Roots from trees, shrubs, and other plants can cause serious clogging problems with your sewer and drain lines. Roots naturally seek moisture, and they will find any cracks or joints in your sewer lines that allow any moisture to leak out. The roots will then infiltrate the sewer line and continue to grow. Roots in your sewer line will collect debris and partially or completely block your sewer line.
Backups cause by roots can be temporarily cleared by rootering or hydro-jetting, but they will continue to re-occur as long as the underlying problem exists. The roots will soon grow back and a new clog will occur.
One way to prevent root intrusion is to replace your sewer line. This is a very messy and expensive alternative, especially if your sewer line is otherwise in good condition. Another way is to remove the offending trees, shrubs, and plants, but many times the trees shrubs or plants contribute to the beauty of the landscape. Also, tree root systems can grow very long, and it may not be practical to remove all of the trees near the sewer line.
If your sewer line is in good condition and removing all nearby trees, shrubs and plants is not a practical alternative, there are root control herbicides available that can kill intruding roots. Products such as RootX are designed to foam up inside your pipe and kill roots intruding in the sewer line, including the top of the pipe where most roots enter.
Root control chemicals are generally safe for your pipes regular applications can keep your pipes root free. For best results root control chemicals and other drain cleaning products should be applied by a plumbing professional.
