How Trees Can Destroy Your Home's Sewer Line

June 08, 2016

You try to be cautious and make sure you don’t put anything down the drain that would jam your pipes. You don’t flush anything except toilet paper; you don’t put coffee grounds, bones, or fats down the garbage disposal; and you make sure to have filters 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 forgetting the most damaging problem of all: tree roots.

Trees crave nutrients and their roots are how they get it, so the tip of the tree root is constantly “looking for” and “reaching toward” a source of moisture and nutrients and they are very attracted to a leaking sewer line that needs repair.

Most of time, tree roots will leave fine, unbroken sewer lines alone. They usually only invade leaking, split, or damaged lines buried within the top two feet of the soil. When this takes place the initial damage not only becomes worse, the tree roots can totally clog the sewer lines and lower the water flow, resulting in overflows and possibly flooding your home or building.

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

A sewer line repair will usually be easier (and cost less) than a completely broken pipe, so if you think there is an issue with your sewer line, especially if you think tree roots are moving into the pipe, call Wesley Wood Service Experts immediately.

Sewer line repair professionals at Wesley Wood will use a sewer inspection camera to verify whether or not the sewer system 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 plan, whether that’s a trenchless sewer line replacement or just getting rid of the tree roots.

Keep in mind, faster growing trees, such as ash, oak, or sycamore, may cause more issues because they grow more rapidly. Slower growing trees are a better choice, but they still need to be replaced every seven to ten years to avoid their roots from causing a problem. Also, always plant trees a good distance from your sewer lines, that way you can help avoid damage and prevent those pesky (and often expensive) sewer line repairs. If you’re not confident where your sewer lines are, ask Wesley Wood to flag the path of the sewer pipes.

So if you think your tree roots have entered your sewer line or you have any plumbing issues at all, call Wesley Wood Service Experts in West Chester and we are happy to come to your home and see if you need a sewer line repair or do a complete plumbing maintenance to make sure your pipes are good to go.

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