Sewers

Is there a way to get rid of roots in main sewer line?

Once or twice a year my sinks/toilets slow down and I have to have a plumber clean out my main line. The last two times they have said that because of roots in my sewer line (big pipe from house to city sewer line) there isn't much they can do. One plumber said $3000 to replace the sewer line. So, is there anything I can do to get rid of the roots or at least abate the problem for a year or two? Thanks!

Public Comments

1. clean it out yourself...its not that hard...my uncle does it. i dont know how to do it though good luck!
2. If you are not willing to take the trees out, Replace the sewer line with Plastic pipe, roots can't find a home in them.
3. If you have trees or bushes on your property digging into the sewer line, you need to remove them, i saw this on the news a few months ago. It is your responsibility, not the city's not anyone else, so, get rid of the cause of the roots. Depending on the damage, they may need to be replaced now. Moving your bushes and trees works, you dont have to destroy them.
4. I have the same problem in a smaller section to my septic tank. The pipe has to be replaced this year. Roto Rooter ground mine out twice and this last time they pumped in root killer to help the problem. My concern is the tree that is rooting into it is a 150 to 175 year old oak. Good Luck.
5. Have the bushes or trees removed from the areas close to the line as I had the same problem with the oleander bushes next to my house. You can keep paying the plumber over and over cause the roots will keep coming back until you remove whatever is growing next to your line
6. Occasionally wash root kill down a sink, or flush it down the toilet.
7. There are chemicals you can flush down the toilet that will kill the roots. Check at your local hardware store. You can also rent a sewer auger and cut them out yourself.
8. get an electric snake, put cutting head on it and run it through the clean out access of sewer pipe. If u lived near me, i'd come do it for a lot less
9. You can rent the sewer auger and DIY it. Once roots have grown into the pipe, they will continue to do so. The products they sell for getting rid of roots is a waste of money. PVC pipe is not used for sewer drains and the smooth surface deflects roots away instead of into the pipe.
10. There is a root killer you can pour down the sewers.My neighbor uses it but the name escapes me right now.Ask at your local plumbing or hardware store. You can also rent a machine that will clean out the lines and do it yourself.It really isn't too difficult. I have to do mine every other year.
11. There are chemical treatments for septic tanks. But there may be regulations about public drain usage. Check out these web-sites & local regulations.
12. at a hardware buy some copper sulfate, [root killer] or liquid fire, put down the drain, , find the tree causeing the problem , drive copper nails into it, at the base,
13. When you hire a legit service company, they usually have a 1yr warranty. ask about it though. the best way to fix this is to dig it up and replace all. Even a dead tree will have roots growing straight to its best water source.