How Trees Can Destroy Your Home's Sewer Line

June 08, 2016

You try to be cautious and make sure you don’t put anything down the drain that would plug your pipes. You don’t place anything in the toilet except toilet paper; you don’t put pasta, stringy vegetables, or fats down the sink in the kitchen; and you make sure to have filters on all your drains. But have you covered all your bases in order to avoid a high-priced sewer line repair?

Go outside because you may be ignoring the most damaging problem of all: tree roots.

Trees desire nutrients and their roots are through which they get nutrients, so the end of the tree root is continuously “searching for” and “reaching to” a source of moisture and nutrients and they are enticed by a leaking sewer line in need of repair.

Typically, tree roots will leave strong, undamaged sewer lines alone. They usually only invade leaking, broken, or damaged lines buried within the top 24 inches of the dirt. When this takes place the original damage not only gets worse, the tree roots can actually clog the sewer lines and lower the water flow, leaving you with overflows and even flooding your home or building.

So what do you do? Call a sewer line repair professional in Roanoke.

A sewer line repair will most likely be easier (and cheaper) than a burst pipe, so if you suspect a problem with your sewer line, especially if you believe tree roots are making their way into the pipe, call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning right away.

Sewer line repair technicians at Service Experts will use a sewer inspection camera to decide whether or not the sewer system has a tree root problem. Once the problem has been determined, our sewer line repair expert will discuss all of your options with you and help you decide the best plan, whether that’s a trenchless sewer line replacement or just cutting out the tree roots.

Remember, faster growing trees, such as cottonwood, silver maples, or basswood, may cause more trouble because they grow more rapidly. Slower growing trees are a better alternative, but they still need to be swapped out every six to ten years to avoid their roots from damaging the sewer lines. Also, make sure you plant trees far from your sewer lines, that way you can help prevent damage and avoid those pesky (and often costly) sewer line repairs. If you’re unsure where your sewer lines are, ask Service Experts to flag the path of the sewer pipes.

So if you think your tree roots have entered your sewer line or you have any plumbing problems at all, call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning in Roanoke and we are happy to come out and see if you need a sewer line repair or do a complete plumbing maintenance to make sure your pipes are good to go.

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