In hospital buildings, and most commercial properties, it’s common for sewer pipes to be located deep underneath the ground and under thick layers of structural concrete. When commercial plumbing problems like leaks or blockages arise in these buildings, they can be extremely costly and time consuming to fix. When South Coast Private Hospital found a leak in their sewerage system, they found out just how complex this kind of plumbing problem can be.

It was clear that the sewer was leaking from the inlet and outlet pipes of the building’s grease arrestor, flowing through the ground and entering the stormwater drainage system. On top of dealing with the complexity of the problem, the hospital couldn’t afford to have its plumbing system down for long as they cater to the needs of so many people within their building. Not to mention that the broken pipes were located 2.5 metres under the driveway, near the entrance of the hospital. This meant that the plumbing services wouldn’t be a simple job, and excavating and replacing the pipes wouldn’t be an option.

Replacing broken pipes would require hospital operations to stop

From the outset, it was clear that fixing the leaking pipes would not be straightforward. If the hospital decided to replace the damaged pipes, they would have had to cease operation in the hospital’s kitchen and risk injury and further damage due to the location of electrical, water, and telecom services. Staff and patients would have also been required to relocate during the services, potentially causing weeks of disruption and costs.

Luckily, thanks to the long-term relationship between South Coast Private Hospital and the Nuflow Wollongong team, we were contacted by the hospital and able to provide an alternate solution to ripping up the entire concrete driveway. With prior knowledge of our no-dig pipe relining method, the hospital was confident we could get the problem sorted and provide a less disruptive and more cost-effective solution.

Dye testing and CCTV showed cause of problem

Dye testing proved the grease arrestor to be the culprit for the leaking sewerage into the stormwater system. Our CCTV inspection also confirmed dislodged and cracked inlet and outlet pipes underneath the building. The faulty inlets and outlets were causing a serious problem, allowing waste water to leak into storm water.

Pipe relining solution offered efficient repair of leaking sewerage system

To fix the broken pipes, we used our environmentally-friendly pipe rehabilitation solution, Blueline. We relined the broken pipes with epoxy resin, without needing to excavate or dig up the concrete – which would have been the case if the pipes were replaced.

Once the resin had set, it created a brand-new pipe within the existing old pipe, providing a long-lasting solution so the hospital wouldn’t face the same problem in the same area.

Before: The original, cracked pipe (inlet 1)

After: The relined pipe.

No structural damage meant limited operational disruption

When structural works are undertaken in a hospital building, staff and patients usually need to relocate for the duration of the repairs for their own safety – not to mention the noise and dust created from demolishing concrete. With our pipe relining solution, we not only created a long-lasting solution to the problem, but we also avoided disruption to the hospital, its patients and staff. We eliminated the need to dig up 2.5 metres of concrete to replace the inlet and outlet pipes of the grease arrestor, which would have cost the hospital thousands of dollars.

“We wrapped up the job in two days. The client was extremely happy with the solution we provided, saving them money, with no disruption to the operation of the hospital.” – Todd Proctor, Nuflow Wollongong

Commercial stormwater drainage solutions in Wollongong

At Nuflow Wollongong, we use pipe relining solutions to fix commercial plumbing problems efficiently and cost effectively. By repairing pipes from the inside, we’re able to get you back up and running in no time. Chat with our team about commercial plumbing solutions today.

Just one week out from a grocery store opening, our client realised just how complicated commercial plumbing problems can be. After finding a broken junction and a blocked pipe underneath their brand-new cool room, the team working on the commercial property were extremely limited for options and even more pushed for time.

What had gone wrong?

A break in one of the pipe junctions meant that material had been caught in the pipe during construction, causing a complete blockage. However, because of the break in the pipe, it wasn’t possible to simply remove the blockage, as it would have eventually become blocked again over time.

Replacing broken pipes would have meant delaying the opening of the store

Because the concrete slab had already been installed above the pipe, simply replacing it wasn’t an option. The freshly laid concrete would have needed to be destroyed in order to access the problem pipe. Not only would this have destroyed the freshly laid floor, but it also would have halted the operation of the cool room and the store wouldn’t have been able to open in time.

Pipe relining meant they didn’t need to destroy the new floor slab

With not enough time to dig-up, replace the junction, and then relay the slab again, the client was desperate to find an alternative option – and quickly. Resorting to the wide web, our client searched for ‘pipe reliners’ in the South Coast region.

After they reached out to our team at Nuflow Wollongong, we were able to provide a less disruptive and more time-efficient solution. Our no-dig pipe relining method meant that once we were onsite, we were able to scope the issue and implement Nuflow’s relining technology – circumventing the risks associated with cutting through concrete.

Through the existing access points, we used our high-pressure water jets to clear out the blue metal aggregate and soil that had entered the pipe from the broken junction. Once the pipe was clear of debris, we then prepared our custom Blueline felt liner to insert into the broken junction. Without needing to excavate the slab, we were able to create a brand-new, strong pipe within the broken one to prevent future blockages.

Store preparations were able to continue simultaneously

A job that could have cost thousands and taken weeks to fix, took a total of two days for us to complete from start to finish. This unobtrusive method also ensured that while the problem pipe was being fixed, the store fit-out was able to continue, meaning that the client was able to continue with minimal disruption to other preparations. Because our on-site footprint was small, other contractors like electricians were able to continue finalising their work without interruption.

Thanks to Nuflow’s pipe-relining technology, the client was able to make their store opening deadline with minimal financial and operational impact. When the job was finished, we used our CCTV drain inspection camera to show our client the before and after photos, so they could see that the job had been done right.

“The store owners were really happy that they could keep getting ready while we were fixing the problem. The cool room was up and running for their launch day, which was a big success.”  – Todd Proctor, Nuflow Wollongong

Commercial pipe repair in Wollongong

At Nuflow Wollongong, we use pipe relining solutions to fix commercial plumbing problems efficiently and cost effectively. By repairing pipes from the inside, we’re able to get you back up and running in no time. Chat with our team about commercial plumbing solutions today.