Few people don’t appreciate the changing color of leaves in the fall. If your yard is full of thick tree foliage, the sight can be truly captivating.
But what lies beneath the stunning fall canopy?
Despite the beautiful view, your tree roots could be wreaking havoc with your plumbing. Substantial root removal is a time consuming process that we advise you leave to the professionals like us who specialize in clearing sewer and drain lines, however there are a few tips we’d like to suggest for do-it-yourselfers to help prevent initial clogging and minimize further plugging:
1) Do your research when planting yard trees. When planting new trees, you can find out which types are more invasive and problematic for plumbing lines.
2) Ask your plumber about installing root proof pipes. This can help save heartbreak down the road and avoid disrupting your landscape vision for the yard you’ve always wanted.
3) Reduce plugging with copper sulfate crystals. By pouring 1 pound of copper sulfate crystals into the drain lines lowest entry points–such as a toilet when it’s not in use. Either flush the copper sulfate through or pour it directly into the pipe opening with a bucket of water.
Ultimately, the copper sulfate kills the roots. It will take several weeks for the roots to rot off but the tree will remain unharmed. Be advised that because copper sulfate is highly toxic, we advise using it with the utmost care, out of reach of children.
Again, for extensive root invasion, we hope you’ll call us to help resolve the problem at