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Tree roots in your sewer pipes are like tree root cancer.

This is a shocking headline!

Tree roots in your sewer pipes are just like a tree root cancer. It will sneak up on you and block your drains if you leave it unchecked.

Sure, you can have some emergency plumbing surgery, removing the affected section and rejoining your pipes.

By now you know, if left unchecked, the tree root cancer will find another place to invade your drainage and in its own time will do just what it has always done… Block your pipes again!

Eventually, the tree roots will break your pipes and you will need major emergency plumbing surgery.

The only way to really stop tree roots in drains, is to have Vaporooter applied to your sewer pipes now and have it re-applied annually.

Here’s the thing – you have the choice…to stop tree roots in drains or continue to suffer with that silent tree root cancer threat.

Given the choice, which one would you prefer?

Deciding or NOT deciding is the decision you have to make. One will give you  peace of mind knowing that if you get a blocked drain caused by tree roots, you will have it cleared free of charge, the other well…keep your emergency plumber and bank manager on speed dial.

I should have used Vaporooter years ago!

“Why didn’t I do this years ago!”

This exclamation was recently made by an old client with an investment property where tree root blockages in the sewer occur 3-4 times a year.

The block of 6 flats in inner Sydney has been plagued by sewer blockages caused by tree roots. Every time the tenants of the ground floor flats experienced a blockage, they would advise their landlord who would then call an emergency plumber.

The plumber was not familiar with Vaporooter! Every time he was called to the property for a blockage, he would remove the only toilet in the flat to get access to the sewer pipes in order to clear the tree root blockage. Most of the time the toilet had to be removed with a hammer and chisel as it was cemented to the bathroom floor. The china toilet was often broken when it was taken out, needing to be replaced. An extra cost!

When the toilet was re-cemented back to the floor, it meant the tenants could not ”sit” on the toilet until the cement set; sometimes this took up to 24 hours. Very inconvenient for the tenant!

The owner, in his wisdom asked us to  help him.

When we visited the site the first thing we asked for was a sewer diagram so we could see where all the sewer pipes ran according to the sewer authority. He had never been asked for the sewer diagram!

Once seeing the diagram, we suggested a simple excavation outside his bathroom toilet to provide a new access point to the sewer pipes. This meant anytime there is a blockage it could be accessed from outside, rather than taking out the toilet. Instant cost saving!

Our technician then suggested a “Drainoscopy” or sewer survey using a high tech drain camera to show the condition of the sewer pipes from the inside.  This had never been done before.

Whilst we carried out the Drainoscopy, we found even though the pipes had been “cleared” just weeks before, they were still full of tree roots. So we cut out the roots with our high pressure water drain cleaner and re-surveyed the pipes until all the roots were gone.

The drainoscopy shows exactly where the roots are in the pipeline so they can be totally removed. It then shows the pipe condition.

Please remember, Vaporooter will NOT repair a broken pipe!

In this case the pipes were OK! The repeat blockage was caused by tree roots growing through the pipe joints. They had now been totally removed. This had never been done before either.

This pipeline is now ready to apply Vaporooter! We’ll be back in 6 weeks.

As our client observed all of these procedures, he was amazed at what he saw in his underground sewer pipes, it prompted him to exclaim, “Why didn’t I do this years ago!”

What are the main causes of blocked drains?

Today’s post is a simple one.

Amazingly, 83% of all blocked drains in Australia are caused by tree roots!

Cooking fats, oils and grease, human and pet hair, sanitary products, facial tissues and napkins used instead of toilet paper, dental floss and broken or collapsed pipes make up the other 17% of blocked drains.

If you have persistent problems with your sewer pipes caused by tree roots then this simple instruction found in the “head” or toilet of an ocean racing yacht, makes a lot of sense to me. I’m sure the yacht owners won’t mind if you put a similar sign in your troubled bathroom.

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?

Tree Root Inhibiting Chemical Foam – Vaporooter

If you have roots blocking your pipes, it’s likely that your plumber will recommend a substance called tree root foam to clear your pipes. If the root obstruction is too dense, your plumber may recommend mechanical removal of some roots before the foam is applied.

The thought of adding chemicals to plumbing that carries your water is a scary one. Home and business owners anxious about the effect on their foliage and soil may also be concerned about chemical side effects.

Vaporooter

This type of root foam is made up of a combination of herbicide and root growth inhibitors.  The herbicide causes the roots to decay and eventually die, while the growth inhibitor attaches to organic material in the pipe and keeps it from growing. The growth inhibitor lasts for about three years, but annual application is required for the guarantee to be valid and prevent the start of re-growth.

Vaporooter also includes a surfactant blend that removes slime and grease from pipes and roots. The slime is nutritious to the tree which encourages tree root growth if left in pipes. Finally, Vaporooter includes a foaming agent that carries the chemical to where it’s needed in the plumbing system.

Vaporooter causes minimal damage to trees and surrounding foliage; it only affects the tree roots directly surrounding the pipes. However, if used in large amounts, Vaporooter can be detrimental to nearby aquatic plants. Also, methylisothiocyanate (MITC) may be created when some of the chemicals in Vaporooter encounter water. MITC has been reported to cause mild health issues such as skin irritation and respiratory issues. That’s why it is important to request a plumber who is a certified Vaporooter applicator.

Tree Root Blockages: The Ongoing Problem

So, you’ve called a plumber or expert in tree root blockages, and they’ve cleared the tree roots from your pipe. They may have even replaced damaged pipes. Problem solved, right? Well, not quite because tree root blockages can turn into a constant problem.

Most drain blockage solutions are only short term; there are only a few permanent ways to deal with an ongoing root problem.

Some home and business owners choose to replace all their older, metal pipes with new pipes made out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PVC is currently the number one material for preventing the leaks and cracks that lead to root penetration. PVC will virtually guarantee that roots stay out of pipes, but it can get costly. The substitution of old pipes for PVC can be time consuming, and it can cost a fortune.

Another option (one that many folks don’t really see as an option) is removing all trees within the vicinity of the home or business. But, the removal of foliage can cause aesthetic and shade issues, and lower the value of the property.

One solution for many is routine maintenance and pipe clearing. Experts can use simple pipe treatments such as snakes and high-pressure water blasters to remove tree roots before they become a full scale blockage, but that means you keep doing it over and over again.

The best alternative is to treat your pipes with Vaporooter. It’s clean, it’s quick and it’s guaranteed.

Safely Remove Roots in Pipes? Turn to Vaporooter

For over 40 years Vaporooter has been the premier solution to remove tree roots found in pipes. Because the growing incidents of tree root problems threatens building foundations and the basic infrastructure of cities and towns, municipalities needed a way to mediate tree root damage. Roots in sewer pipes and penetrating foundations can cause challenging and expensive problems. Vaporooter can provide the ultimate solution to sewer root control.

This go-to solution delivers a proven product for any tree root problem as it keeps the infrastructure of cities and towns up and running. When tree roots in sewer pipes impede the free flow of liquids, the backup and associated damage demands an optimal solution for roots in drains.

In 1967, the County of Sacramento, California sought a solution to the growing tree root problem. Sewer lines were increasingly damaged and clogged drains were backing up into buildings. The current process to remove tree roots from pipes could not keep up with the rapid movement of root growth. Cutting methods to remove tree roots were also time-consuming and labor intensive.

Botanist Oliver Leonard at the University of California-Davis (UC-Davis) was enlisted by Sacramento city and county officials to determine why cutting roots to eliminate tree root damage was falling short of eliminating the problem. To get a better understanding of the science behind tree roots in sewer lines, Leonard and his UC-Davis team excavated infected areas.

By closely examining sections of infected tree roots, researchers could document and analyse the root growth patterns. It was determined that cutting to remove roots in pipes ensures the roots are exposed to nutrition, causing them to grow back bigger and faster, thereby exacerbating the problem.

With continued testing on methods to remove tree roots in pipes, researchers discovered the virtue of metam sodium. This unique chemical has been proven to be very efficient in the process of removing roots in pipes as it treats the growth of the root, without hurting the plant itself. In addition to effectively preventing tree root damage, this compound dissipates quickly without leaving behind any harmful residue.

Researchers had discovered how to remove tree roots from pipes safely and effectively, yet they still wanted a way to prevent the root from growing back into the lines. The answer came with the addition of dichlobenil, discovered by Fred Horne in 1968. This growth inhibitor helps to ensure a tree root problem in pipes would not return once treated with the chemical application.

The removal of roots in sewer pipes became easy when the herbicide metam sodium was added to the growth inhibitor dichlobenil as roots in drains could be covered with a foam application. The resulting surfactant formulation created dense foam that could thoroughly cover the tree root and pipe surfaces.

With the discovery of the effectiveness of this foam in the process to remove tree roots from sewer pipes and keep them root free for years, Vaporooter was born. The patented Vaporooter today demonstrates how to remove roots in pipes and ensure the free flow of waste fluids through the pipe line.

Tree Root Damage Prevented With Vaporooter

No one wants to have to deal with tree roots in sewer pipes, but if you encounter this issue, when it occurs, tree root damage can become a problem. To achieve effective removal of roots in drains and address a tree root problem, nothing has been proven to be nearly as effective as Vaporooter.

Vaporooter foam is designed to remove roots in pipes without causing damage to the environment or the surrounding plant life. The chemical combination in Vaporooter is protected and monitored by the EPA and must be applied by a trained and certified Vaporooter technician. When properly applied on an annual basis, you can safely and effectively remove tree roots from a clogged drain.

Vaporooter delivers other advantages as well, including continuous protection. The application only needs to be done once a year to address an ongoing tree root problem. This method to remove tree roots from sewer lines is an effective way to prevent roots from penetrating pipes in the future while also preventing tree root damage.

Vaporooter is also cost effective. For less than $1.50 per day, you can prevent regrowth of roots in drains after they have been removed. This process for addressing a clogged drain ensures you can remove roots in pipes without tearing out landscaping or the pipe itself. No digging is required and your tree root problem can become a thing of the past.

The process for using Vaporooter and the chemicals it delivers to remove tree roots from sewer lines while preventing tree root damage to other pipes and foundations has been proven to be 100 percent safe and effective. While it is important that the Vaporooter be handled only by a trained and certified technician, its application will not cause harm.

When compared with costly repairs to pipelines, foundations and landscaped areas, the application of Vaporooter is significantly less expensive. A clogged drain can seem like a simple blocked pipe, but in reality, tree root damage can cost a fortune. When Vaporooter is properly used on an annual basis to treat roots in sewer lines, homeowners and municipalities avoid costly repairs.

The proven method in the use of Vaporooter to remove roots in pipes and prevent tree root damage is readily available throughout the world. Municipalities in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have relied on Vaporooter to remove tree roots from sewer pipes and prevent untold damage to sewer lines and building foundations. No other method to remove roots in pipes has been proven to be as effective, safe or efficient as Vaporooter.

Vaporooter should be applied to tree roots in sewer lines every year to ensure root regrowth does not occur. Ongoing maintenance is necessary as once tree roots have found a nutrient source, they will continue to seek that source. You cannot control the habits of the tree, but you can prevent tree roots in sewer pipes with Vaporooter.

Remove Tree Roots with Vaporooter

In order to ensure the free flow of fluids throughout the sewer system, it is important to remove tree roots from sewer pipes. Unfortunately, sewer pipes are a draw for tree roots as they tend to grow toward moisture through a continuous process that occurs at the end of the root.

Roots in sewer pipes are the result of roots growing one cell at a time at the end of the root. This process allows the root to penetrate extremely small openings in the pursuit of nourishment, leading to roots in drains. Once a tree root problem occurs, it can divide hundreds of times to form an enormous mass of tender root ends.

Vaporooter emerged onto the scene more than 40 years ago as municipalities needed to address clogged drain issues and to develop a process to remove tree roots. Vaporooter is a chemical compound protected by the EPA, therefore it must be applied with the use of a Mini Foamer machine by a licensed applicator to ensure that it safely and truly penetrates the roots in sewer pipes.

The machine generates the foam and pumps it to deliver optimal sewer root control to remove roots in pipes. The applicator is trained to ensure this process to remove the roots delivers foam throughout the clogged drain to ensure proper contact with all tree roots. This helps to deliver safe and effective control of roots in sewer pipes without tree root damage.

Vaporooter should be used within six to eight weeks of a new sewer system installations to avoid a clogged drain later on.  If you want to avoid roots in sewer pipes, learn how Vaporooter can be used to remove tree roots. If this process is done annually, it can prevent the cracking of pipes caused by live tree roots in sewer lines.

When the herbicides present in the Vaporooter penetrate the tree roots in drains, it bursts the root, causing it to die and decay. The herbicide combination enables grease and slime to be stripped away from tree roots in the sewer pipes to allow for deep penetration in the root mass to inhibit root cell division and growth for up to three years.

The Vaporooter is truly the most effective method to remove tree roots from sewer pipes. To avoid tree root damage, you must first remove the roots from a clogged drain with an auger to clean out the root mass. Sewer root control is inhibited if Vaporooter is immediately applied unless your Vaporooter applicator can overcome the obstacle of “bleeding sap”.

When a tree root is cut during the initial treatment to remove roots in pipes, the tree roots respond very quickly by “bleeding” a sap that assists healing and regrowth. Think of it as the tree’s survival method. The bleeding sap can block the absorption of the Vaporooter foam for a number of days. If application is done six to eight weeks after the roots are cut, the Vaporooter foam is efficiently maximized in the application.

Vaporooter should be applied to tree roots in sewer lines every year to to address your tree root problem. This process to remove tree roots in sewer lines should be ongoing maintenance as once tree roots have found a nutrient source, they will continue to seek that source and continue to grow. You cannot control the habits of the tree, but you can prevent tree roots in pipes with Vaporooter.