What each one does
- Caliche: a cemented layer that makes trenching hard and makes good bedding harder, so support under a pipe can be uneven from day one
- Shifting soil: ground that swells and shrinks with water, putting slow load on a line and pulling joints out of true
- Roots: they do not break into sound pipe for fun, they follow moisture and air to a joint that is already weeping
- Irrigation: the thing that decides where the moisture, and therefore the roots, actually are
How it shows up inside the house
- A drain that catches repeatedly at the same point on the line
- Gurgling and slow flow that comes and goes with heavy use
- A backup that appears after a long dry stretch or a big rain
- Ground above the line that is damp, sunken or greener than the rest
Why this changes the repair
If the pipe has lost its shape, clearing it is maintenance rather than a fix. The useful question is where the line has sagged or opened, and how far.
That is not a guess we like to make from inside the house, and it is the reason a repeat problem is worth looking at properly once instead of clearing three times.
Answers
Can roots get into a sound pipe?
Rarely on their own. They exploit a joint or a crack that is already letting moisture out. Roots in a line usually mean the line already had a fault.
Does a tree have to come out?
Not always. What matters is where the line runs, where the water is, and what the pipe itself looks like now.
Is this more common in older neighborhoods?
Older lines have had longer to move, and older materials tolerate it less well. Newer lines are not immune, because the ground behaves the same way.
If you need this done
- Sewer line repairBackups, several slow drains at once, or foul odors: clogs, root intrusion and damaged or collapsed lines, repaired or replaced.
- Drain cleaningSinks, tubs, showers and main lines cleared to the root of the blockage instead of pushed further down the line.
- Pipe and leak repairDamaged, corroded or leaking pipe repaired or replaced, including hidden leaks behind walls, with as little disruption as possible.
- Where we workEvery town and ZIP across the Valley we cover.
In-home estimate
Rather have someone look at it? Tell us what's going on
We come out, look at the problem and explain what it needs before any work starts. For something urgent, calling is fastest.
Rather talk? Call or text (602) 833-4133.