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Blocked Drain Solutions
STOP TREE ROOTS IN PIPES
- Substantial damage can be caused to your sewer system by the invasion of tree roots into the drain pipes which have been cracked as a result of natural settling, age or wear. Trees are good at finding water and their roots can travel a hundred feet to get to the nourishment they need.
- Tree roots in your sewer line can be a constant problem that you can do without. Blocked drains can be one of the most frustrating and inconvenient, not to mention one of the most costly problems you can have at your home. So it is important to remove tree roots from sewer lines to ensure the free flow of liquids through your sewer system.
- You have to understand the tree’s root system, how it grows, before you start cutting tree roots. That way you can significantly reduce the harm to the tree, and possibly to you and your property.
- Be aware that by cutting the roots the tree will react by producing a large number of smaller roots. This means the tree roots grow back and may cause future issues.
- Drains when clogged, tend to be the most difficult problem of all the household emergencies. There is often no warning before a blocked drain occurs and you are faced with a stinky home, flooded floors and power knocked out as a result.
- No matter how stressed you are or how chaotic things have become, a blocked pipe isn’t a disaster; it’s simply just another problem that needs fixing! The first thing is try to locate the problem and then you can decide whether it’s fixable or whether you’ll need to call in a professional.
- Underground sewer pipes are prone to attack by tree roots. The small roots work their way through the pipe connections and, if given sufficient time, they will effectively clog the system. Cleaning a sewer pipe is an unpleasant task at best, and if you continue to experience a clogged sewer pipe you need to take the necessary steps to have the problem dealt with.
- Proper drain cleaning for sewer pipes that have tree root problems is not, luckily, a very difficult job using today’s plumbing technology to remove roots in pipe. You can call in a professional to handle the situation for you.
- The main cause of sewer backups is the invasive nature of tree roots. Seen as ‘An Unseen Predator’ these tree roots will penetrate not only soil, but sewer pipes as well. You therefore have to look into methods of safe tree root removal that will stop roots re-entering your pipes and will save yourself the expense of having to keep clearing and maintaining them.
- There are some products that you can use which claim to kill tree roots in sewage lines, but they quite often don’t take care of the problem adequately and you wind up with worse problems that before. Therefore you will need to seek professional guidance for finding an environmentally safe process for removal that will do the job for you.
Did You Know Blocked sewer pipes blow the Council budget?
Did you know many blocked sewers are caused by the tree roots from Council street trees?
This is becoming a very big issue for many local councils. The council owned trees that make some of our more sought after suburban streets very special, are creating havoc underground by repeatedly blocking the sewer pipelines from many of the homes in those streets.
Councils are fighting a losing battle trying to bring the tree roots under control. The budgets of many local councils are strained as they just can’t keep up with the demand of their ratepayers to attend to their sewer blockages, caused by these street trees.
Vaporooter Kills Roots. Period!
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How much does Vaporooter cost?
By now you know that Vaporooter delivers results that are unmatched by any other method of tree root control in sewer pipes and you want to try it but one question remains.
How much does it cost?
So, with your sewer service diagram and a good knowledge of your property, measure the length of sewer pipeline from top to bottom, including the branch lines, and add up the metres.
Measure branch lines that run to all plumbing fixtures like your WCs, toilets, showers, baths, basins, kitchen sinks and laundry tubs.
Confirm the size of the pipeline. Most domestic pipelines are either 100mm (4″) or 150mm (6″). The sewer service diagram will help you establish the pipe size. Water authorities and councils have larger pipelines and may vary in cost
No matter where you are in Australia, you can call us on 1800 637 600 for a cost estimate.
Council street trees and blocked sewer drains
Many of our clients say that local council street trees are the cause of their blocked sewer pipes.
Beautiful specimens like the London plane tree, Hills weeping fig (ficus microcarpa. var.) and Paperbark (melaluca) all have extensive tree root systems that thrive on the moisture and nutrients flowing through our household sewer pipes out to the sewer mains in the street.
The roots from the council trees are growing in through the pipe joints.
Some councils offer their ratepayers a drain cleaning service at “no cost” as an acceptance of responsibility for the damage caused by the council trees.
We all know there is no such thing as a free lunch………………….. or drain clean.
Ratepayers are obviously “paying” for this service through their quarterly levies and at some point these local councils will put rates up or put the responsibility of drain maintenance back on the ratepayers.
Many homeowners, upon finding out council trees are blocking their pipes, insist they will lobby the council to cut down these beautiful trees to stop their invasive roots from blocking the sewer pipes. I have seen council street trees cut down because they continue to block the sewer pipes of the nearby homes.
So who wins here? Beautiful tree lined streets are raped by a chainsaw gang.
Not to mention the dramatic de-valuation of the homes that have had the street trees removed.
In one comical instance, the beautiful (but invasive) tree that was removed by the chainsaws and 4 weeks after the stump grinder churned through, was replaced by a junior version the same species. Now call me crazy……
So, I’ve got another idea!
If you’re one of these ratepayers with drains affected by council trees, next time you get a blockage and the council plumber clears your blockage for free, look for your local Vaporooter applicator to do a Drainoscopy of your sewer pipes.
If it’s suitable, have him apply Vaporooter to your pipeline.
You will be amazed with the results.
Vaporooter Stops Tree Roots in Drains!
All ratepayers keep their council trees, the council saves your money, you maintain the value of your home and still have a free flowing pipe system!
Win Win Win Win
Will this blocked drain go away?
If you have a blocked drain it is highly unlikely that the blockage will simply go away.
Blockages caused by tree roots act like a strainer within your sewer pipes. Water and liquids will pass through the strainer but the poo and toilet paper and any other foreign material you flush down your sewer will get caught in the strainer.
Most busy family homes tend to have a blockage during morning or evening peak hour, or during the weekend or holidays when there are extra visitors in the house. That’s when there are multiple individuals using the shower, bath and toilet, the dishwasher and washing machine. It’s at this time that all that waste water can’t get through the “strainer” and the blockage occurs.
Some home owners will see the blockage and promise to call an emergency plumber “in the morning”.
But, when morning comes and they use their toilet and it flushes normally, many people believe that the blockage has miraculously fixed itself and they either ring their emergency plumber to call him off visiting or they just don’t ring a plumber at all.
What has happened is this; during the night, whilst everyone is sleeping, the dirty waste water has seeped through the tree root “strainer” in the blocked sewer pipes giving the appearance that the blocked drain has fixed itself. The new morning peak hour will cause the drain to be blocked again; only this time it will be even uglier.
So, get on the phone and contact your emergency plumber to clear your blockage promptly. Ask your plumber to do a drainoscopy on your sewer pipes. Its actually quite an interesting process and if its during the holidays all the family can see what is really going on in your blocked drains.
If the drainoscopy shows tree roots in pipes, ask your plumber about a drain maintenance program at the same time.
Remember, if you have a blocked drain caused by tree roots, The tide will go out overnight……but it will come back in the morning!
Peak hour!
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.
Sanafoam Vaporooter II
Sanafoam Vaporooter II is a widely used herbicide combination which combats mainline sewage blockages caused by live root invasions and retards the growth of new roots. The Vaporooter treats the blockage and overflow problem and prevents future problems.
The product which is introduced into the pipe fixes the blockages by softening and killing the intruding tree roots. The tree roots die right away and within six months they decay and flow down the drain. Retreatment of the pipes increases the efficacy of the product and inhibits the root growth.
This method of of treating blockages is time-efficient as only one worker is required to treat 25 branch lines per day. Also, preventing blockages from happening is a way to save time and money, as this ensures emergency interventions and pipe replacements are rare.
Because Vaporooter prolongs the life of the sewage assets by eliminating the live roots inside them, less money is spent to ensure good functioning of the sewage system. Even the rigid pipes made of concrete or clay, whose joints are usually an easy prey for root invasions, are protected by Vaporooter. By destroying the root cells inside the pipe walls, the product allows the cracks to close under the ground’s pressure.
While having an aggressive approach inside the pipe, the Vaporooter does not affect nearby vegetation. Being biodegradable and non-acidic, the herbicide is also used in fruit and vegetable crops.
The widespread use of Vaporooter by authorities throughout the world confirms its many advantages. Scientific research led in North America supports the affirmation that Vaporooter is the most efficient way of tackling the sewage pipe root invasion.