Roots in my sewer pipe

I was just made aware that roots from a city tree has entered my sewer pipe, does anyone have any experience or a suggestion of a company that may be able to point me in the right direction??

normanmcdon

in Plumbers and Plumbing 12 years and 8 months ago

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jrweinb | 12 years and 8 months ago

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I had this issue for about 2 years, pushed off the new sewer installation  for as long as possible and finally hired a company to complete the install about 9 months ago. My back-ups started to get worst over the final 2 months and thankfully it did not ruin my basment!  My sewer cleaner (49.99) was doing a grood job but he finally told me “mam there is nothing more I can do here”, yes that was an exciting day.  I interviewed several companies and ended up using Harris Water and Sewer, they were reasonably priced and located on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn which is pretty close to my home.   The ended up doing a good job and my sister actually used them a fe months ago for a water main and she too had a good experience.  If you have to tend to it, I say use the 49.99 guys and Harris if the 49.99 guys can no longer assist you…………..

cyrka66 | 12 years and 8 months ago

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Last season ‘Ask This Old House’ did a segment on relining sewer pipes to prevent invading tree roots – episode ATOH1025

slopemope | 12 years and 8 months ago

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welcome to the club!     many, if not most people who have their original sewer line and a tree in front of their abode have this issue.  This is why there are so many sewer and drain companies around.  (aka roto rooter – thus the “root”).     So looking to have your main drain snaked, there are a million suggestions on the forum.  I have used several, and there are plenty in the $49.95 range.  I settled on Nationwide Sewer and Drain – more expesnive –  my experience is at the end of the day it pretty much comes down to what people you are comfortable letting into your house.  If you have an unfinished basement, pretty much anyone can do ithe job.   If you have a nice home, or look like you might have nice things, Its a dirty job that does not pay particularly well, so choose wisely.   I would recommend doing it 6 months after your first snake to determine how fast the roots are growing.  If its not that bad, maybe push it to a year (i would not wait longer than this).  And so on to see where you stand.  Some people seem to go years, others six months or less.  You will get to know your pipes, generally how long it will take to impede good drainage from your gutter during a hard rain (aka “flooding the basement”), and generally how long it will take for a full-on emergency of nasty proportions.     fyi – roots grow faster during rainy times, slower when dry.  Wet years may need more attention than normal and vice versa.     Good luck, its nto that big of a deal you should get the hang of it pretty quickly (just don’t forget about it!).

macushla | 12 years and 8 months ago

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this happened to us a couple of years ago and at first we tried a local pumber with a snake. It did not work at all. We then called Roto Rooter and had them blast the pipe out with a high powered water jet. It worked great, and they showed us that the pipe was clear vis a video cam they sent into the line. This year we had them do it again and found out (viz their camera) that the pipe was damaged and had to be replaced, which was major expense. That said I was glad to know before it collapsed.