Your yard's trees play a significant role in the beauty of your property. Although they contribute to the curb appeal of your property, trees can occasionally interfere with your sewer pipes. This happens when their roots damage your sewer pipes by encroaching on them.
Damage To Sewer Lines
Your property's trees depend on the water and nutrients found in your sewer lines to grow. As warm water passes through your pipes, any gaps or loose connections allow vapor to escape into the cooler soil around your sewer pipes.
In an effort to obtain moisture, the roots of neighboring trees will start to move toward the pipes. They'll eventually expand into the vapor-releasing fissures or loose joints and can fill the pipe. This could lead to major clogs as well as the collapse of your pipe.
Roots In Your Pipes: Warning Signs
Sewer laterals, the pipes that link the sewer pipes in your home to the main sewer pipe typically found on the street, are the property owner's responsibility for upkeep. The difficulty is that it can be challenging to spot any problems because sewer pipes are buried.
When roots are encroaching on your pipes, there are two key symptoms to watch out for. The first is whether your home has a drainage system that moves slowly. The second sign is if your toilet bowls are making gurgling noises.
An expert’s camera check will determine whether the issue is root development in your pipes.
Taking Out the Roots
An expert will be able to remove the roots utilizing one of many techniques if it is found that there are roots developing inside of your sewer lines. Some popular techniques for removing roots in sewer systems are the ones listed below:
- Cutting the tree roots: Using a mechanical auger is the most popular method for getting rid of roots. An expert will run a motorized sewer auger down your sewer line that has a rotating spiral head. The spiral head will cut the roots like the blade of a reciprocating saw. But using this technique, the roots can still reappear.
- Chemical removal - You can place a chemical, such as copper sulfate crystals, immediately outside of your pipe to prevent the tree roots from regrowing. Since it will destroy the root system, this will prevent tree roots from entering the pipes.
- Removal of the hydro jetter: A hydro jetter is a device that uses water and a pump to flush your pipes while utilizing some kind of chemical to kill the roots.
These are only a few techniques you can use to get rid of any roots in your sewer lines. Before invasive roots cause major harm to your pipes, call a professional as soon as you see any indications of them.