Preventing root intrusion into pipes

11/27/2017 (Permalink)

Preventing root intrusion into pipes

How to prevent sewer line problems before they start?

Know where your sewer line is before you plant! Contact a marking service that can locate and mark the location of your yard if you don’t know where it is.

Do not plant on top of or too close to the pipe. It could cause potential harm to the pipe in the future

Right plant, right place!

Ensure a tree has enough room for the root system to grow without coming in contact with pipes. Figure this out BEFORE planting any new trees.

Keep in mind, a young tree may be small at first and pose no threat to pipes, but may do so in the future.

Tree selection and placement

It is possible for any species of tree to cause damage to pipes, but some trees have certain physiological characteristics that make them more likely to intrude into sewer lines. Trees that grow quickly above ground also do so below ground.

If you must plant near a pipe, select a tree that is not known to be an aggressive or fast grower.

In general, trees should not be planted near sewer lines, but some trees have shown to have comparatively less reports of damage to pipes.

Many fruit trees including cherry, plum, and peach

Some evergreens including cypress

Diagnosis if tree root intrusion

If your home repeatedly experiences plumping stoppages, you may have roots impeding your sewer line.

If the land surrounding your home is heavily wooded, or large trees are present and are close to the sewer line, a root intrusion is possible.

Many plumbing companies can verify a root intrusion by inserting a video camera into the sewer line to view the blockage.

Controlling tree root intrusion

The best way to control tree root intrusion is to completely remove the entire sewer line, but other options are available such as:

Chemical herbicides, Mechanical root removal from pipes, sewer line repairs or installation of liner inserts. Many chemical herbicides can be routinely used to kill roots that may be growing inside pipes. This is typically a temporary solution, and will not eradicate the problem completely.

If a root intrusion has become too serve for herbicides, plumbers resort to “snaking” the line. A flexible metal auger is inserted into the pipe to mechanically remove the built-up roots. This is a temporary solution as roots will grow back and will need repeated removal. The only permanent method to solve a tree root intrusion is to completely remove the damaged pipe. If the problem is very server, complete removal of the tree may also be necessary, as the excavation of the pipe and removal of roots may have deadly consequences on the tree in the near future. If tree removal is necessary, plant a new tree farther away from the pipe that is known to be less invasive

Article source: https://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/videos_posters/breeze/tree_roots_and_sewer_lines.pdf