How Trees Can Destroy Your Home's Sewer Line

June 08, 2016

You try to be vigilant and assure you don’t put anything down the drain that would obstruct your pipes. You don’t put anything down the toilet except toilet paper; you don’t put coffee grounds, bones, or fats down the kitchen sink; and you make sure to have strainers on all your drains. But have you covered all your bases in order to help stop a costly sewer line repair?

Go outside because you may be overlooking the most detrimental problem of all: tree roots.

Trees want nutrients and their roots are through which they get nutrients, so the tip of the tree root is constantly “searching for” and “reaching toward” a source of moisture and nutrients and they are enticed by a leaking sewer line that requires repair.

Usually, tree roots will leave strong, undamaged sewer lines alone. They normally only invade leaking, cracked, or damaged lines buried within the top two feet of the dirt. When this occurs the first damage not only gets worse, the tree roots can actually clog the sewer pipes and decrease the water flow, leaving you with overflows and possibly flooding your home or building.

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

A sewer line repair will most likely be easier (and less expensive) than a burst pipe, so if you believe there’s an issue with your sewer line, especially if you believe tree roots are getting into the pipe, call McElroy Service Experts immediately.

Sewer line repair technicians at McElroy will use a sewer inspection camera to verify whether or not the sewer system has a tree root issue. Once the issue has been confirmed, our sewer line repair professional will go over all of your options with you and help you choose the best way to proceed, whether that’s a trenchless sewer line replacement or just cutting out the tree roots.

Keep in mind, faster growing trees, such as cottonwood, silver maples, or tuliptree, may cause more trouble because they grow more quickly. Slower growing trees are a better choice, but they still need to be replaced every six to ten years to avoid their roots from becoming an issue. Also, make sure you plant trees far from your sewer lines, that way you can help prevent damage and stop those pesky (and often expensive) sewer line repairs. If you’re not confident where your sewer lines are, ask McElroy to flag the path of the sewer pipes.

So if you think your tree roots have come in contact with your sewer line or you have any plumbing needs at all, call McElroy Service Experts in Grand Island and we are happy to visit and see if you need a sewer line repair or do a complete plumbing maintenance to make sure your pipes are in tip-top shape.

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