Jeff Davis
ArboristSite Lurker
I live in a 2-story home that's built on a slab in southern California. Last week, I found my downstairs toilet seeping water (waste too?) out from under it, so I called Roto-Rooter.
Their guy snaked it thru the 2-½” cleanout in my garage & got it draining but he told me that he couldn't fit his 4” tool in, which is how big the ID of the PVC connector out to the clay sewage system pipe it. This cost me $269.
Then he showed me with a camera that he sent down into the pipes that he’d only been able to bore a 2 ½” hole thru some sections of roots that had grown into the slip joints of several of the 4” ID clay sections.
He suggested their Hydro-Jet to blast the pipes clean with water at 4,000 psi for $599. I didn't have them do it.
So, after researching it, I found that Copper Sulfate can be used to kill roots in sewage pipes and that it will only soak up into about 1’-2’ of each root, kill it, the section in the pipe will break it off and the pipe will keep allowing stuff to drain thru it.
I researched it and I found that Copper Sulfate is legal in this part of California although it can't be sold or used in a few other counties.
Can someone teach me what I should do? How much Copper Sulfate do I use the first time & how? I just ordered 3 2lb containers of Copper Sulfate Crystals from Amazon so it will be here in a week.
https://www.amazon.com/PURE-Copper-Sulfate-Pentahydrate-Crystals/dp/B015OTPK2Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1545525232&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=copper+sulfate+crystals&dpPl=1&dpID=41bPN28l2xL&ref=plSrch
Is it better to do a little at a time thru the downstairs toilet with a flush after each or should I just pour it all into the cleanout in the garage and let normal drainage from sink, showers & toilets carry it down the pipe to the roots? Does the Copper Sulfate work if it just flows past the roots when it's already dissolved in liquid or does it need to be held behind the roots in crystal form so it is stronger, say if the drain is still stopped up?
I asked this same thing on a DIY Plumbing Forum at www.plumbingforums.com/threads/any-cheaper-or-diy-fix-of-sewage-line-little-roots-that-just-got-drilled-thru-short-of-a-hydro-jet.14179 but I think since those who reply on that forum are all plumbers, they just think in plumber terms, not about stopping the roots chemically.
I really don't think, from what I see, that the clay pipes need replacing. I understand how clay pipes are just slid together and how roots can find their way in thru any tiny gaps as they seek food & water.
Here's a combo of pics that I made. 2 are from their video cam they sent down the pipe. I only showed 2 places where the roots are growing in but there are plenty more. That pipe must have moved a bit since we live on a hill top.
![combo 4 & 6 & camera in floor & front of house.jpg combo 4 & 6 & camera in floor & front of house.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/arboristsite/data/attachments/384/384522-d8e06f1b0cb763e154ad98fb9ab443c9.jpg)
Their guy snaked it thru the 2-½” cleanout in my garage & got it draining but he told me that he couldn't fit his 4” tool in, which is how big the ID of the PVC connector out to the clay sewage system pipe it. This cost me $269.
Then he showed me with a camera that he sent down into the pipes that he’d only been able to bore a 2 ½” hole thru some sections of roots that had grown into the slip joints of several of the 4” ID clay sections.
He suggested their Hydro-Jet to blast the pipes clean with water at 4,000 psi for $599. I didn't have them do it.
So, after researching it, I found that Copper Sulfate can be used to kill roots in sewage pipes and that it will only soak up into about 1’-2’ of each root, kill it, the section in the pipe will break it off and the pipe will keep allowing stuff to drain thru it.
I researched it and I found that Copper Sulfate is legal in this part of California although it can't be sold or used in a few other counties.
Can someone teach me what I should do? How much Copper Sulfate do I use the first time & how? I just ordered 3 2lb containers of Copper Sulfate Crystals from Amazon so it will be here in a week.
https://www.amazon.com/PURE-Copper-Sulfate-Pentahydrate-Crystals/dp/B015OTPK2Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1545525232&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=copper+sulfate+crystals&dpPl=1&dpID=41bPN28l2xL&ref=plSrch
Is it better to do a little at a time thru the downstairs toilet with a flush after each or should I just pour it all into the cleanout in the garage and let normal drainage from sink, showers & toilets carry it down the pipe to the roots? Does the Copper Sulfate work if it just flows past the roots when it's already dissolved in liquid or does it need to be held behind the roots in crystal form so it is stronger, say if the drain is still stopped up?
I asked this same thing on a DIY Plumbing Forum at www.plumbingforums.com/threads/any-cheaper-or-diy-fix-of-sewage-line-little-roots-that-just-got-drilled-thru-short-of-a-hydro-jet.14179 but I think since those who reply on that forum are all plumbers, they just think in plumber terms, not about stopping the roots chemically.
I really don't think, from what I see, that the clay pipes need replacing. I understand how clay pipes are just slid together and how roots can find their way in thru any tiny gaps as they seek food & water.
Here's a combo of pics that I made. 2 are from their video cam they sent down the pipe. I only showed 2 places where the roots are growing in but there are plenty more. That pipe must have moved a bit since we live on a hill top.
![combo 4 & 6 & camera in floor & front of house.jpg combo 4 & 6 & camera in floor & front of house.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/arboristsite/data/attachments/384/384522-d8e06f1b0cb763e154ad98fb9ab443c9.jpg)