Do You Have Tree Roots In Your Sewer Line?

For most Vancouver property owners, the be-all-end-all of all household plumbing problems is a sewage backup. Ideally, everything and anything you flush down your drains will readily flow into your home’s wastewater drain lines and eventually be dumped into the municipal sewer lines where it’s sanitized and properly disposed of. But sometimes a series of unfortunate events such as the accumulation of debris evolves into an eventual nasty clog resulting in a sewer backup.

One of these unfortunate circumstances happens to be a tree root intrusion, in which a tree’s roots rapidly expand and infiltrate your drainage pipes only to fracture them into bits and pieces if left undealt with. Once these tap roots trap and ensnare the loose joints in your underground pipe system, the leftover residue from the wastewater can cling to the roots resulting in a rigid clog. As the roots wrap around and fill the vast expanse of your pipes, they’ll put pressure on the clog itself resulting in your sewer drain getting backed up with raw sewage and later being upchucked into your home. Not only is this costly to repair but harmful to your own personal health and safety, as raw sewage is chock-full of contaminants and bacteria. If the outskirts of your home happen to be dotted with billowing tree canopies, you’ll be more easily exposed to tree roots invading your drain lines.

But why wait until you are ankle-deep in a flooded basement? Your local, licensed, and fully insured Dallas plumber from Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Dallas can perform an inspection for the tree roots in your sewer line and conduct a professional cleaning or repair service. Dallas homeowners who practice routine maintenance are less susceptible to encountering tree roots as they are proactive in spotting potential problems earlier on so it doesn’t reach a worst-case scenario.

The Harmful Effects Of Intruding Tree Roots

Although we all appreciate the majestic and serene presence of a towering oak tree that is the guardian protector of your home, as living, breathing plants that are complex, there’s more to them than meets the eye. Roots are responsible for absorbing and transporting water and minerals from the soil to the rest of the tree and providing an adequate food supply. Any sketch of a tree will depict a vast and intricate sprawling network of embedded roots broadening in leaps and bounds and penetrating the deep underground. This does occur but not in the direction you would imagine.

Surprisingly, what many people don’t realize is that tree roots grow horizontally much more than they grow vertically, as tree roots grow opportunistically towards where they can find the most resources to nourish and sustain themselves, namely oxygen and water. If your sewer line happens to have miniature cracks and leaks, wastewater seeps into the soil and as a result, the roots detect the warm, moist soil and grow towards it in a hunt to sustain themselves.

Once the roots have detected the pooled water inside of your drainage pipes, no matter how teeny-tiny the crack in your pipe is, they will readily pierce and invade and find their way inside to settle down. As roots further expand, loose joints become jostled in your underground pipes and wrenched apart. As the roots continue growing, they can puncture your pipes leading to fractures and leaks if left unresolved. Eventually, the roots will begin to cause clogs backing up the entirety of your drain lines with wastewater, which at its climax can be upchucked as raw sewage in your basement.

Although a professional plumber can blast away the roots with hydro jetting service or even repair the broken pipes with pipe relining or pipe bursting service, it doesn’t exactly stop them from invading again. That’s why it’s imperative to opt for resilient pipe materials that can withstand damage from roots.

Your Dallas property may have one of these types of pipes already in place:

• PVC: Most modern homes utilize polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or plastic-based pipes for their sewer system as it’s light and durable as it can easily handle high water pressure and is inexpensive.
• Cast Iron: Any older Dallas homes from the 1980s and before may have cast iron pipes but these have mostly been phased out as they easily rust.
• Clay: This was also a sturdy material a long time ago but not the best for invading tree roots which can easily demolish the pipe’s material.
• Copper: This is the most durable material and most resistant to corrosion, but it’s fairly uncommon given its higher pricier.

What Are Some Telltale Signs You Have Tree Roots In Your Sewer Line?

Toilet Backups

Your toilet takes the most berating for discarding your household waste, as each and every flush takes around 1.6 gallons of water to force your solid waste down the drain into the sewer. If you’ve tried to plunge or use an auger to no avail it means that the clog is not surface level but brewing deep within your sewer lines, and until physically removed will continue to mature with added debris. All of your bathroom’s plumbing fixtures share the same drainage pipe and so if your toilet is malfunctioning it can also cause a backup in your bathtub or sink.

Backyard Wet Patches

Wet patches on your lawn indicate that tree roots have likely broken your PVC pipes as specific areas of your yard may be moister and spongy and perhaps even greener thanks to the wastewater runoff.

Foul Odours

Raw sewage gives off a dank odour and you can tell if you’re dealing with a clog as you’ll sniff an egg-like sulfur-dioxide fume wafting from a glut of built-up bacteria in your fixture’s drain pipes, resulting in slow drains.

Slow Drains

If you’re regularly witnessing standing water in your bathtub or kitchen sink, it’s not just a pesky hairball or dinner leftovers you keep scraping down the drain. Slow drains can also be due to tree root infiltration in your main drain line.

Strange Noises

If you happen to hear gurgling sounds whenever you turn on your faucet it means that there is something suspicious about your sewer drainpipes as this sound is made when air bubbles get stuck and are suppressed under pressure inside of a drain line. If your sewer line happens to develop a clog, for example, air bubbles will pop and be released upwards within the drain so you can hear them from your sink or bathtub.

Soaring Utility Bill

If it’s not rising utility costs, then something else is the culprit. If your daily habits and routines are mostly the same it’s not you but the reality of a burst pipe, tree roots, or any other damage to your water and sewage mains.

Mr. Rooter Will Remove Tree Roots In Your Sewer Line!

You may not be struggling against an evil tree but you sure are tackling the closest thing. It can be a hindrance to your daily routines to deal with something so unimaginable as tree roots in your sewer line. It’s not something you can exactly resolve with a quick hack and requires a well-equipped skilled plumber who has the grit, ingenuity, and knowledge to perform advanced tactics and use non-invasive methods to restore your drainage pipes to pristine condition.

No matter where you are in the greater Dallas area, you can rely on our quality workmanship and courteous service. Mr. Rooter serves Plano, Garland, Richardson, and many other nearby areas. On top of our 24/7 emergency services be rest assured that we offer a no-obligation consultation and transparent, upfront pricing with no hidden or overtime fees, and this is backed by our one-year parts guarantee. If for any reason your tree’s scathing roots make another appearance, we can return to make any adjustments.

Reach out to us to learn more or schedule an appointment for plumbing repair and drain cleaning services.