Signs Trees Could Be Damaging Your Pipes

a sewer tree root intrusion.

Tree root intrusion of underground sewer lines is a common issue in homes that have plants with invasive roots on the property. This problem happens when tree roots work their way into the small cracks in underground pipes to access the water and nutrients inside them, explains Windermere Management.

The main trouble with tree root invasion of pipes is you never know when it is happening. The same signs that follow excessive debris buildup inside your sewer line are present when tree roots invade the line. So it is easy to think the problem in your plumbing is caused by buildup.

On that basis, you may try to solve the problem by using solutions designed to remove debris from a sewer line. But those solutions will fail or if they work, the effect is temporary. To stop tree root intrusion into your pipes, you need solutions designed for that purpose.

However, how do you know if tree roots are inside your sewer line?

7 signs that there are tree roots inside your sewer line

Multiple slow drains in the home

If various fixtures are experiencing slow drains at once, there is a blockage deep inside the sewer line.

Backed-up toilet

One way to know if tree roots are in your sewer line is when your toilet becomes slow or backs up into your home.

Wet patches in the lawn

One section of the lawn is wet when other areas are dry, even though all parts of the yard get the same amount of water.

The smell of sewage in your home

A sewer line that has been damaged by tree roots may start to release foul-smelling sewer gases into your home and around your yard. 

  1. Sinkholes forming form in the yard

Sinkholes form when a lot of water is released into the soil, causing it to lose its structure and forcing the top layers to collapse

One tree is growing faster than others

If a tree is plugged into your sewer line, it will grow faster than the other trees in the yard, because of the extra nutrients it is getting.

Pest invasion of your home

If there is a sudden increase in pests around your yard, there could be tree roots inside your sewer line.

How to be sure if there are tree roots inside your sewer line

Given that the above signs are the same ones you will see when your sewer line is blocked by debris – and not necessarily by tree roots – how can you be sure? The most-definitive way to know if your sewer line is being damaged by tree roots is to do a sewer camera inspection.

This is a modern way to assess and view an underground sewer line to diagnose the problems in the system. It uses a specialized camera fed into the sewer line via a cleanout or drain opening. This camera is attached to a flexible line to guide it through the pipe.

As it travels through the sewer line, the camera captures the inside of the pipe and sends a live feed to an above-ground screen monitored by the plumber. This inspection allows plumbers to do a close-up examination of the inside of a sewer line to determine if there are tree roots in it.

hydro jetting tree roots out of a sewer line.

How to get rid of tree roots in your sewer line

Now that you have determined that there are tree roots inside your sewer line, what is the next step? Hopefully, the damage to your pipe is not severe. If the sewer line is badly damaged the only way to fix the problem is to replace the damaged portions.

However, if the damage is minor, you can get rid of the tree roots in the line with one or both of these drain-cleaning methods:

Sewer rodding

This drain cleaning method uses a spinning steelhead, inserted into the sewer line, to get rid of the tree roots in the pipes. The steel cutting head is attached to a flexible hose, fed into the sewer line and then guided to the location of the blockage.

Hydro jetting

This method uses high-pressure water to remove tree roots from a sewer line. A flexible hose with a steel nozzle is inserted into the sewer line and water is pumped in with enough force to blast away the tree roots inside the pipe.

Finally, how do you keep tree roots from coming back after you remove them?

When dealing with tree root intrusion into your sewer line you must work with an experienced plumber who can advise you on the best steps to solve the problem. A competent plumber will advise you on the most effective solutions to get rid of tree roots and also prevent them from coming back again.