Tree Root Invasion

At Bob Oates Plumbing, Sewer & Rooter, we provide comprehensive inspection, cleaning, repair, and replacement services across all of Greater Seattle, as well as serving communities from Tacoma and the Southend to Lynnwood and Everett up north, and Bellevue and the entire Eastside. This includes top-tier sewer pipe repair and maintenance with respect to tree root invasion.

Keeping pipes clear of debris is crucial, especially in the Pacific Northwest, where tree roots can infiltrate and damage sewer lines. Trees and heavy rainfall increase the risk of root intrusion, leading to potential backups if untreated. Our expert team offers year-round rooter, drain cleaning, and sewer line repairs for residential, commercial, and municipal properties to prevent these issues efficiently.

Signs Your Pipes are Invaded with Tree Roots

Seattle and its surrounding communities are filled with beautiful trees, but tree roots can lead to invasive roots on your property. Those roots will naturally try to find sources of moisture and nutrients, which may draw them to your water or sewer line. As they creep into the pipes, the roots will block the flow of water, and can even build up additional debris, leading to potential pipe damage.

Tree roots are highly invasive; their systems can be double the size of the tree they support. You may experience clogs or back-ups in many appliances throughout your home, which can be a tell-tale sign of tree root invasion. Also, root invasion can lead to leaks, particularly noticeable as damp or extra lush areas in your lawn, and may cause an unpleasant smell.

Solutions to Tree Root Invasion

The team at Bob Oates is proud to offer proactive solutions, including sewer camera inspections, that identify exactly where any problems may have formed. Doing so helps us pinpoint how to best tackle tree roots in pipes before they cause any further damage. This process uses a waterproof camera to inspect pipes in real-time, allowing us to locate root invasion efficiently without damaging your property.

Once tree root invasion has been identified, our skilled technicians will use one of many trenchless methods to break up the roots in your pipe. Hydro jetting uses an extremely high-powered stream of water is used to break up and flush away obstructions. After the materials are washed away, our team will use cured-in-place pipe lining (CIPP) to effortlessly create a brand-new pipe inside of your existing one that seals all cracks and leaks. The clear resin adheres to the lining of your pipes to create a new durable coating within your existing pipe.

If for some reason tree roots cannot be removed with hydro jetting, our team will use a tree root cutter to mechanically remove the tree roots from your pipeline. In the event that tree roots have completely destroyed your pipes, we will use pipe bursting to seamlessly replace your pipe with no excavation necessary.

Pipe bursting requires two access points — one upstream and one downstream. We use hydraulics to pull a metal cone, larger than the existing pipe, through it, dragging a new HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) pipe behind. This method essentially installs a new, high-quality pipe within the old one.

Get in Touch Today!

Whether sewer pipe lining is done or pipe bursting is required, the entire process is efficient and reduces the impact on your home or business. You will save significant time and money by opting for methods that don’t require digging trenches across your yard, sidewalk, parking spaces, or other features on your property.

The affordable solutions we provide at Bob Oates will last for years to come as well as leave you with satisfying results. Give us a call or schedule an appointment online anytime — we’re here for you!

Our locally dispatched crews serve homes and businesses across King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties, including:

• Ballard
• Bellevue
• Federal Way
• Fremont
• Greenwood
• Kent
• Lynnwood
• Magnolia
• Maple Leaf
• Phinney Ridge / Green Lake
• Queen Anne
• Renton
• Seattle
• Shoreline
• Tacoma
• Wallingford
• West Seattle