Summer brings mysterious outbreak of blocked drains across Sydney suburbs…

…as well as NSW and the rest of Australia.

With summer now here and the weather getting warmer…

…there is one BIG PROBLEM that rears its ugly head at this time of the year.

Mysteriously, there is often a surge in the number of cases of blocked drains and clogged sewer pipes. Some years it’s so bad, you can rightly call it an epidemic (even a plague)!

And it has serious consequences for property owners and public authorities.

This epidemic is not often talked about. Most people are completely unaware of the problem until disaster strikes and they find themselves facing severe inconvenience and often costly repair bills.

And the cause of this huge headache for property owners and householders? It’s the penetration and invasion of sewer pipes and drains by tree roots.

That’s right. The roots of those lovely trees that grace many of our neighbourhoods and public places are silently causing havoc as they grow more rapidly in spring and summer. Blocked drains, backed up sewers and damaged foundations are just the most obvious consequences.

Now, of course, if you’re protected by Vaporooter, you can sleep soundly and not have to worry about the problem. That’s because Vaporooter is the proven treatment system that keeps tree roots away from drains and sewer pipes, without harming the tree itself. It was originally developed in California in 1967 to deal with a serious problem of tree roots blocking public sewer pipes.

Today, the patented Vaporooter system removes tree roots to protect the vital infrastructure of cities and towns, as well as residential homes and commercial property around the world.

Vaporooter…

• Is 100% safe; tried and tested around the world for over 40 years
• Deals with ONLY the tree roots in pipes and leaves the rest of the tree and surrounding plants healthy and intact
• CONTINUES to protect pipes and drains so property owners can sleep safe at night and not have to worry about waking up to crushed pipes and collapsed drains

Tree root damage is a growing problem. Here at Vaporooter Australia we’re having to deal with emergency calls pretty much every day (including the weekends).

The harsh truth is that if there are trees anywhere near your property, sooner or later the tree roots will be attacking the drains and sewers. Every single client we’ve had to rescue in an emergency wishes they had known about the potential problem and done something about it. Firstly, because of the huge cost to deal with the damage and secondly, because of the massive inconvenience of the mess and chaos that follows…often for days and sometimes weeks.

In one recent case, a property owner was faced with a potential bill of over $40,000 for sewer replacement. And it could all so easily have been avoided.

To find out if you have a problem with tree roots invading your pipes, give us a call on 1 800 637 600 to arrange a Vaporooter “Drainoscopy”.

A “Drainoscopy” is a CCTV survey that will quickly reveal if there are tree roots in your drains or sewer pipes. It’s not expensive. Better to be safe than sorry as every day you delay can make the problem worse.

Call us on 1 800 637 600.

A tale of two drains

These 2 sewer drain  pipes with their lids removed are taking the discharge from neighbouring properties. They are surrounded by different species of large trees. Tree roots are growing into the sewer pipe through the pipe joints

The drain on the left belongs to a client who, after many years of tree root blockages to her sewer pipes, grew tired of the sewer overflow running through her home.

The pipeline runs underneath her marble tiled entrance and the suggestion to renew the pipeline would mean excavating the black and white tiled floor. Matching the tiles would be difficult!

The drain on the right is as we found it. We told the owner about Vaporooter!

The images below show the inside of each pipe.

Guess which drain has had Vaporooter?

Applying Root Foam To Pipes And Drains

Root foam kills small root masses, inhibits future root growth and reinforces pipes. It’s low impact on the environment and reduced toxicity make root foam an ideal option for home and business owners plagued by tree roots blocking pipes.

This is one of those ‘don’t try this at home’ situations. Unless you’re a qualified plumber, DO NOT attempt to use jet rodding or root foam application machinery. The process is delicate and misuse of equipment or chemicals could lead to environmental damage or personal injury. Even certified plumbers are required to wear safety equipment during use. Such equipment could include; safety boots, boot proctors, gloves, safety glasses, safety vests and ear protection.

If your intruding tree roots are particularly dense or thick, your plumber may feed a mechanical root cutter or jet rodder down your pipe to clear out the debris before applying the foam.

On the other hand, the foam is sturdy enough to kill and flush out many smaller, looser root masses. In that case, your plumber may not have to use a mechanical root cutter.

To start the root foam process, your plumber uses a ‘Root Foamer System’ to mix the root foam chemicals with water to create a frothy mixture. The machine’s even mixing creates a uniform foam.  Consistent foam reduces the chance of harming plants by ensuring that no area receives a highly concentrated dose of herbicidal chemicals.

Your plumber will feed an application tube all the way down the pipe, turn on the feed from the foam mixer and then retract the foam tube. The foam will eject from the tube and evenly coat the inside of your plumbing as it gets pulled back through the pipes.

During the entire process, your expert plumber will constantly take measurements to ensure safe and effective chemical application.

The First Sign Of A Tree Root Blockage

The first sign of a tree root blockage is a slow drain.  Simple right? But, this won’t be an average slow drain that can be cured with a plunger or a drain cleaning solution. The blockage may be accompanied by a gurgling sound from within the drain, which can be heard when no water is running.

A quick visual diagnosis will let you know if there is a tree root blockage. Any trees that are within 60 meters of the building, or within ten meters of any known pipes, have root systems that might penetrate a line.

Tree roots are more likely to grow into your lines during winter and other cold months. That’s because tree roots have to travel farther for moisture during these months. Older pipes, especially those laid before the 1980s, can be made of materials that are easy for tree roots to infiltrate.

Some plumbers use high-tech cameras to determine whether a blockage is common, or caused by a tree root system. A camera is attached to a drain snake and run down the affected pipe so that the tech savvy blockage experts can use this camera to explore every aspect of a blocked pipe.   They’ll take a video, diagnose the problem, and then suggest the best course of action.

The scientific research history of Vaporooter

The infiltration of tree roots in sewage pipes has been a very destructive, time and money consuming issue for many decades. Traditional methods of clearing the pipes, including root cutting, usually led to costly emergency interventions that sometimes even included replacing or relining the pipes. As the blockages and overflows of the drain pipes recur regularly and the tree cutting solution is effective only in the short run and destructive in the long run, more efficient methods and technologies were needed.

The research in this direction started in 1966, when herbicide treatment was first taken into consideration as a solution for tree root infiltration. The research, led at The University of California, conducted trials with 17 herbicides between 1967 and 1971.

The most effective combination of herbicides, which is currently used in Sanafoam Vaporooter II, was discovered in 1971, and consists of Metham Sodium and Dichlobenil. Although this mixture did soften and kill the invasive tree roots, the method of application was faulty. Initially, plugging the line was the way to introduce the herbicide mix into the problem area – an invasive and inefficient method.

The currently used method was only discovered in 1972 by Fred Horne, who suggested the foaming method, which allows maximum exposure of the root to the herbicide, thus causing maximum efficacy. Although the method is most aggressive with the invasive roots, it does not affect the surrounding or above-situated plants and roots. Actually, the method and ingredient recipe make a great match, which does not have negative side effects or secondary victims. The biodegradable and non-acid features of the Vaporooter make it environment-friendly.

In addition, the Vaporooter method does leave room for natural processes. After killing the roots, it allows these to naturally decay within a period of six months. Due to the natural decay, the clearing of the pipes is not immediate and a retreatment is recommended. Treating and retreating your pipes with the foam gives a long-term solution to a difficult problem. Vaporooter solves the tree root invasion problem, prevents future infiltrations, blockages and overflows and prolongs the life of the drain pipes.