Frequently Asked Questions

Why do tree roots enter a sewer pipe system?
Roots grow toward water vapor or moisture, by a continuous process (hydrotropism) occurring at the very end of the root. The root grows one cell at a time enabling it to enter the small cracks and joints, which may be present in your pipe. After a root enters a pipe, it divides hundreds of times to form a large mass of tender root ends. This root mass will accumulate a thick coating of grease which will collect on the root mass until a blockage occurs.

What is done for emergency treatment of root blockages?
An emergency response to this type of sewer line blockage is to snake the line with an electric snake. This method will relieve the line of the blockage; however, most of the root mass will remain and respond to the injuries by speeding up and thickening the re-growth.

How can I prevent this from happening to me?
The only true solution is to replace the underground pipe. But in some cases you can control the roots and help to prevent re-growth for up to one year, by treating the pipe with Rootx.

What will happen if I don’t do anything?
Ignoring the problem is a costly solution. The roots will not leave your sewer pipe, instead they will grow thicker and stronger. In a short time they will totally infest your sewer pipe causing repetitive raw sewage back-ups. When this happens, your sewer pipe will have to be excavated and replaced, costing thousands of dollars. Cleaning the drain with an electric snake or treating your sewer pipe with chemicals will do nothing.

I’m seeing small flies in my home. What are they?
Repetitive outbreaks of small, humpbacked flies in a home, restaurant or hospital may mean serious trouble underground. Why underground? Because one of the common sources of phorid flies (also called humpbacked flies" or "coffin flies") is a broken sewer line oozing goo under a building. Phorid fly adults are tiny, and most are brownish-yellow with brown wings, a small head, and a large, "humped" thorax. Adults are reluctant to fly and often run instead. Larvae are whitish and wormlike, and feed on sewage, dead animals, human corpses (underground and in mausoleums), animal feces, rotting plants, and have been found infesting open wounds in hospitals. When a sewer line breaks, perhaps from invading tree roots or settling ground, hundreds...even thousands...of pounds of organic materials can accumulate under a slab or crawl space. This subsoil area is rarely solid, as you would think; instead, settling soil and the fluid from the broken pipe produces open spaces. Once a population of flies is established, the life cycle can continue totally underground. If adult flies find a route to light, perhaps through a crack in a slab or an open expansion joint, hundreds of flies per day can find their way into the building above. There is only one permanent solution to this type of phorid infestation. The broken pipe has to be located and replaced. And very importantly, most of the gooey soil that has become saturated with organic material has to be excavated, discarded, and replaced with clean soil. Otherwise, the infestation may continue for years. Excavation can be very expensive. For a major sewer leak under a commercial building it may cost well over $100,000 to break up the slab, excavate and replace the contaminated soil, replace the pipes, and re-pour the slab. Some companies have tried to avoid this expense by injecting a termiticide into the subsoil. Unfortunately, this treatment rarely works. And if the soil later has to be excavated anyway, the termiticide-treated soil may require special (and even more expensive) disposal techniques.

How effective is an electric drain snake on tree roots?
Some homeowners have been led to believe that electric drain cleaning machines are able to cut & remove all of the roots from their drain line. This is simply not true. Once roots enter a sewer line, they can never be completely removed unless the pipe is replaced. Video inspections have revealed the true effect that these machines have on roots.

Electric drain cleaning machines, “Wrap & Rip”, they do not “Cut”: The tip of the cable burrows into the roots and, as the machine turns, the roots start to wrap around the tip. It’s like twirling spaghetti around a fork. Same principle. As the machine turns, the roots that are wrapped around the tip will rip away from the stalk at the weakest point. The roots that remain in the drain line are simply not long enough to wrap around the tip.

Unfortunately, drain machines will actually accelerate the malfunctioning of a sewer system. If you’ve ever pruned a tree or trimmed a bush then you are aware that, every time you cut a root, another one branches behind it, increasing its size and strength. The accelerated root growth will in turn increase the size of the separation in the pipe that allowed the roots to enter the system in the first place. The cycle will then continue in a more severe and frequent fashion.

Once roots enter the sewer line, they force the pipe to either move or crack. When the pipe moves the separation becomes larger, the roots grow bigger, blockages become more frequent, and dirt falls into the line. Once the pipe cracks, it will eventually break, the roots grow bigger, blockages become more frequent and pieces of broken pipe, as well as dirt, fall, into the line. Either way, the line will eventually collapse without warning; untimely raw sewage back-ups and inconvenient sewer repairs will be unavoidable.

A sewer blockage is a definitive indication that the system is deteriorating to the point of failure. Homeowner’s have the right to be alerted to any condition that will adversely affect their health and home. Sewer systems exist for a reason; Humans must not be exposed to raw sewage. Homeowners should be informed that electric drain machines serve only to provide temporary relief by purging the wastewater from the system; drain machines will not correct the problem.

At this stage, a “camera snake” should be utilized to determine the severity of the pipe damage, the expected frequency of future back-ups, and the most efficient remedy to the problem. By providing a first hand look at the condition of the sewer line, camera snakes enable homeowners to make intelligent, well informed decisions.

I’m buying and/or selling my home. What information regarding sewer systems should I be aware of?
It is impossible to determine the condition of the sewer system by flushing the toilet or running the water. A defective sewer will still allow wastewater to pass through the system and/or seep into the soil for quite some time (this will give the illusion that the system is functioning properly). The buyer will not realize that he or she is purchasing a home with a defective sewer until the system collapses. Once this occurs, raw sewage back-ups followed by costly sewer repairs are unavoidable.

It is impossible to determine the condition of the sewer system without a sewer inspection. A sewer inspection is a simple procedure that entails pushing a miniature video camera throughout the sewer system. As the video camera travels through the system, the actual footage is being displayed on a monitor (this provides a first hand look at the condition of the sewer system from inside the pipe itself). The sewer inspection is copied onto a VHS tape so that all interested parties may review it. If there is no VHS tape, the sewer system was not inspected.

A standard home inspection does not include a sewer system inspection. The plumbing certification that every home receives at the time of settlement states that underground and concealed piping is not inspected. Over 90% of a home’s sewer system is concealed inside its walls; beneath its floors and underground. Repairing the sewer system is one of the most (if not the single most) expensive renovations a home will ever need. The lack of a sewer inspection has resulted in enormous financial loss for home buyers.

The sewer system constitutes approximately 10-15% of any property’s value. If the sewer system has not been inspected, the correct value of the property has not been determined. The buyer will risk paying significantly more for that property, than it may actually be worth. To add injury to insult, once the sale is final, the buyer is financially responsible for all sewer system repairs.
1. The township or city is not responsible for the homes sewer system.
2. Most homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover the cost of sewer repairs.
3. Plumbers and contractors relinquish themselves from liability when performing home inspections, by stating that underground and concealed piping is not inspected.
4. The seller or agent cannot be held liable unless it can be proven that either one had knowledge of a sewer defect and did not disclose it. Since neither the seller nor the agent has the ability to see through walls, floors or underground, lack of full disclosure is virtually impossible to prove.

The Real Estate Seller Disclosure Act states: “It is the buyer’s responsibility to satisfy him or herself as to the condition of the property.” Prospective buyers need to realize that in addition to the home, they are also purchasing a $20,000.00 sewer system that will not be inspected. It would cost a home buyer more to replace the sewer system than it would to replace the entire roof and heating system combined. Whether the property is 2 years old or 52 years old, once the sale is final, the buyer becomes responsible for the sewer system.

What are the dangers of drain and sewer back-ups?
Primary problems stemming from the defective functioning of a sewer system, include serious health risks to humans caused by direct exposure to raw sewage and the great possibility of contaminating water supplies. A malfunctioning sewer system can also cause raw sewage to back up into plumbing fixtures and become present in a dwelling. Once this waste is exposed, the possibility of humans contracting any number of diseases is greatly multiplied. This is particularly true of children who do not yet understand the dangers of raw sewage.

Common Diseases Capable of Transmission from Sewage

• Cholera Profuse watery stools, vomiting, rapid dehydration; if untreated may produce fatality rate of 50% plus.
• Cryptosporidiosis More than 400,000 cases reported in one outbreak from contaminated drinking water; profuse diarrhea with mild nausea & vomiting.
• Shigellosis Bloody diarrhea, cramps, vomiting; the severity of the illness and the possibility of death depend on the host.
• Typhoid Prolonged fever, headaches, nausea, diarrhea; fatality rate as high as 10%, if untreated.
  Infectious Hepatitis Fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, dark urine & jaundice; can impair liver function.
• Amebiasis Fever, chills & bloody diarrhea; may also produce abscess of liver, lungs & brain.
  
  The HIV virus has recently been detected in the raw wastewater of two communities. HIV appears capable of surviving for 2-3 days in raw sewage at room temperature, but may survive for more than 2 weeks in raw sewage at lower temperatures. Although the HIV virus may be found in raw sewage, the risk of becoming infected seems highly unlikely. Transmission would require puncture of the skin or contact with cuts or other damaged skin tissue.