Blocked drains- help!
As I am a pensioner money is a real issue when it comes to DIY projects. It seems that the drain pipes are blocked with tree roots that managed to grow into the pipes. As I live alone on a farm there is no possibility that a plumber will come out even if I could afford to pay for his services. I need something to kill the roots inside the pipes. I am really desperate.
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There was a powder to digest the roots in a septic systems.....try checking at a big box diy....my aunt had to use it periodically.
you need a pro to do this. it also means that your pipes are cracked. A health hazard.
Use a jug of bleach every month and pour down the sewer drain
Thank you Cindy I will definitely try it right away. Do know if it will work in a septic system as well. As I have the same problem there. Thank you again I do appreciate you sharing your knowledge with me.
i guess / think bleach will kill the natural organism life in your septic system. search www?
Do NOT put bleach in septic systems!!! Septic systems rely on certain bacterias to get rid of waste and bleach or drain cleaners can kill them. Also, it sounds like you need to have the pipes replaced if the roots cracked them. We have sewer, not septic but same problem with roots from our neighbors trees. It was expensive to fix, but not much choice. Definitely did not seem like a DIY project.
Rootx foaming root killer, zep root killer.
Is there anyone near you that could help you? Try contacting your Area Agency on Aging or your local churches for assistance. You may need to replace the piping, which is most likely broken. Do you have any insurance coverage for tree root damage?
You can add foaming action to a salt solution by adding baking soda and vinegar. To make this environmentally friendly root killer, mix a cup each of regular table salt, baking soda, vinegar and boiling water and immediately flush it down the toilet. When mixed together, baking soda and vinegar begin to fizz, and the fizzing action allows the solution to fill the pipes so the salt can come in contact with the obstructing roots. The solution kills roots on contact, but it takes time for the dead roots to wash away, so you won't notice immediate results.
Also copper sulfate and rock salt flushed through the system.
To keep the system cleaned out. dry yeast will keep the digestion of pipe contacts going.
hope this helps. Pax, Lisa from NC, USA
Hi, Dave,
I genuinely admire your independent spirit! We have a product here called Rid X that's used for septic systems, on a monthly basis, to restore the naturally forming bacteria necessary for a septic system. I'm not sure it will help your tree root problem. At best, you may be able to kill the trees whose roots have spread into your pipes. Whether this would help is questionable. It almost sounds as though you need an excavator, but how it would get to your property other than by airlift, is unlikely... Point 4 of your response is hilarious, but knowing how insurance companies are, is believable. Are you able to get access to a jackhammer? Using a sledgehammer would be back breaking work, but may be your only other option, unless you resort to small explosives😟. I feel badly that I'm unable to offer you a viable solution. Wishing you the best.
Hi, Dave,
Do you have access to products made by a company called "Roebic"?
Amazon.com sells their products, one of which (Roebic Foaming Root Killer) is designed to kill tree roots. Their products are designed for use in septic systems. This product received a 4 star rating from 659 reviewers.
Wishing you luck!
By the way, PA (Pennsylvania) is in the Mid Atlantic section of the U.S.A. There are many properties here with septic systems, and some atop mountains, but none dealing with your wildlife issues...