Main Sewer Line Repair in Acworth, GA

Few things block a main sewer line as stubbornly as tree roots. Wherever mature trees grow near the buried pipe that carries everything from your house to the public sewer or a septic tank, roots are among the most common reasons it fails and needs repair. A root that finds a loose joint keeps growing, snags paper and waste, and can turn a small seep into a full blockage.

How roots get into a sewer line

Roots rarely break into sound pipe. They follow moisture, and a buried line gives off water and vapor at any joint that has loosened, cracked or lost its seal. Older vitrified clay pipe is especially exposed because it was laid in short lengths, which puts a joint every few feet. Once a hair-thin root slips through a gap, it branches inside, where water and nutrients never run out. Over the years the mass can fill the pipe, and the pressure of a thickening root can widen the very crack it entered through.

Signs roots are choking the main line

• Several fixtures drain slowly at the same time, not just one sink or tub
• Toilets gurgle or bubble while the washing machine empties
• Water rises in a lower-level shower when someone flushes upstairs
• A clog that was cleared comes back within weeks or months, often at the same distance from the cleanout
• The outdoor cleanout holds standing water when its cap comes off

One slow bathroom sink usually points to a branch line, which is a job for drain repair. Symptoms that involve the whole house point to the main line.

Clearing roots versus repairing the pipe

A cable machine with a cutting head, or hydro jetting, can clear roots and get water moving again. That is often the right first step, especially while sewage is backing up. Clearing does nothing about the opening the roots used, though, so regrowth should be expected. The useful question is what the pipe looks like once it is clean. A sewer camera inspection after clearing shows whether the roots came through one joint or dozens, whether the pipe is cracked or still round, and how far from the house each trouble spot sits.

Repair choices for a root-damaged line

Spot repair. When intrusion is limited to one or two joints and the rest of the run is in fair shape, the damaged length can be dug up, cut out and replaced with new pipe joined to the old by couplings.

Lining. Where roots have entered at many joints but the pipe still holds its shape, a cured-in-place liner can form a seamless pipe inside the old one and remove the gaps roots depend on. Lining needs a thoroughly cleaned line and does not correct sags or crushed sections.

Replacement. If root pressure has cracked or flattened the pipe in several places, replacing the run with modern pipe is often the more sensible answer. That usually calls for sewer excavation along the route, and backfill and yard restoration belong in the plan from the beginning.

Tight modern joints resist roots far better than old clay, but routing new pipe away from a large trunk is still worth discussing. More background on methods is in our overview of main sewer line repair and replacement.

Acworth's permit for sewer service lines

In Acworth, residential plumbing permits are handled by the city's Development Department. Its residential plumbing permit application lists sewer service lines among the work it covers and asks contractors for a Georgia contractor's license along with a business license from a Georgia municipality. Starting permitted work before the permit is issued can cost more in fees, so the permit should be in hand before anyone digs.

Getting ready for the first visit

• Find the outdoor cleanout if you can, and clear a path to it
• Note when the backups started and which fixtures were involved
• Gather dates of earlier root clearing and any old camera footage
• Mark irrigation lines, invisible pet fencing or yard lighting between the house and the street, since those private lines are not located by the utility marking service

Questions Acworth homeowners ask about roots

Will a store-bought root killer fix the problem?

Some root treatments are sold to slow regrowth after a line has been cleared, but they do not open a blocked pipe and they do not close the joint or crack the roots came through. If the camera shows light intrusion in otherwise sound pipe, periodic clearing may be a reasonable plan. If the pipe is cracked or misaligned, the opening stays, and the roots will return.

How can I tell whether the roots are on my side or the utility's?

A camera inspection measures the distance from the access point to each defect, and a locator can mark that spot on the ground. Comparing that location with your property line and the public sewer connection helps sort out responsibility. Where the owner's share of the line ends depends on the sewer provider, so confirm it with the provider instead of assuming.

Can roots grow into a lined pipe?

A properly installed liner forms one continuous pipe without the joints roots exploit, so regrowth through the lined length is unlikely. Roots can still find their way in at an unlined section, at the connection to the public sewer, or where the liner ends. That is why the inspection after lining should cover the full run rather than only the repaired part.

Talk to Alpha about your sewer line

Roots keep finding their way back into the sewer line at your Acworth home? Phone (404) 409-4448 and tell Alpha Plumbing and Sewer how often the backups have happened. You can also send details through our service request form.