How do I know roots are the cause?
A camera inspection can show roots at a joint or crack. A slow drain alone does not prove roots are present.
Urbandale, Iowa
Urbandale's population went from 1,777 in 1950 to 14,434 in 1970, and the trees planted in those yards are now mature. Root trouble needs two answers: how to clear the line and whether the pipe has a defect that let the roots in. Tell us where roots were found and what happened afterward.
The EPA sewer guidance notes that roots can inhibit flow, collect debris and reduce a line's capacity, and that inspection can show where roots intrude into a sewer.
Clearing opens the line. It does not close the joint or crack where roots got in. Ask whether a camera inspection shows a defect that needs repair, because roots can return to the same spot.
Homes built in the postwar boom are now sixty or seventy years old, and trees planted around them have had decades to grow. Whether roots have reached a line depends on the trees, the pipe and the joints, so ask for an inspection instead of assuming.
A camera inspection can show roots at a joint or crack. A slow drain alone does not prove roots are present.
They can return to the same spot if the joint or crack stays open. Ask whether the line needs a repair assessment.
That is a separate question for the property owner and an arborist. Cleaning addresses the line, not the tree.
They can, though a young line has had less time for roots to find a joint.
Tell us about the affected drain, what you have noticed, and whether hydro jetting may suit the line.