How Trees Can Destroy Your Home's Sewer Line

June 08, 2016

You try to be careful and make sure you don’t put anything down the drain that would clog your pipes. You don’t put anything down the toilet except toilet paper; you don’t put eggshells, bones, or fats down the garbage disposal; and you make sure to have screens on all your drains. But have you covered all your bases in order to avoid a costly sewer line repair?

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

Trees want nutrients and their roots are how they get it, so the tip of the tree root is always “seeking” and “reaching for” a source of moisture and nutrients and they are enticed by a leaking sewer line that requires repair.

Usually, tree roots will leave healthy, undamaged sewer lines alone. They typically only occupy leaking, split, or damaged lines buried within the top two feet of the earth. When this takes place the original damage not only gets worse, the tree roots can completely clog the sewer pipes and reduce the water flow, resulting in overflows and potentially flooding your home or building.

But what should you do? Call a sewer line repair professional in Ocala.

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

Sewer line repair professionals at Service Experts will use a sewer inspection camera to confirm whether or not the pipe has a tree root problem. Once the problem has been confirmed, our sewer line repair technician will review all of your options with you and help you decide the best way to proceed, whether that’s a trenchless sewer line replacement or just removing the tree roots.

Keep in mind, faster growing trees, such as cottonwood, locust, or sycamore, 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 seven to ten years to avoid their roots from causing a problem. Also, make sure you plant trees far from your sewer lines, that way you can help avoid damage and stop those pesky (and sometimes costly) sewer line repairs. If you’re not sure 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 problems at all, call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning in Ocala and we are happy to come out and see if you need a sewer line repair or do a full plumbing maintenance to make sure your pipes are good to go.

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