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Tree roots enter pipes through the joints

Clay sewer pipes provide a great opportunity for tree roots to get into your pipeline.

These pipes are usually 2-3 foot or 600-900mm long and there could be up to 50 individual pipes, bends and junctions in a 30 metre (100ft.) pipeline.

That means there are at least 50 pipe joints for a tree to get its roots into your sewer pipes and helps explain why you can have multiple blockages in your pipes.

To excavate and repair or reline where the tree roots are getting in today doesn’t mean the tree roots won’t get in a little further downstream.

Vaporooter treats every joint in the pipeline.

Tree roots get in through the joints

How tree roots get into pipes #2

In my last post I described how tree roots can easily travel through soil that has been loosened by excavation to accommodate your pipe installation.

Do you know why tree roots grow in sewer pipes from the top of the pipe joints?

Condensation is formed when we run water from our water pipes, through our drains; especially when we have a hot shower, wash our clothes or dishes in hot or warm water.

When the warm water enters the drains buried in the cold earth, condensation is formed, and it gathers on the inside top of our sewer pipes and drains.

The tree roots moving through our already loosened soils can now move along the top of the pipelines and are attracted to the warmth and moisture inside. All they need now is a way into the pipe.

This 1.58sec clip shows how.

Vaporooter kills tree roots in drains – Period

Sanafoam Vaporooter II is a foaming mixture of herbicides which stops and prevents drain line blockages produced by tree root penetration through the pipe joints. This technology tackles the problems caused by live root infestation by attacking the roots inside the pipe.

The foam containing the combination of Metham Sodium (herbicide) and Dichlobenil (growth inhibiting agent) is introduced in the sewage pipe, so that it can have direct contact with the intrusive roots. The treatment softens and kills the live roots, leaving them to naturally disintegrate within six months.

If the pipe blockage is in a very advanced stage and requires the cutting of tree roots, a period of at least six weeks should be left between the cutting and the Vaporooter treatment, so that roots have time to regrow.                      

3 Reasons to use Vaporooter

Hunter Dance, Business development manager at Douglas Chemicals, the manufacturer of Sanafoam Vaporooter II, gives 3 reasons why you should use Vaporooter.

Great advice Hunter!

If you want to find out if Vaporooter will help you Stop tree roots in Drains, Call 1800 637 600.

Neighbours trees blocking drain pipes

Did you know that the number of “over the fence” disputes between neighbours about tree roots in sewer pipes is multiplying?

Yep, as suburban trees mature they go in search of moisture and nutrients in neighbouring properties’ sewer pipes, so the root systems spread in every direction in their search for sustenance.

Many homeowners without a single tree on their property will have blocked sewer pipes caused by tree roots from their neighbours trees; sometimes 2 or more houses away.

Vaporooter is a cost effective way to stop your neighbour’s tree roots in your sewer pipes!
#13

Vaporooter stops tree roots in Council drains

Tree lined streets in big cities and country towns across Australia have many benefits, but there are also negatives.

Tree roots from street trees invade the council and water authorities mains, reducing the flow and block the sewer mains.

When it comes to blocked drains, Council manpower and budgets are stretched by tree root affected drain maintenance.

There is a safe alternative! Vaporooter Stops Tree Roots. Period!

Tree roots in sewer mains? Vaporooter kills roots. Period!

Council street trees and blocked sewer drains

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 at “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

 

Tree roots in your sewer pipes are like tree root cancer.

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 rejoining 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 is the decision you have to make. 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.

What is a pipe drainoscopy?

If you’re a regular visitor to this blog, you’ve heard of a Drainoscopy!

So what is a drainoscopy?

A drainoscopy is when our technicians survey the inside of your drains with our high-tech specialised camera equipment.

The drainoscopy equipment is inserted into your drains through a suitable opening. Having a drainage diagram on hand will help us find that suitable opening.

Via the connected cable, the camera sends pictures from the camera head to a screen set-up near our technicians chosen site.

Most property owners can’t believe what they see in their pipes and sewer. We encourage them to look over our technicians shoulder whilst he carries out their drainoscopy.

If you can’t be on-site when we are doing your drainoscopy, dont worry. We can record your drainoscopy and send you a link via email so you can see it anyway!

Click here to see a “typical” drainoscopy!

I should have used Vaporooter years ago!

“Why didn’t I do this years ago!”

This exclamation was recently made by an old client with an investment property where tree root blockages in the sewer occur 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 tenants of the ground floor flats experienced a blockage, they would advise their landlord who would then call an emergency plumber.

The plumber was not familiar with Vaporooter! Every time he was called to the property for a blockage, he would remove the only toilet in the flat to get access to the sewer pipes in order to clear the tree root blockage. Most of the time 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 to be replaced. 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 this took up to 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 to 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 either.

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!”