How Trees Can Destroy Your Home's Sewer Line

June 08, 2016

You try to be cautious and assure you avoid putting anything down the drain that would jam your pipes. You don’t place anything in the toilet except toilet paper; you don’t put coffee grounds, meat, or grease down the garbage disposal; and you make sure to have filters on all your drains. But have you thought of everything in order to help stop a high-priced sewer line repair?

Check outside because you may be forgetting the most destructive problem of all: tree roots.

Trees desire nutrients and their roots are where they absorb nutrients through, so the tip of the tree root is continuously “searching for” and “reaching for” a source of moisture and nutrients and they are enticed by a leaking sewer line that needs repair.

Usually, tree roots will leave strong, unbroken sewer lines alone. They usually only occupy leaking, cracked, or damaged lines buried within the top two feet of the earth. When this occurs the first damage not only gets worse, the tree roots can seriously clog the sewer pipes and decrease the water flow, resulting in overflows and possibly flooding your home or building.

But what should you do? Call a sewer line repair company in Fort Worth.

A sewer line repair will most likely be easier (and cost less) than a ruptured pipe, so if you believe there’s trouble with your sewer line, especially if you believe tree roots are growing into the pipe, call Stark Services right away.

Sewer line repair technicians at Stark Services will use a sewer inspection camera to verify whether or not the pipe has a tree root issue. Once the issue has been confirmed, our sewer line repair technician will review all of your options with you and help you determine the best way to proceed, 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 tuliptree, may cause more problems because they grow faster. Slower growing trees are a better choice, but they still need to be swapped out every eight to ten years to avoid their roots from becoming an issue. Also, make sure you plant trees a good distance from your sewer lines, that way you can help avoid damage and prevent those pesky (and sometimes costly) sewer line repairs. If you’re not confident where your sewer lines are, ask Stark Services 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 issues at all, call Stark Services in Fort Worth and we are happy to come out and see if you need a sewer line repair or do a seasonal plumbing maintenance to make sure your pipes are good to go.