When homeowner have been dealing with sewer backups over the past few years and is facing the prospect of Sewer Line Repair, they may wonder why in the world underground sewer pipes are constructed from clay instead of metal. They’ve learned that clay can develop cracks due to normal earth shifts and settling. These very thin cracks wouldn’t usually be a problem except that tree roots in the vicinity detect fertilizer and water. The roots start growing into the cracks, eventually accumulating balls of toilet paper and other materials flushed down toilets. Roots also can grow into joints between pipes. Either way, a clog may gradually develop that eventually blocks the sewer line, and the liquid backs up into a drain in the house.
Although clay pipes are prone to developing small cracks over time, they are not vulnerable to deterioration from acids in sewage or other chemicals in or around them. They do not corrode the way most types of metal do. In technical terms, clay is an inert material, unable to have a significant reaction with chemicals such as nitrogen. The pipes are very sturdy and durable; they don’t dent, become crushed or shatter. This material for underground sewer pipes has turned out to be the best available since plumbing to remove wastewater was invented. That goes back thousands of years, as archaeologists have discovered in places such as Rome, Turkey and Iraq.
Nevertheless, one day Sewer Line Repair may become advisable. This usually is optional for the homeowner for preventing chronic sewer backups, although sometimes the underground problem is serious enough that repair is required to keep the property up to safety codes. When liquid is moving up into the yard from the damaged pipe, that could indicate a serious problem. Even then, however, sometimes professional assistance from a company such as Drain Remedy Inc. is all that’s needed. Cutting away the roots from inside the pipe and clearing out the blockage resolves the problem for the time being. An annual appointment to cut roots could prevent a backup or loss of liquid from the pipe ever again.
