Is your bathtub or sink draining slowly? Or are you hearing a weird gurgling sound coming from the toilet? These could be signs of tree root invasion to your sewer lines! Leaving it untreated could cost you a large sum of money for repair. So, act now while still in the early stages. But if you don’t have any idea how to get rid of tree roots in your drain pipes, then a plumbing services Croydon professional might be of help.
Good if you’re just planning to construct a new home as you’d know where the sewer lines run on your property and then plan ahead where to plant those tree seedlings and shrubs. Yet, if the trees are already there and their roots are wreaking havoc on your drain, consider these tips below.
Destroy the roots.
With some help, dig up the stormwater drain at the point where the roots enter. Chop up the roots into pieces and poison them. With the broken pipe in view, you can now have it sealed or replaced. Take note, there could be more than just one root entry point, meaning there could be lots of digging to do.
Use natural herbicides like copper sulphate.
A half cup of the crystals flushed down the toilet should do the job. Meanwhile, foaming root killers containing an herbicide can kill roots and prevent regrowth.
Easy on the pipes, these root killers also inhibit new roots from crawling into the pipes because of the residue they leave behind. Just pour the root killer into the toilet directly. Follow the product’s instructions on the frequency of the treatment to avoid further trouble with your drains.
Use salt as a temporary fix.
The common rock salt can dry out the roots with the right amounts. Nonetheless, its effectiveness will depend on the extent of the root invasion. If it’s pretty extensive then more salt is needed. There will be root regrowth in the future hence you have to repeat the process.
Anyway, salt does not harm your sewer system and further, it’s a cheap, temporary fix. To start, pour a half pound of salt into the toilet and flush until the toilet bowl comes clean. Repeat the procedure until you’ve used up to two pounds of salt. Leave it as it is for eight to twelve hours without flushing any water.
Besides poisoning the plants, salt acts like a sponge that sucks water away from the roots, killing them eventually. Some say that salt may kill an entire tree in the long run as well as the plants surrounding it, so apply extreme caution.
Let the experts get rid of those roots in your drainage if you haven’t had any prior experience.