How to Clear Sewer Lines of Roots

Tree roots that are growing around a sewer line have a way of finding the smallest of cracks that they can penetrate. At first, the root is small, but as it soaks up water, they grow. In time, they can become as big as the sewer line itself. You may notice your drains gurgling more than normal. Water drains out of the basin slowly and your toilet may need more plunging to keep it from overflowing. This is an indication that tree roots are plugging your sewer line. Does this Spark an idea?

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Power auger
Copper sulfate

Instructions

- 1
  
  Hire someone to come in and snake the line out for you with a powered sewer auger. You can also rent a power auger and do the job yourself. The rotating head cuts away the roots like a reciprocating saw blade. This will only remove 50 to 60 percent of the roots. The other 40 to 50 percent will remain alive and continue to grow.
- 2
  
  Go to your local hardware or plumbing supply store for a chemical treatment. One such treatment is to buy a 2-lb. box of medium copper sulfate.
- 3
  
  Pour the copper sulfate, using only 1/2 cup at a time, into a toilet bowl. Flush the toilet. Keep repeating this until you have flushed all but the last 1/2 cup down the drain.
- 4
  
  Let the last 1/2 cup of copper sulfate remain in the toilet bowl overnight. Do not use the toilet during this time. The next morning, flush the toilet.
- 5
  
  Apply copper sulfate in this manner twice a year. Do this once in the spring when the trees are coming out of dormancy and starting to grow. Do it again in the fall when the trees are dropping their leaves.

Tips & Warnings

Chemicals are the most effective solution there is to killing the invading tree roots.
Regular treatments of copper sulfate will keep your drains root free.
Pour copper sulfate down the toilet bowl only. Copper sulfate can eat through metal drains and plumbing fixtures.
Copper sulfate creates a zone that is poisonous not only inside the pipe but outside the pipe as well. Copper sulfate can damage or kill the plant.
Copper sulfate is toxic to fish and, in some areas, the use of this chemical is restricted to certain times of the year.

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How to Clear Sewer Lines of Roots

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