Tree Roots in Sewer Lines: Signs & Solutions for Des Moines Homeowners

Tree roots get into sewer lines through cracks, loose joints, and deteriorated sections of pipe. Once inside, the roots grow toward the steady supply of water and eventually restrict the line. Cutting them out restores flow, but if the opening in the pipe remains, the roots still have a way back in.

Around Des Moines, we see roots enter older clay and cast-iron sewer laterals through failed joints and cracks. If several drains are slowing or the same clog keeps returning after drain cleaning, we start looking farther down the sewer line instead of treating it like another fixture clog.

Why Tree Roots Get Into Sewer Pipes

Roots do not break into a sound sewer pipe just because a tree is nearby. The trouble starts when a joint separates, a crack develops, or an older section of pipe begins to deteriorate. Water and moisture vapor escaping through that opening draw fine roots toward the pipe.

Those fine roots enter first and grow once they reach the moisture and nutrients inside the sewer. Waste catches on the roots, the opening gets tighter, and eventually the sewer has trouble carrying wastewater away from your home.

In older Des Moines neighborhoods such as Sherman Hill, clay laterals with multiple joints and aging cast iron give us more places to check when recurring sewer trouble starts.

Warning Signs of Root Intrusion

One slow sink does not point straight to roots. We get more suspicious when several fixtures start showing symptoms at the same time.

Watch for:

• Several drains slowing at once
• Toilets gurgling when another fixture drains
• Clogs that return after being cleared
• Sewer odors in the basement or yard
• A strip of grass growing noticeably greener over the sewer lateral
• Wastewater backing up through a basement or floor drain

Recurring slow drains give you time to schedule an inspection. If sewage is backing into your home or several fixtures stop draining, the line needs prompt attention.

Mature trees are part of what makes root intrusion a concern in established areas such as Beaverdale, especially when older sewer piping is still in the ground.

How a Camera Inspection Confirms It

Once we have access through a sewer line cleanout, we send a camera through the lateral and watch what is happening inside the pipe. A sewer camera inspection shows us where roots entered, how much of the line they are blocking, and what condition the pipe is in around them.

That distinction matters. Roots entering through one failed joint call for a different repair than roots growing through several cracks in a deteriorating sewer lateral.

How the Roots Get Removed

For a heavy root mass, mechanical cutting equipment breaks through the roots and opens the line. Sewer cleaning then addresses the remaining roots and buildup based on the condition of the pipe.

Depending on the type and severity of the intrusion, hydro jetting may be used after root cutting to remove remaining root material, sludge, and debris when the sewer line is in condition to handle high-pressure cleaning. We inspect the line first because badly deteriorated clay or cast iron needs a different approach than sound pipe with root growth at one joint.

Foaming root treatments and similar products are intended to slow root regrowth. They do not seal a crack, reconnect a separated joint, or rebuild a failing sewer pipe.

Repair Options When the Pipe Is Damaged

Once the roots are out, we look at the opening they came through. If we clear the roots but leave that opening alone, we have left them a path back into the sewer.

Damage at one section may call for a spot repair. Some pipes are candidates for trenchless lining, which creates a new lining inside the existing pipe. When the line has collapsed or deteriorated across several sections, sewer line repair and replacement removes the failed piping and restores the sewer lateral.

We do not recommend replacing an entire sewer lateral because roots entered through one repairable joint.

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover It?

Coverage depends on your policy and what caused the sewer-line damage. Standard homeowners coverage does not answer every service-line situation the same way, so check your policy and ask your insurance provider specifically about service line coverage.

If the damage is covered, ask your insurer what documentation they need before repair work begins.

Schedule a Sewer Inspection with Bell Brothers

If your drains keep slowing down after they've been cleared, we need to find out why. In established areas such as the Drake neighborhood, mature trees and older sewer laterals make a camera inspection especially useful when the same blockage keeps returning.

Bell Brothers has served Central Iowa since 1955. If recurring sewer problems are something you're trying to stay ahead of, ask us how the Comfy Club fits into your home's regular plumbing maintenance.

If you are seeing recurring clogs, gurgling toilets, or other signs of roots in your sewer line, schedule online with Bell Brothers before the blockage turns into a backup.