How to Eliminate Roots in the Sewer

Roots are attracted to water; steer them away from your sewer line.

Should tree roots enter your sewer lines, you can expect sewage backup in the basement and in the house, which is both undesirable and unsanitary. Tree roots are drawn to the area surrounding sewer pipes because of the consistent moisture. Resist the appeal of a quick and easy liquid that's marketed to kill tree roots in the sewer, because such a product won't solve the problem; instead, make the soil surrounding the sewer lines unfavorable to tree roots by poisoning it with copper sulfate.

Things You'll Need

• Foaming sewer treatment
• Earth auger
• 1-1/2-inch PVC pipe
• Threaded female adapter plug
• Hacksaw for trimming the pipe
• Copper sulfate crystals

Instructions

1. Locate your sewer tap and sewer lines. There are a couple of ways to do this. One way is to go to the city --- if you're on a city sewer line --- and find out where the tap is located. You can then trace the line from the tap at a 90-degree angle from the main back to the house. If you don't trust yourself to do this, then call a sewer company to come and unclog your sewer lines. While there, they can map out your sewer line with an endoscopic camera and tell you the exact location and depth of the tree roots.

2. Dig a hole 2 1/2 inches in diameter with an earth auger. The hole should stop about 24 to 30 inches above the sewer line. If you've got problems all along the line, dig one hole every 6 feet or so.

3. Attach a threaded female adapter plug onto the end of a 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe. Plunge the pipe into the hole so it is flush with, or slightly below the grass. This way, you can keep the pipes in the ground and cover them with plugs for reapplication, but they won't interfere with the lawnmower or any lawn activity.

4. Fill the pipe half full with copper sulfate crystals then pour 5 gallons of hot water into the pipe, or enough so it runs slightly over the top. Replace the plug.

5. Document where you inserted the pipes for your own use and repeat the copper sulfate treatment every four months, or once per season to keep tree roots at bay.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a tree-root killer that foams up in the pipes.These for immediate treatment of tree roots in sewer lines because they will come in contact with roots where they grow, which is through the top of the sewer lines. Foaming root killers can be applied by pouring them down the toilet .

• It will take months for the roots to respond to the treatment.

References

• Ask the Builder: Avoiding Sewer Back Ups from Tree Roots
• Drains and Plumbing: Sewer Drains and Cleaning Tree Roots: What to Do When They Meet
• Walter Reeves: Foaming Root Killer