Mature trees add beauty and shade to landscapes. Also, they improve air quality, reduce storm water and lessen the radiated heat from the road. Overall, they play an important role in making a city attractive, healthy and sustainable.
Certainly, there’s a long list of benefits to growing trees on your lawn, but there’s also one major drawback: drain blockage. As the trees grow and mature, the roots can cause extensive damage to sewer pipes.
Pipes contain water. Trees love water.
It’s only natural that roots are attracted to sewer lines. Pipes are a generous source of water, nutrients and oxygen – the three main elements that roots crave.
Faulty pipes give the roots an ideal entry point into the sewer lines. They get in through leaking joints, deteriorated seals, where the joint has been dislodged or damaged. Typically, normal tree roots can’t crack into a well-installed and well-maintained pipe, says Tim Miller Plumbing. But once it has deteriorated, roots from different types of trees, plants and even grass can creep into the pipe and wreak havoc from there.
Expensive damage
Tree roots growing inside pipes are one of the most expensive and problematic sewer maintenance issues. As roots continue to grow and expand, they apply great force at the joint where they entered the pipe. Over time, the pressure can break the pipe and cause its total collapse, which will require replacement.
They can also lead to sewer backups and damaged sewer pipes throughout the community, and fixing them can cost thousands of dollars. Sewage leaks, on the other hand, are unsanitary and can result in a variety of health issues. Fortunately, you can mitigate the damages by watching out for the early signs.
Listen to the signs
When your drain clogs often, is difficult to clear and makes gurgling noises, it’s time to bring in the expert. The culprit can be the tree outside your home, or it can be something else altogether. You’ll never know the cause and how to fix the problem unless you have it inspected.
Are trees worth the potential damage? Perhaps. It’s all a matter of planting wisely.
