How To Remove Tree Roots from Drains
>Sanafoam Vaporooter was created in the late 1960′s and has been a major contributor in big cities and small across North America to maintain their sewer systems.
In 2010, whilst attending the Pumper and Cleaner Expo in Louisville Kentecky, I worked and trained with Hunter Dance one of the key Vaporooter personnel.
Watch this short youtube video and listen as Hunter tells some of the history of Vaporooter.
Many of our clients say that local council street trees are the cause of their blocked sewer pipes.
Beautiful specimens like the London plane tree, Hills weeping fig (ficus microcarpa. var.) and Paperbark (melaluca) all have extensive tree root systems that thrive on the moisture and nutrients flowing through our household sewer pipes out to the sewer mains in the street.
The roots from the council trees are growing in through the pipe joints.
Some councils offer their ratepayers a drain cleaning service for “no cost” as an acceptance of responsibility for the damage caused by the council trees.
We all know there is no such thing as a free lunch………………….. or drain clean.
Ratepayers are obviously “paying” for this service through their quarterly levies and at some point these local councils will put rates up or put the responsibility of drain maintenance back on the ratepayers.
Many homeowners, upon finding out council trees are blocking their pipes, insist they will lobby the council to cut down these beautiful trees to stop their invasive roots from blocking the sewer pipes. I have seen council street trees cut down because they continue to block the sewer pipes of the nearby homes.
So who wins here? Beautiful tree lined streets are raped by a chainsaw gang.
Not to mention the dramatic de-valuation of the homes that have had the street trees removed.
In one comical instance, the beautiful (but invasive) tree that was removed by the chainsaws and 4 weeks after the stump grinder churned through was replaced by a junior version the same species. Now call me crazy……
So, I’ve got another idea!
If you’re one of these ratepayers with drains affected by council trees, next time you get a blockage and the council plumber clears your blockage for free, look for your local Vaporooter applicator to do a Drainoscopy of your sewer pipes.
If it’s suitable, have him apply Vaporooter to your pipeline.
You will be amazed with the results.
Vaporooter Stops Tree Roots in Drains!
All ratepayers keep their council trees, the council saves your money, you maintain the value of your home and still have a free flowing pipe system!
Win Win Win Win
This is a shocking headline!
Tree roots in your sewer pipes are just like a tree root cancer.
It will sneak up on you and block your drains if you leave it unchecked.
Sure, you can have some emergency plumbing surgery, removing the affected section and rejoin your pipes.
By now you know, if left unchecked, the tree root cancer will find another place to invade your drainage and in its own time will do just what it has always done.
Block your pipes again!
Eventually, the tree roots will break your pipes and you will need major emergency plumbing surgery.
The only way to really stop tree roots in drains, is to have Vaporooter applied to your sewer pipes now and have it re-applied annually.
Here’s the thing – you have the choice…to stop tree roots in drains or continue to suffer with that silent tree root cancer threat.
Given the choice, which one would you prefer?
Deciding or NOT deciding are both decisions.
One will give you peace of mind knowing that if you get a blocked drain caused by tree roots, you will have it cleared free of charge,
the other well…keep your emergency plumber and bank manager on speed dial.
That is a great question!
This 1.4 min video simply explains cost saving reasons to stay on Vaporooter!
It just makes sense. No matter where you are in Australia, if you have doubts about staying on Vaporooter, just ask us.
Freecall 1800 637 600
“Why didn’t I do this years ago!”
This exclamation was recently made by an old client who has an investment property with tree root blockages in the sewer 3-4 times a year.
The block of 6 flats in inner Sydney has been plagued by sewer blockages caused by tree roots. Every time the ground floor flats had a blockage, the tenants would advise their landlord who would then call an emergency plumber.
The plumber was not familiar with Vaporooter! Every time he visited the property for a blockage, he would remove the only toilet in the flat to get access to the sewer pipes to clear the tree root blockage. Mostly the toilet had to be removed with a hammer and chisel as it was cemented to the bathroom floor. The china toilet was often broken when it was taken out, needing renewal. An extra cost!
When the toilet was re-cemented back to the floor, it meant the tenants could not ”sit” on the toilet until the cement set, sometimes taking upto 24 hours. Very inconvenient for the tenant!
The owner, in his wisdom asked us to help him.
When we visited the site the first thing we asked for was a sewer diagram so we could see where all the sewer pipes ran according to the sewer authority. He had never been asked for the sewer diagram!
Once seeing the diagram, we suggested a simple excavation outside his bathroom toilet and provide a new access point to the sewer pipes. This meant anytime there is a blockage it could be accessed from outside, rather than taking out the toilet. Instant cost saving!
Our technician then suggested a “Drainoscopy” or sewer survey using a high tech drain camera to show the condition of the sewer pipes from the inside. This had never been done before.
Whilst we carried out the Drainoscopy, we found even though the pipes had been “cleared” just weeks before, they were still full of tree roots. So we cut out the roots with our high pressure water drain cleaner and re-surveyed the pipes until all the roots were gone.
The drainoscopy shows exactly where the roots are in the pipeline so they can be totally removed. It then shows the pipe condition.
Please remember, Vaporooter will NOT repair a broken pipe!
In this case the pipes were OK! The repeat blockage was caused by tree roots growing through the pipe joints. They had now been totally removed. This had never been done before.
This pipeline is now Ready to apply Vaporooter! We’ll be back in 6 weeks.
As our client observed all of these procedures, he was amazed at what he saw in his underground sewer pipes, it prompted him to exclaim, “Why didn’t I do this years ago!”
If you have a blocked drain it is very very unlikely that the blockage will simply go away.
Blockages caused by tree roots act like a strainer within your sewer pipes. Water and liquids will pass through the strainer but the poo and toilet paper and any other foreign material you flush down your sewer will get caught in the strainer.
Most busy family homes appear to have a blockage during morning or evening peak hour or during the weekend or holidays when there are extra visitors in the house.
That’s when there are multiple users of the shower, bath and the toilet, dishwasher and washing machine. It’s at this time that all that waste water can’t get through the “strainer” and the blockage appears.
Some home owners will see the blockage and promise to call an emergency plumber “in the morning”.
But, when morning comes and they use their toilet and it flushes normally, many people believe that the blockage has miraculously fixed itself and they either ring their emergency plumber to call him off visiting or they just don’t ring a plumber at all.
What has happened is this!
During the night, whilst everyone is sleeping, the dirty waste water has seeped through the tree root “strainer” in the blocked sewer pipes giving the appearance that the blocked drain has fixed itself. The new morning peak hour will bring the blocked drain back again only this time it will be even uglier.
So get on the phone and contact your emergency plumber to clear your blockage promptly. Ask your plumber to do a drainoscopy on your sewer pipes. Its actually quite an interesting process and if its during the holidays all the family can see what is really going on in your blocked drains.
If the drainoscopy shows tree roots in pipes, ask your plumber about a drain maintenance program at the same time.
Remember, if you have a blocked drain caused by tree roots, The tide will go out overnight……but it will come back in the morning!
Peak hour
Blockages and problems with drains occur no matter what type of building you live in.
Most single or multiple level houses have their own drainage systems taking the discharge from all the plumbing fixtures within the property. The owner of this property is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of their pipes upto the point where his pipes join the council main.
Rows of terrace houses in inner city suburbs and semi-detached homes often drain into a “common sewer line”. These terrace rows can have upto 20 homes or more, draining into 1 common line. Depending on the fall of the land, this common sewer line may pass across the front or rear of the row and then spill into a Boundary trap, before discharging into the Water authority’s main sewer line.
Generally, the common sewer line should be maintained by and costs associated with works or repairs on this common sewer line should be borne by all parties on that common sewer line.
If blockages, repairs or pipe renewals are confined to the pipes and drains that take the discharge from any one particular house on the common sewer line, then those costs should be borne by that individual.
Any property owners connected to a common sewer line should be aware, that should a blockage occur in the common line, downstream of where he connects to the line, the sewer may surcharge or overflow in his yard or garden if it is the lowest open drain in the line.
This can be quite unpleasant if someone else’s sewer is coming up in your yard or even worse, your home!
When blockages occur, we recommend that all owners connected to a common sewer line communicate and co-operate with all other parties on this line .
Strata home unit blocks and Townhouses will have their own drainage lines that generally drain to a Boundary trap and then on to the Water Authority or Council sewer mains.
The responsibility for the maintenance and repairs of these drains is generally directed by a Strata Title Manager and sometimes a Real Estate Property Manager
Commercial properties, Industrial Estates and Schools genarally all have there own drainage lines that generally drain to a Boundary trap and then on to the Water Authority or Council sewer mains.
Last week we removed this large tree root from a drain in Kingsford Sydney.
In fact, it was a tree root anaconda, measuring 6.3 metres long and it had completely blocked the pipeline. After removing the tree root from the pipeline and carrying out a “Drainoscopy” to determine there was nothing else wrong, our client elected to have Vaporooter sewer root control applied to his pipeline.
He understands the Vaporooter Guarantee.
” If you have a blocked drain caused by tree roots after an application of Vaporooter, we will clear your blocked drain for free”
Now, will someone call a reptile handler and have this beast removed!
These 2 sewer drain pipes with their lids removed are taking the discharge from neighbouring properties. They are surrounded by different species of large trees. Tree roots are growing into the sewer pipe through the pipe joints
The drain on the left belongs to a client who, after many years of tree root blockages to her sewer pipes, grew tired of the sewer overflow running through her home.
The pipeline runs underneath her marble tiled entrance and the suggestion to renew the pipeline would mean excavating the black and white tiled floor. Matching the tiles would be difficult!
The drain on the right is as we found it. We told the owner about Vaporooter!
The images below show the inside of each pipe.
Guess which drain has had Vaporooter?
There are two surefire ways to remove tree roots from pipes and protect plumbing from further tree root intrusion. One: dig up the pipes, cut out the section that hold the roots, and replace the plumbing with new, root resistant pipes. And two: completely remove all plants that could grow into plumbing.
Unfortunately, these options are all but infeasible to the average home or business owner. This system of tree root removal is expensive, and in some cases, impossible.
On top of those drawbacks, cutting the roots can actually make the trees (and roots) grow faster. Add to that the fact that replacing sections of pipes weakens plumbing, which raises the chance that tree roots will find their way back into pipes. This method of removal could make the situation ten times worse!
Some plumbers recommend this removal method for emergency situations only.
Alternative methods might be just as ineffective. Pipes can be relined with cement or mortar, which seals the pipes and kills invasive roots. But, cement often cracks when the surrounding ground shifts. The compromised pipes are a welcome mat for nearby tree root systems.
Other, interesting, non-chemical solutions exist. One method creates a new pipe inside existing plumbing, rerouting water through the new pipe and killing the roots that live in the pipes. Plumbers feed a cloth-like, collapsed pipe down the plumbing system and then fill the pipe with cold water. The cold water expands the pipe and activates chemicals that harden the cloth. Voila! A new pipe inside your old pipe.
Another method does the exact opposite. A new PVC liner is placed around the existing damaged pipe. Cutting off root access to the old pipes and forming a new plumbing system.
Inside and outer pipe replacement is often more cost effective than substitution of pipe sections, but their are many chemical alternatives that are cheaper, easier and longer lasting, including Vaporooter.
