roots in main drain

jerry1967

How do I get roots out of the main drain? Someone told me to put rock salt down the drain and this will eat away the roots.
Anbody else ever hear of this?

DangerMouse

rock salt will work, although rootX will work better as it foams to reach the roots. (usually in upper area of pipe)
http://www.rootx.com/index.html
rock salt will sit along the bottom awhile and kill roots, which then rot, so long as you do not use much/if any water for a while, but it will rinse away, and may not kill as much as you'd like. some people put it down their tanks regularly. we have no trees in our septic area, so we don't need this solution, but i know some folks around here that do it.

DM

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majakdragon

I am not a fan of using any chemical for roots. Most drainage systems are not sitting empty for a long enough period of time to allow even a chemical that works, to do much good. A sewer auger with a cutter end installed is the best. The problem with roots is, they have already broken into the pipe, and will grow back through the same hole after a short period of time. PVC has been a great product for main drains since it is smooth and roots usually grow around the pipe instead of through it, like with cast iron which is rough in texture.

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DangerMouse

yup, glad mine are pvc, for sure.

DM

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Marvin Gardens

If you kill the roots of a large tree then you might kill the tree.

How do I fix roots in a drain? I start digging and replace the drain.

The problem will only get worse. Soon you will have toilet paper catching on the root and restricting the flow. Then sewage will start to backup and eventually it will lead to a major situation when you can't afford it and don't have the time to mess with it.

Since you know what you have you can take the time to schedule it and get it done, and get it done right, on your time.

This is not an emergency and you can save up for a while before it gets real bad.

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jerry1967

thanks everybody