Tree roots can cause incredibly severe and expensive damage to your plumbing system. It is important to act quickly when tree roots penetrate into your plumbing, though preventing root issues is generally the most cost-effective course of action. This will help to minimize potential repair costs and protect your plumbing. Understanding why tree roots damage your pipes, how to clear these roots from the pipes, and how to prevent them from penetrating the pipes in the first place can go a long way toward minimizing your plumbing related issues and expenses. When roots penetrate into your pipes, you should contact a professional plumber as soon as possible.
Though the waste that travels through your pipes is certainly unappealing to you, the fact of the matter is that water, nutrients, and oxygen are all present within your pipes. This ensures that pipes are particularly attractive to the roots of trees and plants. In general, these roots will be unable to penetrate your plumbing system as long as it remains in good condition. Pipes will corrode and wear down over time. When a pipe springs a leak, you can be confident that nearby roots will be drawn to the leak. Once they penetrate into the pipeline, they will grow and expand rapidly. This can cause significant problems with your pipes.
Preventing Tree Roots in Sewer Pipes
Prevention is the best method for dealing with potential root issues in your pipes. There are many steps that can be taken to help prevent root issues in your pipes. First, you will need to determine where your sewer lines are located prior to doing any landscaping work on your property. However, sometimes this may not be an option as trees may already be ingrained in the ground. In these situations, you should add a barrier between the pipes and the roots. This can be done with either chemical barriers or physical barriers. Copper sulfate and potassium hydroxide are both options for slow releasing chemical barriers. These are slow releasing chemicals that can inhibit the growth of roots.
Foaming root killers can both be used to remove tree roots and prevent future regrowth. These chemicals kill the root and then leave a residue along the pipe to discourage the regrowth of the tree roots. This is also a relatively simple method, as it involves only adding the chemical to the pipeline. It is also important to note all of the warning signs of root clogs to ensure that you can remove the roots before they cause excessive damage. Frequent clogging, overflowing, and slow flowing drains may all indicate the presence of roots in the pipes. If these signs are present, you should contact a plumber immediately. Regular maintenance of your plumbing system can similarly help to prevent tree roots from penetrating into your plumbing system.
How to Clear Roots from Drain Pipes
There are several methods that are implemented to clear roots from drain pipes after they have occurred. Foaming root killers are a simple, effective way to both remove tree roots and prevent them from reentering the pipelines. Specialized cutting tools can also be used to enter the pipe and cut the tree roots away. These tools can effectively remove the roots, but they generally don’t do much to prevent the intrusion from reoccurring. If too much damage has been done by the tree root invasion, the complete sewer line may need to be replaced. This can result in incredibly high expenses, which is one of the many reasons why prevention methods are vital to protect your plumbing system.
Can Rose Roots Damage Water Pipes?
The roots of nearly every plant will be drawn to sources of water, oxygen, and nutrients. This is similarly true for the roots of a rosebush. These roots are generally weaker than the roots of trees, as roses are similarly less sturdy than trees. If there is a leak in the pipe, the rose root may penetrate the pipe and cause issues with your plumbing. This, however, is less likely than damage that can be caused by tree roots. To be safe, you may want to ensure that all of the plants in your yard are planted away from the sewer lines.
Root Plumbing
Due to the increased speed at which roots grow after penetrating pipes, fast action is vital to minimize the damage. It is important to call a plumber after preventing root issues in your pipes has failed. Plumbers have an array of techniques to clear roots from drain pipes. One of the popular methods that plumbers employ is hydro jetting. This process involves inserting a pipe that emits a powerful stream of water. This water blasts the roots out of the pipeline, which makes it an incredibly effective method for thorough root removal.
Other tools can be used to remove the tree roots from the plumbing system. Drain snakes are often used to clear clogs out of drains, but this may be ineffective at removing the tree roots. However, rotating spiral heads fixed to the top of drain snakes can help to cut through the tree roots, much like a saw would. This is generally a more temporary fix, as it merely cuts the tree roots and doesn’t prevent them from regrowing.
Contact a Plumber
Tree roots can cause an incredible amount of damage to plumbing. Preventing root issues is the best possible way to minimize this damage from occurring. However, when problems do occur, it will be exceedingly important to obtain the services of a professional plumber immediately. Emergency services can help to mitigate the total amount of damage that occurs to your pipes after tree roots have intruded into your pipes. Here at S & B Plumbing, we strive to provide the services required to protect the plumbing of your building and minimize the damage that could potentially occur. To learn more about how to prevent root issues from occurring in your plumbing system, contact our experts at S & B Plumbing today!
