The sewer system is one of the most functional parts of the home plumbing system. The sewer system receives all waste water and human waste from the drainage system. The sewer system is responsible for disposing of all this waste water and human waste. Your home sewer system either takes the waste water and human waste to the municipal sewer system or to your private septic tank. But like all other sections or parts of your home plumbing system, the sewer system can develop problems at any time. These problems are usually very serious and difficult to fix because the sewer system is usually burrowed deep in the ground. Most of your sewer lines are laid below the ground. That is why you need to request DC sewer and drain services any time you detect or suspect a problem in your home sewer system. One of the most common problems that affect many sewer systems in Washington DC is tree root intrusion or infiltration. Today you are going to learn everything you need to know about this serious but very common sewer line problem.
How It Happens
Tree roots live and thrive below the ground. And most sewer lines are laid below the ground. This means that tree roots and sewer lines are bound to interact in one way or the other. The problem of tree root intrusion or infiltration starts when young tree roots are looking for water and nutrients. The roots are naturally attracted to areas with a lot of moisture and nutrients. This is where they come into contact with your underground sewer lines. The underground sewer lines are always filled with sewage. And the sewage is very rich in nutrients and water. As such, the tree roots try to infiltrate the underground sewer lines as much as possible. Most of these underground sewer lines are constructed in such a way to prevent tree root infiltration. They have solid joints and very tough surfaces. But with time, the clay, iron, or concrete sewer pipes wear out with age. This gives the tree roots an advantage. They can now try to squeeze their way inside the old worn-out sewer lines. And that is how the problems described below occur.
The Problems
The main problem of tree root infiltration is clogging. The tree roots grow in size and block the flow of waste water and human waste in the sewer lines. This can cause a sever sewer backup in your house. You will need to conduct an underground sewer camera inspection to determine whether you have a tree root intrusion problem or not. As the tree roots grow bigger due to the massive intake of water and nutrients, they expand inside your sewer lines. This can cause the sewer lines to break, which will cause a serious leak in your home sewer system. This problem can only be fixed by replacing the broken sewer lines with new ones.
How To Prevent And/Or Solve
The problem of tree root infiltration can be prevented by regular lateral pipe cleaning. There are also effective root inhibition chemicals that you can flush down the toilet. Many professional plumbers use various tools to cut tree roots and remove them from your sewer lines. You should also remove or stop planting trees near your sewer lines.