Tree roots are a frustrating plumbing problem to deal with because of the damage they do, and because finding the cause of your issues can be difficult. If you have persistent clogs in your sewer line, it may be the tree roots that are to blame.
Call the experts at Sewer Squad Plumbing & Drain Services for an inspection and professional repair.
Don’t panic when you have a plumbing issue pop up on the weekend or the middle of the night. We offer 24/7 emergency plumbing service to get you out of any jam.
Why Tree Roots Invade
Here in the Oshawa area, there are many homes that are still hooked up to clay pipes. The problem is that these old clay pipes are now cracked and, in many cases, leaking. Tree roots naturally seek out easy sources of water, so when they find a leaking pipe, they dig in, causing blockages and reduced water pressure.
If your home is still connected to old clay pipes, consider replacing them with PVC lines, which are more resistant to tree roots, and can last up to 100 years.
How to Prevent Tree Root Invasion
Whether you’ve had tree roots invade your pipes and don’t want them to return, or want to prevent it from happening in the first place, check out these helpful tips.
- Use Physical Barriers: When you have clean sewer lines, consider installing metal or thick wood barriers around the pipe to deter tree roots from getting in.
- Chemical Root Barriers: You can double your protection by adding chemical barriers to your physical ones. Try copper sulfate and potassium hydroxide near the sewer lines to discourage tree roots from entering the line.
- Drain Camera Inspections: To ensure that your plumbing remains free-flowing, it’s wise to schedule regular camera inspections to assess the health of your plumbing. These inspections help find problems sooner, allowing you to fix them before they become bigger headaches down the road.
Besides the above-mentioned tips, consider planting slow-growing trees on your property, and plant them as far away from your sewer line as you can.
If you have a toilet that always seems to clog, contact us about our clogged toilet repair.
Fixing Tree Root Invasion
Tree root invasion is a nasty problem to fix because the roots form knotted spider web-like tendrils that wind throughout the pipe. The longer they remain, the deeper in the system they get, and the more difficult it is to remove them. The four best methods of dealing with this problem are:
- Mechanical Tree Root Removal: Our technicians can use a motorized auger that cuts through the roots with spinning blades. The root fragments wash away down the line.
- Hydro Jetting: With high-pressure water, our plumbers blast away roots and flush them out of the system.
- Chemical Removal: Another tool at our disposal is a foaming root killer that coats the inside of the sewer line and kills any roots the auger or hydro jet missed. Chemicals are also a good idea to protect against future growth into the pipe.
- Line Replacement: As a last resort, we may recommend replacing the line if the root invasion is so severe that other methods won’t get rid of them.
