Tree root obstruction reduces the flow of water through your drains freely. It can also lead to built up waste in your pipes causing slow drainage around your home. It can be difficult to visually see signs of tree root obstruction in your drains but finding the few indications of the problem can help to fix the issue swiftly.
1. Slow Drains
One of the first signs that can indicate if you have a problem is your sinks, toilet or bath draining slower that usual. If you have a tree root obstruction in your drains, waste will combine and get tangled with the tree roots. The water will then find it harder to pass through, causing your drains to flow slower.
2. Enhanced green patches
This may not be the best way to find out if there is a tree root obstruction in your drains but it can be a great indicator. There may be an area of bushes that is greener than the rest of the garden, or a tree that has grown quicker. This shows that this area is getting more nutrients than the rest of the garden and this can easily be due to to the tree route obstructing your drains.
3. Sinkholes
Depending on the depth of the obstruction. The tree route can cause a hole in your drain pipe causing water to leak out onto your garden.This will cause areas of your garden to be saturated with waste water, create muddy areas. This area will create a soft spot that will eventually sink in. The sinkhole or saturated area will also have a foul odor but is a good indicator to show tree root obstruction in your drains.
4. CCTV Survey
If you think there is a problem with your drains, the best way to see the problem is for a plumber to do a CCTV survey through your pipes. This is a cost effective method to find out the exact issue before it becomes serious. With tree root obstruction in your drains, Maintain Drains will be able to find the location of the tree root through CCTV. You can then find out out the best steps to removing the tree root obstruction in your drains.
Why does this happen?
The tree roots are attracted to the water vapour escaping from the cracks in your drain pipes. The roots will navigate towards the cracks and then penetrate through any openings in the pipes. Once they are in the pipe, the can feed off the water and continue to grow. In the meantime, your waste will become combined with the tree root, causing a blocked drain.
How to fix the problem
Once you have found the location of the tree root obstruction in your drains, you will need to find out the severity of the issue so you can find the best option for you. There are a range of techniques that plumbers will use for root removal.
The most common technique is to simply cut out the root from the drain. Once this is complete and clear, the cracks will be filled from the drain using structural liner. This can reduce the likeliness of the roots getting back into your drains.
For more severe cases of tree root obstruction in your drains, your drains may need excavation. This process will require digging a hole to the affected drain which can be quite disruptive to the surrounding area. Excavation should only be used if drain relining is not an option. This could be because your piped have moved and no longer line up with the joints. The affected pipe will be replaced and back up and running in no time.
Maintain Drains Tree Root Removal Services
Maintain Drains are able to help for any of your needs if you have tree root obstruction in your drains. We operate in Poole and Bournemouth but can travel to the wider Dorset or Hampshire area. We offer a huge range of services to enable us to fix any of your plumbing issues. Call us on 01202 3000040 if you need root removal from your drains. We offer CCTV surveys as well as drain relining and excavation services. This ensures we can find the location of the tree root obstruction in your drain and then continue to work with your drains to fix the pipes in a cost-effective and timely manner.
