Plumbing Problems!UGH!!

[joycenalex]

continuing the tradition of late january drama....my sewer drain backed up....UGHG EW EW!!! i'll be calling roto rooter in a while...we have large, mature trees, and i'm sure the roots are blocking the sewer lines. are there any plumbers on PT? since digging up the basement seems like such no go, to replace the sewer lines, outside of regular cleaning of the drain and pouring root rot, is there anything else to do?

[Freedom]

Oh no!!! I am sorry. Haven't been through this myself, but a friend has been. The way her situation was, they didn't need to did in the basement at all, it was all outside.

[RICHARD]

The only thing you can do is PM......

Pour a bottle of Kleer All or root killer down every 6 months or so..Other than that pray?

You can ask GINI about what she does in those emergencies!

[slick]

Yes, Gini can help although I think her advice would be not to shave your legs in the shower......

[joycenalex]

$300 later....looks like i'm got sewer line problems.....whimper....

[Killearn Kitties]

Oh no! What is going to happen?

[wombat2u2004]

Trouble is with the Root Rot and other associated chemicals, is that they kill the roots, but the dead roots are still in place causing the blockage, and as such need to be removed with an electric eel. So get the line cleared of the obstructions first, and then put the chemicals down.
Water seeking plants are the problem, and if you have the slightest crack or a looose joint in your sewer pipes, a plant root as thin as cotton will enter it in search of water, and then of course the root grows, enlarging the crack, and more roots enter, etc etc, until the original crack in the pipe is so large that the problem happens more often.

Richards comments sound fair enough, and usually work to a certain degree, but there are also problems with pouring poisons down your sewer, the main one being how much poison to put down ? Pipes in ground usually have a certain amount of other fluids in them, especially if they are partly blocked, so the poison becomes diluted and not as effective. There are many chemicals on sale that claim to do everything from cleaning sewers forever to starting motor cars......all hype stuff to sell the chemicals.

You really have only three options here to allow the sewer system to function properly.

Firstly......monitor how often the blockage problem occurs. If for instance it happens every two years, then employ a plumber with an electric eel with a root cutting tip to clean out the system say every year and a half. And as Richard has suggested, pour a litre or so of poison down the system say once a year.....it all helps.

Secondly.....If possible, try and identify the suspect plant that is the obvious water seeker. A hortoculturist is a good bet, they can tell you what kind of plant seeks water more than other kinds of plants, as some plant root systems penetrate deeper into the ground in search of water than others do.
And if that can be established, it may be possible to get rid of the guilty plant.

Thirdly.....and probably the most costliest, is to replace the sewer system.
You may not have to replace the entire system, but perhaps bypass the problem area with an offset....say for instance......replace 4 or 5 feet of pipe.
(Remember....when the plumber uses the eel to clean the stystem, he will have a fairly good idea exactly where the blockage is). So it may be as simple as digging a hole, finding the pipe, and replacing that bit with a material more durable and strong enough to resist root entry.

Hope this has helped you some.......if you need any more advice....just ask.
Wom