Fixing Your Plumbing To Fix Your Life

Sewer Or Septic: Recommendations For System-Healthy Yard Vegetation And Necessary Repairs

You and your family depend upon a well-working septic or sewer system to maintain comfort and sanitation in your home. But when your sewer or septic system becomes damaged from the wrong type of yard vegetation, you need to repair and replace any damaged areas. Whether your home is installed with public sewer or has its own septic system, here are some recommendations to help you maintain your system with the right type of yard vegetation and tips to get professional assistance when you experience a problem.

Plant the Right Vegetation

Prevention is the best way to keep your home sewer and septic system working properly, and a big part of this has to do with the type of vegetation you plant in your yard. A sewer line running through your yard needs to be free of large and fast-growing trees, which can cause damage to a line when their invasive roots grow around and into the sewer line, causing damage.

If you have a septic system, the site over your septic drain field and tank needs to be covered in a low-lying vegetation, such as lawn or grasses, which don't have a deep growing root system. You can also grow ground cover vegetation and perennial plants and flowers. It is best to plant some type of vegetation over your drain field instead of leaving the dirt bare, as the area will have an excess amount of moisture, which the plants will help absorb.

Remedy Problems

If your home's plumbing or septic has become clogged due to the wrong type of landscaping and vegetation planted in your yard, it is recommended to hire a professional to check into it. If your home is on a city sewer, your home's main sewer line that connects to the city sewer line has most likely become damaged from vegetation root growth, such as trees. A plumbing professional can inspection your home's sewer line by running a camera down into your interior plumbing to visually inspect its condition. This will give you and your plumber an idea of what has occurred in the line and also what type of sewer main your home is installed with.

For example, older homes built in the early 1900s may have cast iron pipe or a pipe made from tar-impregnated wood pulp, called Orangeburg pipe. Both of these types of pipes are not going to last as long as modern PVC and will need to likely be replaced, which your plumber can consult you on the price estimate for the work.

If your home is set on a septic system, the wrong type of vegetation growth over the drain field can infiltrate the septic drain lines and also damage the septic tank is some instances, requiring repairs or even a replacement by a septic professional, such as from Brother's Plumbing. Your septic professional will need to excavate around the system and its tank to determine recommended repairs.


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