Brookfield, IL, is an alluring family-friendly village in Cook County popular for its diverse mix of historic homes. Located about 13 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, it is home to the world-famous 216-acre Brookfield Zoo and the Salt Creek Trail.
Also known as “The Village of Parks,” the streets and homes of this idyllic location—supported by housing resources by HCM—feature a wide-ranging assortment of mature trees and different kinds of greenery. This natural environment is part of what gives Brookfield its charm and economic value.
However, this abundance of mature trees also comes at a considerable cost to homeowners in this affluent Chicago suburb. Trees and shrubs with aggressive root systems have always had a stormy relationship with underground water pipes and drainage lines.
The roots are always on a search for easily accessible sources of water and nutrients, and drainage pipes carry warm water packed with organic materials. For nearby trees, this is a match made in paradise, but for homeowners, it is a maintenance nightmare.
These tree roots routinely find a way to invade underground plumbing water lines and drainage pipes through leaks and weak joints, blocking the pipes and damaging them. This is a major plumbing issue for Brookfield homeowners.
How does this problem impact the health and function of a home’s plumbing system? How do you detect this problem in your home, and what can you do about it?
Problems caused by tree root invasion of plumbing lines
Tree root intrusion into drainage lines happens when nature collides with technology. Tree roots behave like this as part of their natural survival instinct. However, this innocent behaviour can have devastating consequences for your home’s plumbing systems.
These consequences include:
Slow drains and persistent clogs
If your drainpipes have tree roots inside them, wastewater will flow slowly, debris will accumulate more quickly, and you will experience simultaneous slow drains in multiple fixtures throughout your home. This problem will not respond to regular solutions like using a plunger or a drain snake to clear the drains.
Overflowing drains and sewer backups
If your slow-draining pipes are not unclogged, the tree roots inside will grow until they completely seal your drainage pipes. This will lead to problems like overflowing toilets and shower/floor drains in the house. If these are not fully solved, you will have a full-blown sewer backup in your home.
Structural pipe damage
After establishing themselves inside a line, tree roots don’t stop growing. With time, they can exert enough pressure on the pipe to crack or collapse it. In most cases, this will only happen if urgent action is not taken to address the two problems discussed above.
Pipe displacement and bellies
Tree roots may also grow around a pipe, shifting it out of position and causing the line to lose its proper slope. This can result in a sagged or bellied section, where debris will accumulate inside the sewer line. Pipe bellies and sagged sections increase the risk of clogged drains and sewer backups in your home.
Water contamination
If the affected pipe is a water line, soil can enter your water supply through the point where tree roots invade a pipe. Your water could acquire a strange color, taste, and odor as a result. Even worse, the contaminated water may look, smell, and taste the same while secretly hurting your family’s health.
Soil erosion and yard damage
Tree root invasion can worsen existing leaks in your water and drainage pipes. This increases the quantity of wastewater or clean water being released into the soil from your broken pipe. This problem, if undiscovered, can undermine the soil around your home, leading to soil erosion.
Detecting and fixing tree root invasion of plumbing lines
If you have more than one sluggish or clogged drain inside your home, you hear gurgling sounds every time you flush your toilet, or you frequently smell raw sewage inside your house, you may have tree roots growing within your drainpipes.
Sewer camera inspection
To know if your suspicions are true, order a sewer camera inspection. A sewer camera inspection is the most reliable method for inspecting an underground drainage line without needing to dig up the pipe. It uses a specialized waterproof high-resolution camera that is inserted into the line to get real-time videos and photos of the pipe interior.
If the inspection results confirm that there are tree roots inside your sewer line, the next step is to remove them using a professional drain cleaning method.
Professional drain cleaning
These are techniques used by professional plumbers to access a drainpipe to directly clear any blockage inside the line. The two most popular drain cleaning methods for expert plumbers are hydro jetting and sewer rodding. Both methods are effective for removing tree roots from a drainage pipe.
In most cases, after cleaning the line, you must repair the pipe to fix the damaged section. This helps to prevent a recurrence of the problem in the future. If you work with an experienced Brookfield professional plumber like Suburban Plumbing Experts, they will advise you on the best repair methods to permanently protect your drainage pipe from tree root invasion.
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In need of some help with pesky tree roots on your property in Brookfield, IL? Our experts can help! Reach out to us today at 708-801-6530.
