How Trees Can Destroy Your Home's Sewer Line

June 08, 2016

You try to be wary and assure you keep from putting anything down the drain that would jam your pipes. You don’t flush anything but toilet paper; you don’t put eggshells, stringy vegetables, or grease down the sink in the kitchen; and you make sure to have filters on all your drains. But have you thought of everything in order to help stop a high-priced sewer line repair?

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

Trees want nutrients and their roots are how they get it, so the end of the tree root is constantly “seeking” and “reaching to” a source of moisture and nutrients and they are drawn to a leaking sewer line in need of repair.

Typically, tree roots will leave fine, undamaged sewer lines alone. They usually only occupy leaking, broken, or damaged lines buried within the top couple feet of the soil. When this happens the original damage not only gets worse, the tree roots can completely clog the sewer system and reduce the water flow, causing overflows and possibly flooding your home or building.

But what can you do? Call a sewer line repair expert in Longmont.

A sewer line repair will typically be easier (and less expensive) than a burst pipe, so if you think there is an issue with your sewer line, especially if you think tree roots are growing 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 line has a tree root problem. Once the issue has been determined, our sewer line repair technician will discuss all of your options with you and help you determine the best plan, whether that’s a trenchless sewer line replacement or just cutting out the tree roots.

Note, faster growing trees, such as ash, silver maples, or tuliptree, may cause more trouble because they grow more rapidly. Slower growing trees are a better option, but they still need to be swapped out every eight to ten years to avoid their roots from causing a problem. Also, always plant trees far from your sewer lines, that way you can help prevent damage and stop 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 invaded your sewer line or you have any plumbing issues at all, call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning in Longmont and we are happy to visit and see if you need a sewer line repair or do a seasonal plumbing maintenance to make sure your pipes are good to go.

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