Tree roots are the bane of the homeowner

by | Nov 20, 2013 | Home and Garden

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Unless your home happens to be located in Arizona or Alaska, chances are good that you have trees in your yard. Although we all love trees for their shade in the summer and working to keep the world supplied with oxygen, they can be a problem, especially if they are planted close to your drain leading to the municipal sanitary sewer.

There are certain tree varieties that have a more voracious appetite for water than others, but just as all people need water to one degree or another, so do all trees.

The actual depth of the sewer line from your home to the street depends to a great deal on the depth of the main line. If your sewer is only two or three feet deep the chances of having roots invade it are greater than a line significantly deeper. This is also the case should your line be broken, but let it be said that lines which are in good condition rarely are invaded by tree roots. The biggest problem can be eliminated with a little knowledge of the trees demands before you plant it, simply do not plant fast growing trees near the sewer.

Those professionals who attend to sewer cleaning in Queens NY know that roots cannot nor do they actually crush the sewer pipe. Tree roots actually invade the sewer through and weak spot or area which has even the smallest of cracks.

When you are managing your garden landscaping you should really consider removing water seeking trees every eight to ten years, long before they get out of hand. By replacing these varieties with new trees it limits the root travel distance.

If your sewer has been invaded by tree roots it’s quite obvious they have to be removed. If the sewer is reasonably shallow the sewer can be dug up and the pipe replaced. This is most often not an option and sewer cleaning in Queens NY must take place. The professionals who do this work can open the drain cleanout and insert a small closed circuit TV camera into the pipe. This tells them exactly where the blockage is, how big it is and how much of the pipe is full of roots. With this information they know what equipment to send up the pipe to remove the roots and if necessary, reline the pipe.

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