Rslaback
Member
Rural subdivision, built in 1995, PVC lines into a concrete tank.
The roots of a nearby boxelder tree have started to cause issues with the septic system. Fine roots have grown through either the cracks in the riser sections, the lid of the tank or where the riser meets the tank. Regardless of the actual crack they are growing through, the root mass is growing around and then plugging up the inlet pipe right above the baffle.
Ideally the tree would go bye bye but it currently houses a 6 year-old's tire swing and preferably it could stay at least for a few more years.
I'm familiar with treating the system when roots are growing through the cracks in the pipe underground but I'm not sure how well that type of treatment is going to work when the roots don't actually sit in the pipe. Is mechanical control my only hope short of cutting the tree down? Since I can access the roots from the vent pipe could I just topically treat them with something every so often?
The roots of a nearby boxelder tree have started to cause issues with the septic system. Fine roots have grown through either the cracks in the riser sections, the lid of the tank or where the riser meets the tank. Regardless of the actual crack they are growing through, the root mass is growing around and then plugging up the inlet pipe right above the baffle.
Ideally the tree would go bye bye but it currently houses a 6 year-old's tire swing and preferably it could stay at least for a few more years.
I'm familiar with treating the system when roots are growing through the cracks in the pipe underground but I'm not sure how well that type of treatment is going to work when the roots don't actually sit in the pipe. Is mechanical control my only hope short of cutting the tree down? Since I can access the roots from the vent pipe could I just topically treat them with something every so often?