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Water is running through the pipes connected to your home all day long, so it’s only natural for tree, grass, and plant roots to grow towards them. Unfortunately, when the roots make contact, they will locate the smallest cracks in the lines and start to grow through them, causing costly damage in the process. While it may seem like fighting roots is a never-ending battle, there are a few measures you can take to keep them at bay and reduce how often you need sewer cleaning to clear them out of your pipes.

How to Keep Roots Away From Your Plumbing

1. Create a Barrier

After locating your sewer line, identify all of the trees and plant life growing near it. While you might be able to remove some root-invasive species, it’s not always possible to get rid of larger trees. Instead, you can add a protective barrier around your pipes to keep their roots away. 

Growth-inhibiting chemicals, like copper sulfate and potassium hydroxide, can be applied to the ground above the line. They will stop roots from growing into this area. You could also install actual metal or wood barriers that run parallel to the sides of the sewer line and extend at least one foot below it to block out roots.

2. Add Sewer-Safe Trees

sewer cleaningIf you decide to add new trees to your lawn, make sure they are planted at least 10 feet away from the sewer line. Also, pick non-invasive trees with shallow root systems that tend to grow near the top of the soil instead of straight down. Good options include dogwoods, paperbark maple, American fringetree, and cypress. 

3. Schedule Regular Sewer Cleaning

Schedule a sewer cleaning and inspection at least once a year with a professional plumber. They’ll perform a video inspection of your sewer line to look for clogs and pipe damage caused by roots and other problems. Staying on top of your pipes’ health is the best way to catch and remove roots before they can cause serious harm. 

 

 

Protect your plumbing from tree root damage by having the professionals at American Rooter perform regular sewer cleaning. For 40 years, this family-owned, sewer and drain cleaning company has served all of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Their team specializes in pipe lining for maintaining and repairing drain pipes damaged by roots. Visit their website to learn more about this process and call (888) 863-4638 for a free estimate.

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