How to Protect Your Plumbing from Tree Roots

The pipes under your yard that connect your home to the city sewer system have one natural enemy: tree roots. Tree roots tend to grow towards plumbing systems because they’re an oasis of oxygen, nutrients and water that trees need to survive. If the tree root can find a crack in the pipe, it’ll grow and grow inside the pipe until there’s a major blockage of toilet paper and waste. This problem will eventually require costly plumbing repair in Colorado Springs, CO and make a huge mess in your yard.

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The good news is that there are a couple of ways you can deal with these nasty tree roots. Continue reading to learn about some of the ways you (or a professional plumber) can protect your pipes and guard against these roots:

• Auger: The first option you have to defeat tree roots is to run an auger through your pipes. An auger is a device with a rotating spiral head that snakes through your plumbing system and tears up the tree roots that have entered the pipe. Though this sounds like an option that’ll defeat the tree once and for all, it won’t. Those tree roots will eventually grow back, which means you’ll need to continue using the auger again and again. Additionally, augers aren’t the best tools to use on a regular basis, because they can cause damage to your pipes.
• Hydro-jet: A similar (but slightly more expensive) option to using an auger is taking care of those roots with a hydro-jet. A hydro-jet is a device that snakes through your pipes and blasts away blockages using a high-powered stream of water. A hydro-jet is more effective than an auger and safer for your pipes, but it presents the same problem: the tree roots will eventually grow back. Again, you could keep calling a plumber to come out and run a hydro-jet through your pipes, but that’ll get expensive after a while.
• Chemicals: Want to get rid of those nasty roots once and for all? The easiest way to do this without killing the tree is to flush a half cup of copper sulfate crystals down the toilet. This toxic chemical acts as a poison and deters the tree root from going near your plumbing system. Roots will die as soon as they get near the pipe, so there’s no chance that your pipes will be affected by trees in the near future.
• Digging: Assuming none of the steps above worked, those tree roots will have to be dug up. Needless to say, this is a very messy operation, and also the most expensive option out there. This step is usually only taken when the plumbing system is damaged beyond repair and will need to be replaced.

There’s only one team you should call when you need plumbing repair in Colorado Springs, CO: Affordable Rooter. Our competitive prices and fast service make us the best team in town, whether you need to fix a minor leak or replace the plumbing in your whole home. Give us a call today to learn more about all of our services!

Categorised in: Plumbing Repair

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