Can Tree Removal Save Your Home's Sewer Line From Damage?
There are many reasons why you might want to have an unwanted tree removed from your home property. Diseased, dying trees can fall unpredictably, putting you and your family at risk, while fast-growing, invasive trees can block out sunlight and stifle the growth of other plants and trees on your property.
However, you might not be aware that unwanted tree growth can also damage your home's sewer line. Sewer line damage caused by trees can lead to your property becoming flooded with dangerous, untreated sewage.
How Can Trees Damage Sewer Lines?
Tree roots will always grow towards areas of soil rich in moisture, nutrients, and oxygen. Unfortunately, household sewage contains large quantities of all three. If there are any minor cracks or leaks in your home's sewer line, small quantities of sewage will leak out and enrich the soil surrounding the line, causing any tree roots nearby to grow towards the sewage-tainted soil.
If the tree species growing near your sewer line has particularly strong and/or fast-growing roots, the roots may punch through the gaps in your sewer line and start growing within the line itself. While the small leaks that attracted the roots in the first place may not have caused any problems, roots growing into the pipe will make the leaks worse, damaging the structural integrity of the sewer piping.
Thick roots growing inside a sewer line can also cause serious blockages, preventing sewage from flowing into the main municipal sewer near your home. In serious cases, sewer lines can become completely blocked by invasive roots. This can cause sewage to start backing up into your home and may cause the line to collapse entirely, flooding your yard or garden.
What Should You Do If Trees Are Damaging Your Sewer Line?
If your home's sewer line is blocked, or you notice any signs of sewer line leakage (such as foul-smelling puddles), tree roots may be the cause of your problems. In most cases, trees will only damage a sewer line if they are growing near or directly over the line, but tree species with particularly extensive root systems can damage sewer lines from many yards away.
Call in a sewer line inspection service, and have them place a remote camera in your sewer line. These cameras will reveal any tree roots growing inside the line, and their location should help you determine which tree(s) are causing the problem.
If you find tree roots in your sewer line, you should have the tree and its roots completely removed as soon as possible by a professional tree removal service. The longer you wait, the larger the roots will grow, causing more damage and making repairs more difficult and expensive.
Note that the tree cannot simply be felled, as this will not remove the roots from your sewer line. Some particularly hardy tree species have roots that may continue growing even after the tree is felled.
The tree will need to be felled, the remaining stump pulled up, and any remaining roots will need to be manually extracted to prevent regrowth. This is a difficult job requiring specialized equipment, so it can only be safely performed by professional tree removal specialists.
For more information, contact a local tree removal service.