Drain issues can easily be caused by an ingress of tree roots. Commonly mistaken for other blockages, they slowly take up home in your drains, growing to take up more space and block water flow.
How does it happen?
Most pipes in some areas of the country are made of vitrified clay, which allows fine roots in through small cracks, gaps in joins, and fractures in pipes. These then grow into bigger roots and sprout many more small roots over time.
Roots adore pipes as they’re damp, dark spaces. Spreading out in the hunt for moisture and warmth, roots easily find their way through leaking joints into pipes lined with condensation.
Ground that’s been recently disturbed is even easier for tree roots to travel through, making newly-laid drainage systems even more prone to root ingress. It doesn’t take much for tree roots to take over once they’ve found their way in.
How do we fix it?
The first thing to be done is for a company specialising in CCTV drainage surveys Alcester to get on site and find the source of the problem. Thankfully, this is normally covered by insurance policies.
Once the cause of the issue has been identified as tree roots, the drain will be either flushed through, or the roots cut out (a bit like an intense weeding), before any repairs to the alignment of your pipes are made.
Tree roots can cause a great deal of destruction and disruption as seen here: It’s best to deal with the issue and consider CCTV drainage surveys in Alcester as soon as tree root damage is discovered since it only gets worse if it’s ignored.
Signs of a problem
It can be difficult to identify that something isn’t right with your drains. However, there are some warning signs to watch out for.
If you identify gurgling noises from your drains, regular blockages to your plumbing, slow drains, or low water pressure, it’s time to call out a professional to take a deeper look at your drains.