Treating Sewer Repairs And Tree Root Issues
If you have any trees even somewhat near your house, it’s nice to have the shade and the aesthetics. However, trees have roots and sometimes those roots can grow in ways you would rather they not. They can disturb the pipes beneath the ground and cause sewer repairs to become necessary. Roots are seeking nutrients at all times and the things that go down your sewer lines can actually feed the trees. When you start to see sewer clogs happening more and more often, it could be tree roots that are causing the problem. Here are some of the things that can be done about the necessary sewer repairs tree roots can cause.
Camera The Pipe
When you call a plumber to take a look at your clogging issues, they can confirm whether you have a clog due to build up or if a tree root is the problem. They can send a camera down your sewer line to determine the source of the clog. Once you know the root cause of the problem (no pun intended), the plumber can come up with a good course of action.
Course Of Action 1: Replace Old Lines
If you have older sewer lines, tree roots can disturb the, quite a bit. One course of action will be to dig up the old lines and replace them with plastic that the tree roots can get through. Roots generally enter old sewer lines at open joints. When those lines are replaced, they can no longer permeate the sewer and cause further repairs to become necessary.
Course Of Action 2: Kill Tree Roots
Some plumbers may advise you to treat your sewer lines with poison that will kill the tree roots that are close to the line. It will then take longer for the roots to cause issues, but they still may down the road. The poisons are designed just to kill the roots nearby, not the entire tree.
Course Of Action 3: Seal The Line
Another option is to seal the sewer line with a pipe that has an internal plastic fabric and cement so the tree roots can’t get through.
Preventing Further Tree Issues
You can’t predict where tree roots are going to grow, but when you plant new trees or other landscaping in your yard, have your yard marked as to where all of the power lines and sewer lines run. Not only is this the safe way to go, but it can also help you place things far enough away from the lines so that you won’t have issues with sewer repair due to tree roots.
Get Advice On Sewer Repairs
Before you assume your nearby trees are the cause of your clogging problems, call your local plumbers at Stephens Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning to get to the bottom of the issue with their expert diagnostics. You can then treat your sewer repair based on the cause so there won’t be further issues down the road.