe relining. This innovative plumbing solution delivered by our team at Nuflow Cairns involved creating a new pipe within the existing pipes, without the need to cut into walls or remove the ceiling. This solution is also perfect for non-destructive pipe repairs in those hard-to-access locations.

Keen to avoid any downtime, the building management team chose to go ahead with Nuflow Cairns and the pipe relining.

Our expert team used a hardy, specialist material to reline the affected pipes, sealing off any cracks and fixing the problem faster and with far less interruption than replacing the stormwater pipes altogether. We are able to fix the leaks without any destruction.

Repair stormwater pipe leaks in walls with pipe relining

To carry out the project, our team first attended the building to inspect the problem and get a thorough understanding of the pipe network. While we were provided with the building’s plans, we double checked the stormwater pipes by doing a drain inspection using our CCTV drain camera. Through this footage we were able to determine where the issues were in the stormwater pipes, and could then put a strategy into place to avoid any disruption to our clients.

We then prepared the stormwater pipes using our high-pressure water jet blaster. Then using our specialty equipment, we relined the pipes using a hardy resin, to create a pipe that’s often even stronger than the original. Our team sectioned off areas of the stormwater pipe network as they went, repairing the relevant section before reattaching it to the network and moving onto the next area. This meant we were able to complete the repairs while the building’s stormwater drainage system was still active.

Even bad weather doesn’t dampen our plumbing services

The Nuflow Cairns team initially estimated that the repair work would take 4.5 weeks to complete, and we started the project in mid-April 2021.

Cairns was then hit by torrential rain, with 800mm falling over 10 days. This was problematic because to carry out the pipe relining, we needed to block off sections of the stormwater pipes. But to ensure no flooding in the building, we also needed to ensure there was adequate drainage still available through the stormwater pipe system.

Through careful planning and carrying out the repairs strategically, we were able to avoid any flooding, and still manage to complete the job in the planned time frame.

Non-invasive and non-disruptive work means business as usual

Throughout the entire project, the building maintained 100% occupancy of workers, and they were all able to carry on their jobs as usual with no disruption.

Particularly given the heavy rainfall and the risk of delay, the client was incredibly happy to have the repairs completed with minimal fuss and delivered on time.

After we completed the works, we again did a drain inspection using our CCTV drain camera to assess the full network of stormwater pipes and ensure the leaks were solved. We also provided this footage to both the building’s plumbing hydraulic engineer and the client, to give them added peace of mind. The result was a very satisfied client, with the work being described as a ‘high standard’.

Need a commercial plumbing solution for a blocked drain, broken pipe or sewer pipe, or a stormwater drain issue in Cairns?

Nuflow Cairns can help. Contact us today to find out about how our friendly team can fix your issue with minimal downtime or disruption.

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