Signs You Have Tree Roots in Your Pipe

Signs You Have Tree Roots in Your Pipe & How to Remove Them

Tree roots enter your sewer pipe through small cracks or loose pipe joints, then continue to grow until they restrict or completely block the flow of wastewater. But identifying the warning signs early helps you address the root cause before it leads to major pipe damage, sewage backups, or more expensive repairs.

In this guide, we’ll share with you the common signs of tree roots in pipes, how to confirm the problem, DIY and professional removal methods, and the best ways to prevent tree roots from growing back.

TL;DR

Identify tree roots early by watching for slow drains, recurring blockages, gurgling toilets, sewage odours, wastewater backing up into other fixtures, and wet or smelly patches in the yard.
Confirm the problem with a CCTV drain inspection, which locates the root intrusion, assesses pipe damage, and identifies the most suitable repair.
Use DIY treatments only for minor root intrusion while wastewater is still flowing through the pipe. Suitable options include copper sulphate, foaming root killers, and a household drain auger.
Call a licensed plumber for severe blockages. Plumbers remove tree roots using mechanical root cutting and high-pressure hydro jetting.
Prevent tree roots from returning by repairing the damaged pipe. Pipe relining seals cracks and separated joints, pipe replacement fixes collapsed or severely damaged pipes, and root barriers redirect future root growth away from the sewer line.

Signs You May Have Tree Roots in Your Pipes

Indoor Warning Signs

Slow-draining sinks, showers, or bathtubs: Roots partially block the pipe, restricting wastewater flow and causing fixtures to drain more slowly than usual.
Frequent drain blockages: If the same toilet, floor waste, or drain keeps blocking even after being cleared, tree roots inside the sewer line may be catching toilet paper, grease, and other debris.
Toilets that gurgle or struggle to flush: A root obstruction disrupts airflow inside the sewer pipe, causing bubbling, gurgling, or incomplete flushing.
Water backing up into other fixtures: Flushing a toilet may cause water to rise in a nearby shower or floor waste because tree roots are obstructing the main sewer pipe, forcing wastewater back through the lowest available outlet.
Sewage odours inside the home: Roots can crack pipes or separate pipe joints, allowing rotten egg sewer gases to escape into your home.

Outdoor Warning Signs

Wet or unusually green patches in the yard: A cracked sewer pipe leaks wastewater into the surrounding soil, creating damp areas and faster-growing grass even during Townsville’s dry periods.
Sinkholes or soft ground: Escaping wastewater gradually washes away the surrounding soil, causing the ground above the damaged pipe to sink or feel spongy underfoot.
Patches of unpleasant odour in the yard: A damaged underground sewer pipe may leak wastewater into the surrounding soil, creating persistent sewer smells near the affected area.

How to Confirm Tree Roots in Pipes

Tree roots grow inside underground pipes, so you can’t confirm the problem by looking at your drains or yard. A licensed plumber uses specialised equipment to locate the root intrusion, assess the pipe’s condition, and recommend the most suitable repair method.

Here is what a plumber does:

CCTV drain camera inspection: A plumber inserts a high-definition, waterproof camera through the overflow relief gully (ORG) or an inspection opening to examine the interior of the sewer pipe. The live footage identifies the entry point, shows how much of the pipe is blocked, and reveals cracked, offset, or collapsed sections.
Electronic pipe locator: The CCTV camera transmits a radio signal as it moves through the pipe. A surface locator tracks the signal to pinpoint the exact location and depth of the damaged pipe, allowing repairs to focus only on the affected section.
Drain flow assessment: The plumber runs water through the drainage system and checks whether wastewater drains freely, backs up, or overflows from the overflow relief gully (ORG). This shows whether the blockage is partial or complete.
Pipe condition assessment: The CCTV inspection reveals the pipe material, joint condition, and structural integrity. The inspection findings determine the most suitable solution.

DIY Methods to Remove Tree Roots from Pipes

Under the Queensland Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018, only a licensed plumber can repair, replace, alter, or dismantle sanitary drainage pipes.

But you can use a few non-invasive DIY methods to control minor tree root growth inside the pipe. These methods don’t involve repairing or altering the pipe, so you stay within the law.

Copper Sulphate Treatment

Copper sulphate kills the fine feeder roots that have grown through cracks or pipe joints. As the roots die, they gradually break down and wash away with normal wastewater flow, improving drainage.

How to use it:

Pour ½ cup of copper sulphate crystals into the toilet that connects to the affected sewer line.
Flush the toilet 2–3 times to carry the crystals to the root intrusion.
Avoid using sinks, showers, washing machines, or toilets for 6–8 hours (overnight is best). This gives the copper sulphate enough time to remain in contact with the roots.
Resume normal water use. Dead root fibres will gradually break down and pass through the sewer over the following weeks.

This method only works when wastewater can still flow through the pipe because a complete blockage prevents the treatment from reaching the tree roots.

Commercial Foaming Root Killers

Foaming root killers release a foam that expands to fill the pipe. The foam sticks to the pipe walls and joints, coating the roots growing from the top and sides, and the active ingredient then kills the fine roots.

How to use them:

Pour the foaming root killer into the toilet or sewer inspection opening.
Avoid using the affected drain for 4–6 hours, or apply the treatment overnight to give the foam time to coat and absorb into the roots.
Resume normal water use after the waiting period. The absorbed herbicide continues killing the roots over the following days or weeks. Those roots dry out, shrink, and are washed away with normal wastewater flow.

Foaming root killers work best on early root intrusion. They won’t clear a pipe clogged with thick roots or fix cracks that let roots keep growing back.

Household Drain Auger

A household drain auger is a flexible steel cable with a corkscrew tip that breaks up or pulls out fine tree roots and loose root fibres from the pipe. It works best on small root intrusions close to an inspection opening but isn’t powerful enough to clear large root masses or collapsed pipes.

How to use it:

Remove the inspection opening cap and slowly feed the auger cable into the sewer pipe until you reach the blockage.
Rotate the handle or switch on the auger to let the cutting head slice through the fine roots.
Slowly pull the cable back out, removing any roots that may be caught on the cutting head.
Flush the pipe with plenty of water to wash away the remaining root fragments and check whether drainage has improved.

Stop immediately if the cable becomes stuck or you feel excessive resistance. Forcing the auger may crack older earthenware pipes or cause the cable to become trapped.

Professional Methods to Remove Tree Roots From Pipes

If wastewater is overflowing from your overflow relief gully (ORG) or inspection opening, or backing up into your home, the blockage is too severe for DIY chemical treatments. At this stage, a licensed plumber will use the following methods to remove the roots.

Mechanical Root Cutting (Drain Eel/Snake)

A plumber feeds a heavy-duty rotating steel cable into the sewer pipe using a powered drain machine. A specialised root-cutting blade or C-cutter attached to the cable spins through the tree roots, cutting them into smaller pieces and reopening the pipe.

Mechanical root cutting typically costs $150 to $350 for a standard residential drain blockage. It works best for thick tree roots causing localised blockages in clay, cast-iron, or PVC sewer pipes.

However, root cutting only removes the blockage. It doesn’t repair the cracks or separated pipe joints that allowed the roots to enter, so roots often grow back. The cutting blades can also damage old, brittle earthenware pipes.

High-Pressure Hydro Jetting

After mechanical root cutting, plumbers use hydro-jetting to remove any remaining root fibres, grease, sludge, and debris. A hydro-jetting machine pumps high-pressure water through a reinforced hose to clean the entire inside of the pipe.

Hydro jetting typically costs $300 to $600 for a standard residential blockage, depending on the severity of the blockage and access to the pipe.

Like root cutting, hydro jetting removes the blockage but doesn’t seal cracks or damaged pipe joints, allowing tree roots to return through the same openings.

Our team at 1touch Plumbing uses professional equipment to clear blocked drains, remove tree roots, and restore normal wastewater flow.

How to Prevent Tree Roots From Growing Back in Pipes

To prevent future root intrusion, we recommend one of the following long-term solutions.

Trenchless Pipe Relining

After removing the tree roots, a plumber inserts a flexible liner coated with structural epoxy resin into the damaged pipe. The liner is inflated and cured in place, creating a seamless pipe inside the existing one that seals cracks and separated joints.

Most residential pipe relining projects cost $4,000 to $12,000. It is the best option for pipes beneath driveways, buildings, patios, or landscaped areas where excavation would be costly or disruptive.

To confirm relining suits the extent and type of damage, our team at 1Touch runs a CCTV inspection first, then carries out the trenchless pipe relining.

Traditional Excavation and Pipe Replacement

If the pipe has collapsed or tree roots have caused extensive damage, plumbers excavate the affected area, remove the damaged pipe and root mass, and install new PVC sewer pipe with watertight joints.

Simple pipe replacements start from $1,000, while larger or more complex excavations cost significantly more. Excavation may also require repairs to lawns, gardens, paving, or driveways after the new pipe is installed.

Although excavation and replacement is the most disruptive option, it permanently removes the damaged pipe and eliminates the entry points that allowed tree roots to invade.

Root Barrier Installation

A plumber installs a root barrier between the tree and the sewer pipe to redirect growing roots away from the drainage system and protect repaired or newly installed pipes.

Professional installation typically costs $200 to $300 per linear metre, depending on the barrier type, trench length, and site conditions.

They work best where large trees are close to underground sewer pipes, and you don’t want to remove them. But root barriers don’t remove existing roots or repair damaged pipes, so plumbers install them after repairing or replacing the sewer line.

How to Choose the Right Fix for Tree Roots in Pipes

The best solution depends on how badly the tree roots have damaged your sewer pipe. After a CCTV drain inspection confirms the cause and extent of the damage, use the table below to compare the most suitable repair option for your situation.

Situation	Best solution	Why
Fine tree roots are causing a partial blockage, and the pipe is still in good condition.	Mechanical root cutting followed by hydro jetting	Removes the tree roots, clears debris, and restores normal wastewater flow.
Tree roots have entered through cracks or separated joints, but the pipe is still structurally sound.	Mechanical root cutting, hydro jetting, and pipe relining	Removes the tree roots, cleans the pipe, and seals the entry points to help prevent future root intrusion.
The pipe has collapsed, is severely cracked, or has shifted out of alignment.	Excavation and pipe replacement	The pipe has too much structural damage for pipe relining and requires replacement.
Tree roots keep returning through the same section of pipe.	Pipe relining or pipe replacement, depending on the pipe condition, plus a root barrier	Repairing the damaged pipe removes the entry points. A root barrier provides extra protection where nearby trees continue to threaten the sewer line.

Final Thoughts

Tree roots keep growing once they enter a sewer pipe. Delaying removal only gives them more time to restrict wastewater flow, and continued growth can crack or collapse the pipe entirely, leading to leaks and a far bigger repair.

Short-term treatments control minor root intrusion, but they don’t prevent tree roots from reentering the same damaged pipe. Relining the whole pipe or replacing the damaged section provides the best long-term solution.

If tree roots are affecting your sewer line, contact our team at 1Touch Plumbing. We’ll run a CCTV inspection to see how much damage has been done, then recommend whether it needs a straightforward removal or relining to fix it for good.

FAQs

Can tree roots break into solid pipes?

No. Tree roots rarely break into solid pipes. Instead, they enter through existing cracks, separated joints, or other weak points. Older clay and earthenware pipes are particularly vulnerable because ageing, ground movement, and deteriorating joints create small openings that roots follow in search of moisture.

Will a tree root killer solve the problem permanently?

No. Tree root killers only kill the roots growing inside the pipe. They don’t repair the damaged pipe or seal the entry point, so new roots eventually grow back through the same crack or separated joint.

Do I need to remove the tree?

Not usually. Removing the tree doesn’t repair the damaged sewer pipe, and roots from nearby trees or shrubs may still enter through the same opening. Repairing or replacing the damaged pipe provides a more effective long-term solution.

How do I know if I need pipe relining or pipe replacement?

A CCTV drain camera inspection determines the most suitable option. Pipe relining works best when the pipe remains structurally sound but has cracks or separated joints. If the pipe has collapsed, flattened, or shifted out of alignment, plumbers recommend excavation and full pipe replacement.