Schrader Plumbing Blog

Want To Prevent Tree Roots From Ruining Your Sewer Line?

Trees on your property provide beauty, value, and homes for wildlife. But many homeowners may not consider that tree roots can wreak havoc on the pipes that run near and under your property. Tree roots in sewer lines can cause severe issues in your home, including sinkholes, gurgling toilets, and slow drains. Sewer lines are filled with all the things trees would love to get their growing roots on — especially when there’s a leak giving extra nourishment to them. If a root takes hold inside one of your sewer lines, Let’s hope that you or a plumber notices before costly damage is done! Hopefully, you will read this before you have an expensive plumbing bill, to find steps you can take to prevent tree roots from ruining your sewer line.

Create a Barrier

If you’re concerned because your favorite tree is rapidly encroaching near your plumbing lines, place a barrier between the two. Place a wood or metal barrier into the ground so it lies six inches to a foot deeper than the pipe. Contact your local public works department to find out exactly where the pipes and sewer lines are on your property. You can also choose to spread growth inhibitors like copper sulfate or potassium hydroxide along the area of your plumbing lines.

Prepare Before You Plant

After you have the sewer and plumbing lines mapped out in your yard, carefully draw out where you want to plant new trees and shrubs. The larger the tree, the further it should be from your plumbing lines. Do adequate research to find out how large its root systems can get and plan in advance for that. If you’re a type A personality that NEEDS to have your house gardening perfectly aligned (and your plumbing lies directly underneath), choose plant materials that are known for having tiny, slow-growing root systems.

Keep Your Eyes Out and Ask For Help

If you notice signs of root infiltration in your pipes, which could slow drains, or gurgling sounds from toilets and drains, Call a local plumber out for help to do a sewer video camera inspection.

Sewer lines that have been breached by tree roots and left to remain in your pipes can wind up costing you a lot of money in repairs. But one way to make sure you won’t have to deal with something of this nature is to have regular maintenance and cleaning of your drains and lines. Call the Plumbing Professionals at Schrader Plumbing to schedule an appointment at 817-262-0989 today!