Roots in the sewage line.

[tbart16]

It pays to take your time and use the right tools for the job or hire someone who has the right tools. Great way to attack roots reedwalker

[Bird Doo Head]

I've got clay pipe, but it's under my (perfect) concrete driveway. So, I bite the bullet and snake the roots out about once a year. Oddly, every February.

Our city had a company line their mains with a resin impregnated sock. I don't think too highly of it. I had to snake my line a week after they were done and my snake pulled back an awful lot of plastic resin stuck to it. Looked like a bunch of brillo pads. (I snaked to the main.) I think I scraped it off their pipe. Oops!

I used to use copper sulfate crystals (from an agricultural supplier is way cheaper than in the little hardware store jugs). I'd apply it on the same day I augered the line, so the little root fibers that remained were wounded, thus open to leach in the copper. Then again every 3 months. When I did this I'd go more than 2 years between snaking.

But, Coper Sulfate may eventually kill the tree. It also is harmful to any fish or plants or frogs in ponds and stuff, if it hits the water. It's used to kill algae in ponds and cooling towers and brine shrimp in rice fields. Detroit? Rice Fields?- OK- I read that one on the bag. Veggies hate copper. Animals need (& can only tolerate) a very little. - Look at a vitamin bottle for how small the dose is. I stopped using copper sulfate on the drain.

However, once I had to cut down a diseased tree. I ignored the stump. Roots kept growing and shoots would grow up all around the stump. To kill the roots- I shined up a chunk of copper electrical bus and drove it into the center of the stump. I left it over winter. No more roots or pop-up shoots. (That reminds me- dig up the stump. Oh well, ground's frozen. wait 'till never.)

These are my non-plumbing professional thoughts on drain cleaning. hope they are helpful.

[Mr_David]

Originally Posted by Reedwalker

Go ahead, rent the machine. You haven't done the job a plumber can do. You've likely spent 3+ hours doing it and still haven't cleaned up and returned the inferior snake.

Roots can be overcome, and with regular maintenance be kept under control. Digging can be expensive and is generally not necessary. Many times I have cleared drains that other plumbers gave up on and said needed to be replaced.

The trick is to find a pro that has the right equipment and knows what he's doing.
If your not careful you can also get your cable hung up on some really nasty roots. If you try to force the cable through them to fast it will warp a ball of roots around the head. If your equip doesn't have enough torque to handle it it's gonna get stuck. Worse yet break a cable in the drain
Even the best of use have gotten a cable stuck.
I grabbed a pair of nylon pantie hose from a 3" main, pulled it back up into a 2" kitchen lateral and ended up having to open a concrete floor to remove it.

[Mr_David]

If you cable the drain before you use the copper sulphate then you are most likely cut out the roots that are lying in the bottom of the pipe where the waste water is flowing. Adding copper sulphate after cutting will most likely just get washed down past the roots. But used regularly the crystal will get caught in the root mass laying in the water flow and that's when they are more effective. Just my opinion.

[PlumbingTheCape]

The only long term solution would be to replace the section of drainage that is causing the problem, depending on the root strength/size/amount I would recommend encasing it in concrete to make sure nothing that shouldn't be getting in there doesn't stand a chance



Darren Bosman
-Master Plumber-
Cape Town's leading Plumbing and Drainage contractor - Home

[dunriteplumbing]

i dont know where you live or what the going rate is for sewer cleaning but here in cleveland i charge 195 dollars to snake a main sewer up to 100 feet. that is for the first 2 hours. if it takes longer than two hours an additional charge of 35 per one half hour may be applied. there is really no way to stop root intrusion ,you must replace the line with new pipe. also if i dont pull out a huge pile of roots and i feel confident enough i will guarantee the sewer against future back ups. usually 30 to 90 days. but if the sewer is very hard to get open and i pull back a huge pile of roots i will not guarantee it at all.

[Reedwalker]

Originally Posted by dunriteplumbing

there is really no way to stop root intrusion ,you must replace the line with new pipe.

Not really true anymore. Pipe lining systems are a great alternative to cutting up the driveway or road.

For the pros who watch that video you will surely notice there is still a belly in the line. Granted it doesn't fix bellies or backpitch but even in these situations it is proven to work with great results.

[PlumbingTheCape]

Originally Posted by Reedwalker

Not really true anymore. Pipe lining systems are a great alternative to cutting up the driveway or road.

For the pros who watch that video you will surely notice there is still a belly in the line. Granted it doesn't fix bellies or backpitch but even in these situations it is proven to work with great results.

Very interesting...

Great post, always nice to see new ideas