Tree Root Plumbing Problems And How To Fix Them
One of the most common sewer line problems is root infiltration. Those beautiful trees in your garden and on your lawn can be very destructive. Tree roots are the masters of the underground. They stretch as long as they wish under the soil in search of water, nutrients, and air. Well, you can’t blame them for doing their job. They are just trying to nourish themselves and the rest of the tree. The problem with these roots is that sometimes they end up in the wrong place. Tree roots usually follow promising leads to access water, nutrients, and air. One of the most promising sources of water or moisture in the soil is the sewer system. The sewer lines carry very rich products that can really benefit the tree roots in your yard. Sometimes the sewer lines advertise their precious cargo through leaks, cracks, or bad pipe joints. In other words, they spill some of the sewage and the roots discover the treasures and the source. The roots try to force their way inside the leaking or cracked sewer lines to access more nutrients and moisture. That is where the whole problem starts. The roots can squeeze through and enlarge the cracks until they are right inside your sewer lines. When this happen, you will suffer some of the problems discussed below. We have also listed some viable fixes to these problems.
Tree Root Infiltration Problems
The trees in your yard work their way slowly inside your sewer lines. The tips of the roots penetrate the cracked or badly jointed sewer lines. The roots now start growing and extending inside your sewer line. When your drainage and sewer lines are infiltrated by tree roots, you are going to suffer the following problems.
Clogging
The first roots to infiltrate your sewer lines will start extending and expanding inside the roots. Remember that your sewer lines are carrying nutrient-rich waste water. This is good food for the tree roots. They will flourish inside the sewer lines. These infiltrating roots will also attract other roost to the sewer system. In a short while, they will fill the interior space designed for sewage flow. This will result in very serious clogs and severe sewer backups in your house.
Pipe Damage
The other problem of tree root infiltration is sewer line damage. As the roots are squeezing through the leaking sewer line, they will enlarge the crack or joint and damage the pipe severely. They can also cause the underground sewer lines to fully collapse and this can lead to costly sewer line repairs and replacements.
Viable Solutions
Realizing the dangers posed by tree root infiltration, plumbing professionals have come up with several viable solutions to prevent and fix this problem. We have listed them below.
Underground Sewer Camera Inspections
The first thing that you need when you suspect a tree root infiltration problem is a underground sewer camera inspection. You should hire any professional plumber who provides Fredericksburg sewer services to thoroughly inspect your underground sewer lines with a camera to determine if you have a tree root infiltration problem.
De-Rooting
If indeed there are roots in your sewer lines, then a competent plumber can cut them off from inside the sewer pipe. They have some special tools and equipment for that kind of work.
Control Root Growth
You can also control tree root infiltration using various chemicals. Or even by not planting big trees close to your underground sewer lines.
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