Is Your Garden Damaging Your Underground Plumbing?
One of the best parts of springtime is watching all of the plant life come alive again with vivid green leaves and beautiful blooms. For those who love to garden, it's also the perfect time to grow veggies, herbs, and flowers. But as the yard grows more lush, the ground gets more crowded with roots—some of which can interfere with the home's underground plumbing.
Irrigation lines, water supply pipes for hose bibs, the home's water main, and the home's main sewer line are all at risk of being damaged by expanding root systems during periods of plant growth. This article will discuss how roots can damage underground pipes, the effects on the home's plumbing system, and what homeowners can do about it.
Invading Tree Roots Explained
In most cases, the only roots strong enough to do any real damage to underground pipes are from trees or shrubs. So, fortunately, homeowners probably don't have to worry about the roots from their daisies or tomato plants busting through their sewer line!
But no matter how small or large, the roots of any plant will seek water and nutrients in the soil. This can lead roots to grow and stretch around underground plumbing. As the roots get larger and stronger, they can put enough pressure on the pipes to crack or collapse them—particularly if the pipes are already weakened due to age, corrosion, or shifting soil. The roots may then fill the pipe to pursue more water and nutrients.
Problems Caused by Intruding Roots
Invading tree roots can cause various problems for a home's plumbing system. If the roots rupture a water supply line, it can mean hidden leaks that waste countless gallons of water and drive up the utility bill. In extreme cases, homeowners may even find themselves with a flooded yard.
If the intruding roots break through the sewer line, the yard may become flooded with nasty wastewater (every homeowner's worst nightmare!). Or the roots may simply clog the sewer line, where homeowners may experience slow-draining sinks and tubs, drain clogs, overflowing toilets, or even sewage backups (every homeowner's other worst nightmare).
Tree Root Invasion – Solutions and Prevention
To get rid of intruding roots, plumbers use heavy-duty industrial tools specially designed for that purpose. A special drain snake with a cutting device on the end can be fed down into the root-infested pipe to cut through the roots and extract them. Hydro-jetting may be more appropriate in some cases. This involves a hose with a high-powered water nozzle capable of breaking apart roots and other blockages within the pipe.
Once the roots have been cleared from the pipe, plumbers may dig a trench to perform sewer line repair, which may involve replacing some or all of the pipe. For a less invasive solution, plumbers may employ trenchless sewer line repair or pipe repair, which essentially involves feeding a new pipe into the old one or patching the damage with a special epoxy.
To prevent tree roots from damaging the underground plumbing again (or in the first place), homeowners can install root barriers around their buried pipes. These barriers block roots and redirect their growth downward to keep them away from the pipes. And, of course, when planting new trees or shrubs, homeowners can hedge their bets (pun intended) by planting them far away from any underground pipes!
About Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
The experts at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing have been Northfield's go-to plumbers for over 35 years. Their licensed, insured, background-checked, and drug-tested technicians always arrive on time and clean up after themselves, guaranteed. They offer personalized solutions, competitive up-front pricing, a rewarding membership program, and 24/7 emergency service – so call Benjamin Franklin any time for sewer line repair in Northfield, MN!
