Beware of Tree Roots Breaking into Your Sewer Line | Insight from Your Trusted Irving, TX Plumbing Service
Do You Know About Your Sewer Line? The sewer line is one of the most important parts of a plumbing system. However, it receives little interest, which is perhaps unsurprising when it is out-of-sight and thus out-of-mind. For those who are unfamiliar, the sewer line is the pipe that connects a building’s plumbing system to the local sewage system. As a result, when Irving, TX residents experience some kind of problem with their sewer line, they can expect a wide range of potential complications that will need plumbing service to be resolved. Sometimes, this means clogged drains throughout the entire building, thus providing its occupants from making use of them for their normal routines. Other times, this means sewage coming out of places where it shouldn’t be, which can make for a very unpleasant mess to say the least. Regardless, the sewer line is important, which is why Irving, TX residents should be prepared to call in plumbing service whenever it runs into a serious problem.
How Can Tree Rots Threaten Your Sewer Line?
For an example of the potential problems that are serious enough to warrant calling in plumbing service, consider tree roots. Generally speaking, when people think about things that can cause serious damage to structures of human construction, chances are good that tree roots don’t place very high on their personal lists. However, it is important to note that tree roots can be a much bigger nuisance than they seem, which is how their movements have brought about many cases of interested individuals in Irving, TX as well as other places needing plumbing service.
In short, trees can’t sustain themselves without a constant supply of water as well as other nutrients. As a result, tree roots are on a constant search for said nutrients so that the trees that they are attached to can stay alive. In most cases, tree roots see the most growth in the spring as well as the start of summer, but it isn’t uncommon for trees to see another period of accelerated growth for their tree roots in the early fall. Having said that, tree roots are persistent in that they will continue to grow so long as the weather hasn’t fallen below freezing temperatures.
Moving on, while the contents of a sewer line might not seem very appetizing to us, the same can’t be said for trees. Thanks to this, it is perfectly natural for tree roots to grow into unprotected sewer lines. Something that can result in leaks, obstructions, and other serious issues that will need plumbing service to be corrected. As for how this is even possible, well, suffice to say that tree roots can exert incredible force in spite of their seeming slowness. In fact, interested individuals should know that tree roots can crack boulders and push through concrete, meaning that they should never underestimate their potential impact on sewer lines.
Can You Do Anything About the Potential Threat that Tree Roots Pose to Your Sewer Line?
Having said this, interested individuals aren’t helpless when it comes to protecting their sewer lines from tree roots, thus saving them the need to call in plumbing service for plumbing emergencies:
Determine the Location of the Sewer Line
For starters, interested individuals will need to know the location of the sewer line if they want to protect it from encroaching tree roots. If they are lucky, they will already have information on where their sewer line can be found. Unfortunately, if they are not lucky, they are going to have to search for it. Sometimes, this means checking in with municipal authorities to see if the location of the sewer line has been recorded somewhere. Other times, this means examining the building’s plumbing system to see where it leads outwards before using that as a starting point to probe for the location of the sewer line.
Create Barriers
Once interested individuals have located their sewer line either on their own or with the help of plumbing service providers, they can create barriers to provide it with an extra measure of protection. For example, there are some slow-release chemicals that are safe for residential use while still being more than capable of inhibiting the growth of tree roots. Likewise, it is possible to put in either wood or metal barriers along the sewer line to make it more difficult for questing tree roots to break into them.
Plant with Care and Consideration
Of course, planting with care and consideration can be very useful for preventing tree roots from creating the need for plumbing service as well. First, plant bigger trees further from the sewer line so that their tree roots can’t reach it. Second, choose slow-growing trees with small root balls, which have smaller chances of breaking into the sewer line.
Keep a Vigilant Eye Out
There is no such thing as a perfect protection plan. As a result, interested individuals should also monitor their plumbing system for potential warning signs such as very frequent clogged drains that can’t be cleared very easily. Once they have noticed something suspicious, they should call in a plumbing service specialist to see if there is some kind of obstruction in either their sewer line or the rest of their plumbing system. The sooner that such issues are caught, the cheaper that the eventual plumbing service will prove to be, meaning that such vigilance can be very economically sound.
Contact Us
Those who would like to learn more about the impact that tree roots can have on their plumbing system should contact bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of North Dallas. Our representatives are prepared to address all such questions until interested individuals know everything relevant, thus empowering them to make plumbing-related choices that will promote their best interests. In this as in other things, becoming properly informed can make for a world of difference when it comes to the ultimate outcome.
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