5 Signs of Tree Roots in Your Pipes and How to Fix It

Trees are beautiful additions to our gardens, and not to mention they can be quite useful as well. They are a major source of oxygen, and their shade provides a nice escape during hot summer days. But, in-between these numerous benefits of having trees around your house, there are some negatives as well. Unfortunately, tree roots can inflict a lot of damage to your pipes, and if you don’t act on it early, things will deteriorate swiftly. Make sure you get in touch with local plumbers when dealing with tree roots in your pipes so that you do not have to deal with more serious issues.

Slow-draining

This is usually the first warning sign. While slow drains have multiple causes, more often than not, they will be due to tree roots in your pipes. It can affect every drain in your house (sink, shower, toilet, etc.), and it happens gradually. At first, it will be a barely-noticeable slower draining. At this stage, the damage isn’t huge, and it would be good to tackle the problem at this stage. However, since it’s so difficult to notice, many people wait for the bigger signs of concern. While the situation is far from ideal when the draining is extremely slow, it can still be resolved if you can find experts in hydro jetting drain cleaning services. Our only advice would be, don’t procrastinate when you see this warning sign and get some assistance as soon as possible.

If there are tree roots in your pipes, you’ll probably have slow emptying drains

Bad odor

The roots of one tree can be up to three times as big as the tree itself. They spread in all directions looking for moisture, and when you have a large tree, you’d be surprised how far these roots can go. Therefore, they can cause damage to all the pipes around your house, including the sewer lines. When the tree roots enter the sewer pipes, they will block the waste from flowing away from your house. That, naturally, leads to bad smells in your house. The smell of rotten eggs (sulfur) is the most accurate description. It can cause major problems if you don’t deal with it right away. Tree roots in your pipes aren’t the only reason for rotten eggs smell in your house; it can come from malfunctions of these home appliances:

1. Gas leak from your heater
2. Gas leak from your stove
3. Water heater malfunction that causes it to circulate stinky water through your home

Low water pressure can be another sign of tree roots in your pipes

As we saw earlier, tree roots can cause a slower outflow, and now we’re going to show you that they can cause a slower inflow as well. Well, this is not surprising considering that no pipes around your house are safe from tree roots that are developing rapidly. They can affect your inflow pipes and block them, which will, naturally, lead to low water pressure inside your house. Truth be told, low water pressure can have many different causes. However, whichever it is, it is usually a sign of pipe blockage that needs to be fixed. If you’re about to move into a new home, experts at Gibraltar Van Lines think that potential pipe blockage is something to keep an eye on, so ask your home inspector to check it thoroughly.

Low water pressure in your faucet might be due to pipe blockage caused by tree roots

The sudden appearance of sinkholes in your yard

Finding sinkholes in your yard is not normal and is quite concerning. If the tree roots entering your pipes are the reason behind these sinkholes, the damage is, more often than not, huge. This is because, in order to form a sinkhole, tree roots will not only block your pipes, but the blockage will be so big that it will cause pipes to break and leak into the ground. In this case, you will likely need emergency plumbing services because the damage is quite significant already. To make things worse, this may increase your water bills drastically. This is because, in most cases, you’ll be paying for the water that leaks, although that may depend on which pipes were affected.

If you notice that one of your trees is growing rapidly, that might be due to tree roots in your pipes

Tree roots are in search of a water source that helps them grow. So, if you see a tree that’s growing rapidly, know that it has found a large water source that improved its growth. Unfortunately, your pipes may be the water source in question. If this has happened to you, it can quickly cause all of the aforementioned problems. So, if you notice your tree growing rapidly, it is a matter that’s definitely worth looking into. The same goes for green patches on your lawn, as they can be other signs of tree roots entering your pipes. 

If you see a tree that’s growing surprisingly fast in your yard, its roots may have caused damage to your pipes

Tree roots in your pipes are among the priority repairs to make after interstate relocation

While tree roots in the pipes shouldn’t be the reason to avoid purchasing the property altogether, it is something that needs fixing as soon as possible. We’re aware that the last thing you want after an exhausting relocation is to deal with more problems. But, if you handle this right away, there won’t be any issues further down the line, and as soon as you get it over with, you can start enjoying your new life chapter. 

How to fix it?

Since tree roots in your pipes can lead to even bigger problems, this is something that should be left to professionals. Many things can go wrong, so if you don’t have any experience with this, calling professional plumbing services would be our recommendation. Most local plumbers have the necessary tools to tackle this problem, and in the blink of an eye, your pipes will be repaired. Remember, if you have any suspicions that the tree roots have entered your pipes and are causing damage to them, don’t procrastinate and call plumbing professionals as soon as possible.