Why roots find your sewer line
Colorado is dry. A sewer lateral is a warm, wet, nutrient-rich pipe running through that dry ground, and the vapour escaping from a loose clay joint is a signal a root will follow from a surprising distance.
Once a hair root is through the joint it thickens, widens the gap, and branches inside the pipe into a mass that catches paper and grease. The blockage that eventually backs up your basement started as something you could not see on a camera two years earlier.
The trees that cause us the most work in Littleton
- Cottonwood. Aggressive, shallow, and planted everywhere along the South Platte corridor.
- Willow. Water-seeking by nature. The worst offender per tree.
- Silver maple. Common in the 1960s and 70s subdivisions, with wide shallow root plates.
- Elm. Older streets downtown. Persistent and fine-rooted.
- Ash. Widely planted here, moderately aggressive.
The tree does not have to be near the line. Roots travel two to three times the canopy width looking for water, which is why the cottonwood four doors down can be in your lateral.
The three levels of answer
The first two treat the symptom. Only the third removes the reason the roots keep coming back. Which one is right depends on the pipe: if the clay is otherwise sound, lining makes sense. If it has already separated at the joints, replacement may be the better spend.
What about root-killing chemicals?
Copper sulphate and foaming root killers are sold for this, and they do kill the root tissue in contact with them. What they do not do is close the joint. New roots grow back into the same opening, and the dead material left behind can itself contribute to a blockage. Treat them as a way to stretch the interval between cleanings, not as a repair.
Catching it early
Root intrusion announces itself long before it backs up. A toilet that gurgles when the washing machine drains, a line that clears itself after being slow for a day, or clogs recurring in the same place two or three times a year all point to the same thing. More on the warning signs.
Same clog, two or three times a year?
That pattern is roots almost every time. A camera run shows exactly where they are getting in.
Call (303) 555-0147Questions we get asked
How do I know if tree roots are in my sewer line?
The pattern is the giveaway: the same clog returning two or three times a year, usually with gurgling from a toilet when another fixture drains. A camera inspection confirms it and shows which joint the roots are entering through.
Will the roots grow back?
Yes, if the joint they entered through is still open. Cutting and jetting buy 6 to 36 months depending on how aggressively the tree grows. The only permanent answer is to close the entry points, which means lining or replacing the pipe.
Do I have to cut down the tree?
Usually not. Roots travel two to three times the canopy width, so the tree causing the problem is often not the one in your yard, and removing it does not kill the roots already in the ground. Sealing the pipe is the more reliable and far cheaper fix.
Do chemical root killers work?
They kill the root tissue they touch, which can stretch the interval between cleanings. They do not close the joint the roots came through, so new growth follows the same path. Treat them as maintenance rather than a repair.
Cut them back or shut them out
Cutting roots is quick and temporary. Closing the joints they come through is permanent. Which makes sense depends on the condition of the pipe around those joints.
Platte Sewer Co. — sewer line repair in Littleton, CO. Open 24 hours.