Root clogged drain pipes

[6sunset6]

Someone must have posted this before but I searched and found nothing.
My roof drains end up in 4" underground plastic corrugated pipe. After 15 years They appear to be clogged with roots I think. I have 2 around 30' and 4 more that are 10-20' and enter a 6" main that runs 150' to a creek. I know they are clogged because when we have rain ( you know that stuff that falls from the sky, we still have some here) water backs up right at the joint by the house. I have a 500 psi 3gpm pressure washer and I got a hose with a de clogger nozzle on it.
It has 3 jets pointing backwards, none forward and it pulls itself right down the pipe until it stops and then I pull it back and forth for a while till it goes further. It worked some but after a while no more impact on the clog. So I am thinking rent a 3500 psi unit. The Home Depot guys has no clue and no drain cleaner nozzle. The local tool rental place had some sort of jet cleaner but did not think it would cut roots. They suggested a roto rooter cutter but when I asked if it would cut the pipe they said whoops. Rental rates are $130 a day plus tax and what ever other fee they stick on. I have a 5hp gas engine around and for 3 rentals I could buy a pump and put a 3500 psi sprayer together.
SO Question Has anyone ever used a pressure jet to clean out roots?

 

[Gator6x4]

Think about it, the roots had to grow through the pipe to clog it. Feed you current water system in until it reach a obstruction. Mark the location on the hose with tape, extract the hose, measure out to the obstructed location and dig down to the pipe, remove the roots. Insert the hose again and repeat until you have cleared the drianage pipes. Replace all damaged pipes and close up all dug holes. Or, rent a trencher and install new drainage pipes out of smooth plastic avoiding the corrugated pipe.

 

[Fossil Farm]

you could try powdered copper sulfate, depending on the creek condition. May not want the copper sulfate to go too far down the creek, depending on neighbors, etc. Mix with water and pour down the drain at the downspout. I would have to look up the time frame, but probably once a week for now until the roots are cleared. But yes, as Gator6x4 says, best would be to replace it with solid pipe, or else it will continue to be a problem. Good luck.

 

[kenmac]

On main sewer drains. We use a cutter to cut the roots. Sometimes, even the machine won't cut through the roots.. WE have to dig it up and replace the line, O' and that cutter will eat plastic pipe.It doesn't know the difference

 

[EddieWalker]

Total waste of time and money trying to clean the roots out of the pipe, and the chemicles just wash away without doing anything.

The reason the roots are in the pipes is because the pipes had openings to allow them to get in. Properly glued schedule 40 drain pipe is 100 percent effective at keeping the roots out. Play the game now and do it right later, or do it right the first time and be done with it.

Eddie

 

[6sunset6]

Owww. It's all under landscape.

 

[Wacky]

Is it feasible to trench through a small section of the landscape and move the drain further out, away from your landscape?

 

[6sunset6]

It would be closer to the trees. It's hard to believe but we have no lawn. It's woodland shrubs with gravel paths and then trees. I do have a backhoe with a 12" bucket but the outriggers would be in the shrubs and the spoil would wreck the rest of it. The pipe went in before 2-3 feet of fill. I have 12 A of wet woodland with buildings and roads on 2-5 feet of fill. 16-20 years ago. I think wetlands restrictions came in after , both town and state, and the whole 12 A would not be allowed to develop today. Most of the fill came from a nearby road project 5000 cy .
Anyway I think it might be easier to put in new pipes not so deep. But I shutter at doing that as well. I am older now than when I moved those 5000 yards. Maybe I can justify a BH attachment for my TC34DA. Nah too many stories about tractors breaking in 1/2. How about a surface ditch filled with gravel. Make it look like landscape.

 

[sdkubota]

Total waste of time and money trying to clean the roots out of the pipe, and the chemicles just wash away without doing anything.

The reason the roots are in the pipes is because the pipes had openings to allow them to get in. Properly glued schedule 40 drain pipe is 100 percent effective at keeping the roots out. Play the game now and do it right later, or do it right the first time and be done with it.

Eddie

Ed hits the nail on the head...cutting and chemicals do not work for long.

 

[sdkubota]

It would be closer to the trees. It's hard to believe but we have no lawn. It's woodland shrubs with gravel paths and then trees. I do have a backhoe with a 12" bucket but the outriggers would be in the shrubs and the spoil would wreck the rest of it. The pipe went in before 2-3 feet of fill. I have 12 A of wet woodland with buildings and roads on 2-5 feet of fill. 16-20 years ago. I think wetlands restrictions came in after , both town and state, and the whole 12 A would not be allowed to develop today. Most of the fill came from a nearby road project 5000 cy .
Anyway I think it might be easier to put in new pipes not so deep. But I shutter at doing that as well. I am older now than when I moved those 5000 yards. Maybe I can justify a BH attachment for my TC34DA. Nah too many stories about tractors breaking in 1/2. How about a surface ditch filled with gravel. Make it look like landscape.

Nothing worng with open draining runoff provided you have the grade to do it. Running water in a pipe can be done with a much flatter grade than open draining. Providing you have 1% grade available (1 foot drop for every 100' run), I would go with an open ditch.

 

[6sunset6]

Oh yeah I have the grade. No basement and the house is 4-5' above grade. Although it is very hard to see by looking at it. I think gravel filled trenches are the way to go. Guess I should post some pictures. Yikes , a new method for pictures. I am running out of storage in my head for new things.
First is the front yard. I think the front I can surface drain, 2 are easy and 2 might need new pipe shallow to daylight. Hand dig. Last two pictures are the back yard .I can try surface dump it into the gravel that is there and see what happens.
Thanks for the comments. Everyone is always helpful.

 

[sdkubota]

Oh yeah I have the grade. No basement and the house is 4-5' above grade. Although it is very hard to see by looking at it. I think gravel filled trenches are the way to go. Guess I should post some pictures. Yikes , a new method for pictures. I am running out of storage in my head for new things.
First is the front yard. I think the front I can surface drain, 2 are easy and 2 might need new pipe shallow to daylight. Hand dig. Last two pictures are the back yard .I can try surface dump it into the gravel that is there and see what happens.
Thanks for the comments. Everyone is always helpful.

I am assuming you are talking about gravel lined ditches. A gravel filled ditch will soon fill in with sediment and stop draining water. There is nothing wrong with a gentle swale that has vegetation growing in it either. If you are planting grass etc. in the ditch...try to increase the grade to 2% if possible.

 

[Carl_NH]

Check sunbelt rentals - they are national so should be in your area for a ditch witch walk behind trencher - they run $150 a day or so and $500 a week and can dig a 4-6" wide x 10-12" or deeper trench for 4" PVC fairly fast and efficiently. For the runs you have I bet a day would get all the trenches dug. Since its fill it should be reasonably clean and not a lot of ledge I would hope.

Or use your FEL and scrape the stones and dig with the bucket - makes more of a mess but will work too.

 

[DANOCHEESE]

You could also find the local cable TV tech and ask who is doing the Directional drilling for them. They can drill under your landscape, grab a chunk of pipe and pull it back. They may even have some 4 inch HDPE they would seel. All crews like side jobs

 

[newbury]

About 30 years ago I bought a house on a 1/4 acre lot which had an open drain across the back which drained from other neighbors yards, about 60' long and 15' in from the fence, and an open drain from the house back to that, about 60' long which basically drained the sump pump.

I hand dug and installed a french drain:


I buried plastic perforated drain pipe with a piece of roofing felt covering the top holes. It's still working.

Today I'd use my backhoe.

 

[JRobyn]

My Dad taught me a trick about yard drain lines many decades ago - he pulled a single strand of solid un-insulated copper wire through the drain. Only works on new/clean lines. He'd rinse a tennis ball with an attached string through the line, then use the string to pull the wire. The wire gave off just enough copper oxide to prevent roots in the line!

 

[6sunset6]

I like that . It is amazing how much information Dads have. 16 years too late though. Might be good for someone else. Although 2 years ago I ran zinc strips along the top roof line on the north side to eliminate moss and lichens. Tucked it under the peak vent. Also should be done when new but it is working there is 18 " clean starting at the top. little by little. Zinc strip from the paint dept at the lumber yard.

 

[sdkubota]

A pipe needs to be water tight and roots will not be able to enter. Once they enter the battle has been won.

 

[6sunset6]

You mean lost? OR the roots won

 

[sdkubota]

Roots = 1
Homeowner = 0