5 Signs That Your Pipes Have Been Affected By Root Damage

5 Signs That Your Pipes Have Been Affected By Root Damage. Trees are a fixture of every back yard. They bring shade and respite from the scorching heat of a summer day, as well as playing a crucial role in converting carbon dioxide back into oxygen.

However, while trees are a welcome addition to any property, they can easily wreak havoc on mixture of stormwater lines, sewage lines and even water pipes that lay beneath the ground.

Root obstruction is a fact of life for homeowners with trees on their property, it’s less of an ‘if’ and more of a ‘when’ root damage will occur.

Roots naturally grow towards sources of water and you guessed it, your stormwater, sewage and water pipes are prime candidates for giving a growing tree everything it needs to thrive.

Tiny cracks or leaks in pipes promote further growth that eventually leads to roots penetrating your pipes and growing right into the network.

So here’s how to know if your pipes have been affected by root damage.

Slowly emptying drains:

This is often the first sign of root damage. If you flush your toilet or drain a sink and it empties very slowly (often accompanied by a protracted gurgling noise), there’s a good chance roots have entered your pipe network.

Green patches of lawn:

Unusually lush patches of grass are a good sign that your pipes are leaking. If those areas are close to trees you may know what the culprit is right away.

Sinkholes:

If the ground suddenly gives way in your front or back yard, you can look to what lies below as the cause.

Root damage can begin slowly and may only show itself after your pipes have been leaking water for some time. This can cause the ground around the pipes to become increasingly moist and eventually give way on its own.

Backed up toilets and sinks:

You may think it was something the kids flushed down the toilet, but if the roots obstructing your pipes are bad enough, even something as degradable as toilet paper can become lodged and lead to blocked pipes.

Horrible smells:

Damaged or burst sewer lines are something you’ll no doubt smell before you see. If persistent bad odours are present in your front and back yard, tree roots might be the culprit.

What Ryano’s Plumbing And gas Fitting can Do to help?

STEP #1: DRAIN CAMERA INSPECTION

Other than our extensive knowledge in these situations, we unfortunately cannot see your affected pipes underground but our drainage CCTV cameras can!

We have an extensive range of drain cameras to see the problem and pipe locators to find the problem.

How does a CCTV drain camera work and how can it help you?

Lucky for you, digging up your back yard for the hope to find damaged pipes is a thing of the past. Fortunately, our latest range of CCTV drainage cameras can find, identify, locate and even film in HD so that our plumbers and clients can identify the extent of the problem, which makes it a lot easier to determine the best, most cost-effective way to fix your drain.

STEP #2: FIX THE ISSUE

We have identified and located the problem but what do we do next?

This may involve the use of an electric eel, a high-powered hydro jet or a pipe replacement.

Depending on the severity, we can utilize our own equipment to fix this situation with ease.

If tree roots or debris are blocking your pipe, the best way to clear the pipe is with a hydro jet rodding machine.

If the blockage proves too solid, more force may be required and an electric eel may need to be sent down to cut through the foreign matter.

If the pipe needs to be replaced, then our locator has identified the position so that there is no time wasted in fixing the situation.

STEP #3: FUTURE CCTV INSPECTION

How do we know if it worked?

Once we have cleared the blockage or fixed the drain pipe. our CCTV drainage camera can help determine if the job has been done correctly and effectively.

Ryano’s Plumbing and Gas specialises in affordable CCTV drain camera inspections. For all your drain inspection needs, with RPG Plumbing today (07) 3339 1543