Why Those Beautiful Trees Are Your Sewer Line’s Worst Enemy

We all love the massive oaks in Santa Clarita and the historic deodar cedars in La Cañada but your sewer pipes definitely do not. If you live in a neighborhood with mature landscaping your plumbing is constantly under attack from tree roots.

Here is how it happens and how you can stop a total backup before it starts.

1. Roots Can Smell Water Tree roots are experts at finding moisture. Even the tiniest pinhole leak or a loose joint in an old clay pipe releases a little bit of water vapor into the soil. Roots will grow toward that moisture and eventually find their way inside the pipe.

2. Once They Are In They Grow Fast The inside of a sewer pipe is like a buffet for a tree. It is full of water and nutrients. Once a tiny hair-like root gets inside it grows into a massive “root ball” that acts like a net catching grease toilet paper and debris. Eventually nothing can get past it.

3. The Warning Signs You usually get a few warnings before the main line totally fails:

• Your toilets make a gurgling sound when the shower is draining.
• Your drains are running slower than usual even after using a plunger.
• You notice a patch of grass that is much greener and faster growing than the rest of the yard.

4. Why Drano Won’t Fix It Chemical cleaners might clear a tiny bit of hair in a sink but they won’t touch a thick tree root. In fact those harsh chemicals can actually eat away at your old pipes and make the problem worse.

How We Fix It (The Right Way):

• Video Camera Inspection: We run a high tech camera down the line so we can see exactly where the roots are without digging up your yard.
• Hydro Jetting: This is like a pressure washer for your pipes. It blasts the roots out and cleans the pipe walls so they stay clear longer.
• Trenchless Repair: If the pipe is badly damaged we can often pull a new liner through the old pipe without destroying your driveway or landscaping.

Don’t wait for a total backup to happen. If your drains are acting weird it is much easier to clear the roots now than to deal with a mess inside your house later.