If there’s one thing for certain with plumbing, it’s that potential projects can vary significantly in terms of size. In other words, while some projects might be able to be finished in 15 minutes, there are others that could require several hours or even multiple days worth of work! Especially when you look at residential and commercial plumbing as a whole, this should come as no surprise. If you’re ever interested in taking a look at the various plumbing projects that our team at Stine-Nichols has worked on, you’re more than welcome to check us out on Facebook and Instagram. We routinely post inside looks at our various jobs throughout the week!
Considering there is such a wide variance when it comes to plumbing projects, we’re going to take a look at something today that may result in a project that could take a few hours to complete. That ‘something’ happens to be tree roots and they can certainly wreak havoc on your sewer line. Especially in older neighborhoods with larger trees, it’s important to acknowledge their potential for causing damage to your sewer line. Throughout this week’s blog post, we’ll discuss this in more detail, along with why it’s never a bad idea to have a camera inspection completed if you think there might be a potential problem with your sewer line.
How can tree roots cause sewer line troubles?
While tree root infiltration isn’t the only cause of sewer line problems, it is typically a rather common one! Other possible causes include older pipe that has simply deteriorated through wear and tear, inadequate original installation, the ground shifting over time or even repeatedly putting things down the drain that shouldn’t be there in the first place. Not to mention, as is the case with just about any other plumbing problem, it’s also extremely important to avoid procrastinating on the repairs. The longer a plumbing issue sits unrepaired, the worse it can likely end up getting. If you notice something isn’t right, get an experienced plumber out to take a look and get it fixed in a timely manner.
Now…back to the primary question for this opening section: why do tree roots tend to cause so much trouble for buried sewer lines? Well, believe it or not, the answer is actually pretty straightforward. In order for trees to survive and grow, they need water and nutrients, right? As you can imagine, they’ll take any water source they can find to make this happen and even the slightest of openings in your sewer line could be the perfect solution. Once inside the sewer line pipe, they’ll continue to grow and troubles will ensue soon after. For one, you may start to experience back-ups or slow drains as the tree roots start to form a blockage. In addition to that though, the slight opening in the sewer line that I referenced above will likely get bigger and lead to a collapsed sewer line. With that all being said, it’s not hard to see why tree roots can pose some serious problems to your sewer line!
It’s important to complete a camera inspection before scheduling any repairs to your sewer line.
I think most homeowners would agree with me that you don’t want to spend more on your plumbing system than you absolutely have to (unless you’re making upgrades to fixtures, adding a new bathroom or even installing a water softener system). If you had to decide between a vacation and sewer line replacement, I think most people would choose the vacation! Kidding aside, the reason I’m mentioning this is because you’ll want to do the proper due diligence before starting the excavation process and making the needed repairs. In other words, you’ll want to make sure that you know the general area where the sewer line is broken and have an efficient plan in-place for completing the work. No surprises there! That’s where a sewer inspection camera comes into play! If you’ve never seen a sewer inspection completed, it definitely is a pretty cool process as it essentially gives you an inside look at your sewer line and allows the plumber to determine if there are any issues present. On a separate note, if you’re in the process of purchasing a home or plan on doing so in the near future, make sure to have a sewer inspection completed! The last thing you want is to purchase a home and immediately have to deal with plumbing issues right away.
Long story short, before you agree to have a sewer line repair or replacement completed, make sure the plumbing company has done a camera inspection to ensure there is actually a break in the first place!
What material is your sewer line made out of?
A final question that we’ll discuss in this week’s blog post is the impact of the different piping materials used to make sewer lines. As you can likely guess, some materials are better than others and the material you have installed is more than capable of impacting just how long a sewer line lasts. In many newer homes, you’ll find PVC or ABS piping. Also known as “plastic” sewer pipe, this material is known for its durability and can be expected to last 100 years (granted there are several factors that will dictate the exact lifespan). While some older homes may have already undergone a sewer line replacement, chances are those with the original sewer line will have one made out of clay or cast iron. While these are each extremely durable, they also present their share of weaknesses too. Cast iron piping can be susceptible to rust and corrosion and once there is even the smallest of breaks, tree roots can make their way inside. Tree roots are particularly challenging for clay piping too and are capable of causing issues there! Not to mention, clay and cast iron are also much heavier than plastic as well!
All in all, if you’re wondering whether or not the material of piping used in a sewer line matters, the answer is YES!
Call the Sewer Line Experts at Stine-Nichols Plumbing!
No matter if it’s in a residential or commercial setting, the sewer line is one of many plumbing components that you need working on a daily basis. Unfortunately, while it’s relatively easy to notice issues with things like toilets and faucets (since they’re readily visible), you can’t necessarily say the same about sewer lines because they’re buried underground. Nonetheless, there are several warning signs that should raise some red flags. Things like an unusually damp yard, sewer gas smell inside the house, frequent drain back-ups and even insects finding their way into your house are all possible warning signs of a sewer line problem! Understanding that irregularities like these can signal you have a sewer line issue on your hands can definitely help speed up the process of getting it fixed.
As we discussed throughout this blog post, there are a few things capable of being the culprit for sewer line issues with one of those being tree roots. It doesn’t take long for tree roots to gradually grow once they’ve found their way into the sewer line. If you’re worried that you may be dealing with a break in your sewer line, don’t hesitate to give our team a call at (816) 348-3481. As we discussed above, our trained technicians can evaluate the situation and even run the inspection camera to confirm where the issue resides. We hope you don’t have to deal with a significant sewer line problem, but we’re always here to help when needed!