roots - Page 2 - Plumbing Zone

3Peasdrain · 08-28-2010, 02:25 PM

Do the roots grow in the pipe year round?Or just in the spring and summer?

UnclogNH · 08-28-2010, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Peasdrain

Do the roots grow in the pipe year round?Or just in the spring and summer?

Here it's fall and winter Spring and Summer I get more soft clogs and sludge clogs.

Tommy plumber · 08-28-2010, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Peasdrain

Do the roots grow in the pipe year round?Or just in the spring and summer?

Someone once told me roots grow more in Spring. I am not an expert in that area, so I don't know. Any of you guys use Root-X?

**ILPlumber** · 08-28-2010, 05:10 PM

Roots grow more in the winter I believe.

plbgbiz · 08-29-2010, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SewerRatz

I have hours on hours of footage showing roots coming in through perfectly good joints in PVC on VHS tapes.

I have no doubt that you have seen roots grow into perfectly good PVC pipe. However, it is scientifically impossible for roots to penetrate "PROPERLY" solvent welded joints.

There are microscopic openings in lead, gasketed, concrete, and tar joints that allow air, gas, and moisture to escape and thus temp a root to enter. This is not the case with "PROPERLY" solvent welded joints. If it was glued properly, then an outside force had to have broken the fitting or pipe.

I love learning new stuff so I am certainly prepared to be proved wrong...scientifically.

nate75 · 08-30-2010, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SewerRatz

Either next dig up I do I will try to take some good pictures for you. Or I will try to locate one of the VHS tapes and get a vid capture for you. I am going to televise a line tomorrow, I know there is some PVC in the line but I think its the SDR26 push gasket.

When I first started in the drain cleaning business I thought the same, that glued joints, since a glued joint is a chemical weld. But my father corrected me in my ways of thinking. He told me if the joint is 100% perfect the roots should not get in the joint. But most joints are not 100% perfect, all it takes is a small air pocket in the joint, the roots start of finner than human hair and find their way into the joint nursing off the water and growing which in turn opens the joint up more allowing more roots in and so on.

makes sense.

Kevan · 08-30-2010, 02:57 PM

The "perfect joint" challenge is moot. When you see roots coming through a joint, how can you prove that it was or was not made perfectly? The fact remains, a drain man cleans roots out of PVC sewers five days a week.

On the other hand . . .

I got to a home in Midtown Memphis which had the normal forest of ancient and towering oak trees in the yard and the sewer was backing into the basement. The old dude living there told me, "It ain't roots. I laid that pipe myself in 1952 and it's cast iron all the way to the tap and no roots have gotten into them joints."

Sez I to myself, "I'm about to teach this old know-it-all a lesson," and I proceeded to clean the line.

It was all sludge. There wasn't a root to be found in the entire run.

SewerRatz · 08-30-2010, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevan

The "perfect joint" challenge is moot. When you see roots coming through a joint, how can you prove that it was or was not made perfectly? The fact remains, a drain man cleans roots out of PVC sewers five days a week.

On the other hand . . .

I got to a home in Midtown Memphis which had the normal forest of ancient and towering oak trees in the yard and the sewer was backing into the basement. The old dude living there told me, "It ain't roots. I laid that pipe myself in 1952 and it's cast iron all the way to the tap and no roots have gotten into them joints."

Sez I to myself, "I'm about to teach this old know-it-all a lesson," and I proceeded to clean the line.

It was all sludge. There wasn't a root to be found in the entire run.

I have a customer in Brookfield with a small forest preserve of trees in the front yard. The house was built in 1920 and the sewer is 6" clay 180' long. The blockage was at the 4x6" joint and it was a grease blockage due to the catch basin never been cleaned in over 10 years. Ran the rod through the whole line not a single root in this line either. So no matter the pipe as long as it was installed properly it will be root proof.

ap plumbing · 12-28-2010, 03:29 AM

I been cleaning drains since I was a kid....my dad has is own biz and he taught me the trade and I have seen roots get in pvc and abs thru the glue joints.... after a while the glue doesn't hold up . I have pulled abs apart and pvc... I work on pvc and abs and seen joints just disconnect....so I kno 4 sure roots will get into any pipe...may be its worse out here in cali because earthquakes and that could create openings after the glue has sealed over the years....

plumbpro · 12-28-2010, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SewerRatz

I have a customer in Brookfield with a small forest preserve of trees in the front yard. The house was built in 1920 and the sewer is 6" clay 180' long. The blockage was at the 4x6" joint and it was a grease blockage due to the catch basin never been cleaned in over 10 years. Ran the rod through the whole line not a single root in this line either. So no matter the pipe as long as it was installed properly it will be root proof.

All I can say is orangeberg. I have never seen roots in a PVC line that was primed and glued. Seen them alot at a fernco or a saddle at the main.

08-28-2010, 02:25 PM	#11
3Peasdrain Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 81 My Photos	Roots Do the roots grow in the pipe year round?Or just in the spring and summer?

08-30-2010, 02:57 PM	#17
Kevan Plumb Good Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Memphis Posts: 95 My Photos	The "perfect joint" challenge is moot. When you see roots coming through a joint, how can you prove that it was or was not made perfectly? The fact remains, a drain man cleans roots out of PVC sewers five days a week. On the other hand . . . I got to a home in Midtown Memphis which had the normal forest of ancient and towering oak trees in the yard and the sewer was backing into the basement. The old dude living there told me, "It ain't roots. I laid that pipe myself in 1952 and it's cast iron all the way to the tap and no roots have gotten into them joints." Sez I to myself, "I'm about to teach this old know-it-all a lesson," and I proceeded to clean the line. It was all sludge. There wasn't a root to be found in the entire run. __________________ Kevan "That'll hold it for now."

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08-28-2010, 05:10 PM	#14
ILPlumber Moderator Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: IL Posts: 5,310 My Photos	Roots grow more in the winter I believe.

12-28-2010, 03:29 AM	#19
ap plumbing Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: so. california Posts: 267 My Photos	I been cleaning drains since I was a kid....my dad has is own biz and he taught me the trade and I have seen roots get in pvc and abs thru the glue joints.... after a while the glue doesn't hold up . I have pulled abs apart and pvc... I work on pvc and abs and seen joints just disconnect....so I kno 4 sure roots will get into any pipe...may be its worse out here in cali because earthquakes and that could create openings after the glue has sealed over the years....