Summary: brittle clay pipe. Soil and rocks can fall through the breaks in the pipe wall and plug the line. Sometimes the root itself will grow so large that it will fill the entire sewer pipe. Flushing copper sulfate through the sewer lines periodically can help while the roots are small. The chemical kills the portion of the root that it contacts and the dead portion of the
Image Dimensions: 519 x 637
Image originally found here.