My plumber got the root out of my sewer lateral line, then offered to dig it up beause the root will grow back "quickly". I hope "quickly" measured in geological time. How often do "some people" go between sewer cleanings? Are we talking a month, a quarter, 1, 3, or 5 years? Should I try a chemical growth-stunter before digging? Advice, please?

My definition of "quickly" is if it occurs within a year or less. If it does dig it up and repair or replace it. If not, then just keep snaking and "chewing" them up.

using root killer will slow them down. depending how bad the situation was, it may even keep them from coming back.

The only hasty decision should be whether you want to run a camera down the line while it is clean to get a good picture. If you don't, I wouldn't do anything until you have another problem with roots so that you can see what your time frame is like. If it happens in less than 6 months, it wasn't cleaned properly; if it happens in a year, then you should get the line video inspected to see what is going on. If it doesn't happen for the next couple years, then just get it cleaned periodically until the problem either gets worse, or you don't want to deal with the backups.

quote; If it happens in less than 6 months, it wasn't cleaned properly;

You underestimate the agressiveness of roots. If they can, they WILL grow back in less than a year, regardless of how good the line was cleared.

but a chemical treatment once a month will help keep them away..

It is like a cold remedy. It may not help, but at least it will not make it worse.

If the roots were cut out properly, 6 months shouldn't have more than a couple inches of fine root growth. If anything larger than 16th of an inch diameter is present at 6 months, it was missed the first time. When roots get caught up on the cutting teeth of a blade, anything directly after the initial root mass generally is missed unless it winds up on the cable, but even then, it isn't usually cut clean and flush at the pipe edge. Any decent drain cleaner will run the line a minimum of 2 times if not more, depending on the severity of the problem. Any decent company will also warranty their work for 6 months for that reason, provide that the line doesn't have gross structural damage, or is full of trash.

How long and how deep is your sewer? Depending on the material the sewer is made of replacement may be the most cost efficient solution. A normal home with a shallow sewer(4 to 8 feet) can typically be replaced in a day. If you have to keep paying to get it cleaned, eventually you will have paid for a new sewer main and still not have one.

Chemical growth-stunter has been there for a long time and now people discovers the benefits of it. Most of the sewage cleaning is done with the help of the septic solutions.



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