If your commercial property’s plumbing is suffering from slow-draining showers, sinks or toilets; from low water pressure; gurgling sounds and bad smells from your plumbing; or all of the above, you may have a problem with tree roots.

And much as we love trees, these problems aren’t great if you are responsible for the health and comfort of guests, tenants or employees using your site.

The trouble with trees

Tree and large shrub roots naturally extend sideways in search of moisture and nutrients within the soil. This lateral growth often leads these roots into contact with drain and sewer pipes. When pipes develop leaks, these opportunistic tree roots will seize the opportunity to infiltrate.

Problems arise when sewage and waste gets caught in the roots inside your drainpipes, which then clogs everything up and stops water from draining away.

Did you know that:

  • Older pipes with joints, shallow-dug and smaller pipes are more likely to be penetrated by roots?
  • Large and quick-growing trees are the biggest contributor to root growth in drains, with the worst culprits including oak, beech, poplar, maple, willow and plane.

Your responsibilities and duties

Unfortunately, the owner of the land the tree is growing on is usually liable for any damage caused by its roots, so your trees may be damaging someone else’s premises as well as your own.

However, an occupier of the land in question (eg a sitting tenant) may also be liable if they have sufficient control of the tree or could take action to end the problem, even if they aren’t the landowner. In this case, the landlord can bring a claim against the tenant for any damage to the property caused by the uncontrolled root growth.

What can you do?

Roots can’t usually get inside a drainpipe unless it’s already cracked or damaged, demonstrating the importance of regular, preventative checks and maintenance.

Bringing in a trusted partner with the right expertise and safety measures to clear your drain and deal effectively with nearby tree roots will prevent any more harmful degradation of your property. They ensure that your services are working properly for anyone using your property, whether that’s a hotel, school, commercial site or public building.

To save unnecessary excavation, we can use remote-controlled CCTV monitors to survey a pipe, locate the problem, determine its nature and the best solution. This can range from trimming invasive roots and removing matter from the pipe and using a structural liner to repair the entry hole, to replacing that entire section if the damage is serious.

We use specialist root cutter nozzles attached to high-pressure jetting hoses to remove roots and clear a blockage.

You can also reduce the risk of problems with some proactive measures including an initial drain survey, especially during the purchasing process or if the property has legacy tree plantings, followed up by preventive repairs.

You should also think carefully about which trees you plant on your property, and where. Trees with vigorous root growth (such as the ones mentioned above) should be planted at a safe distance from your premises and drainage system.

Regular maintenance, including high-pressure water jetting your drains and sewers keeps them free of silt and waste that may be caught up in invasive roots, preventing backing up.

By adopting these measures, you can proactively safeguard your drainage system from the potential complications caused by intrusive tree roots.

Tackling roots with Drain and Sewer Services

Drain and Sewer Services has been successfully inspecting, maintaining and repairing drains and sewers for more than 50 years.

Our trained teams operate a fleet of high-pressure water units to tackle any job, removing silt and soil, rotting vegetation and tree roots, kitchen grease and even building debris, with minimal disruption to your operation.

We also install highly durable inner linings to fix a range of issues such as radial cracks, leaking joints or cracks from ground movement.

Throughout our history, our CCTV drain survey technology and engineers have helped to solve many on-site drainage survey issues for commercial properties, housing developments and sites for developers.

For more information about how we can help you, by calling us on 01252 312738 or email info@drainandsewer.co.uk for more information and a no-obligation quote.