Tree Roots in Hillside Sewers in Endeavour Hills

Why roots love a falling earthenware line

Earthenware sewers were standard when much of Endeavour Hills was built. The joints are a natural entry for roots, and on a sloping block those joints can open a fraction as the ground moves. Roots follow moisture along the trench and do not have to sit in a tree right over the pipe. A street tree or a large backyard planting toward Lysterfield South is often enough.

Signs include a toilet that is slow to clear, a shower that gurgles, a gully that overflows at the low corner, or a wet stripe down the yard after a few loads of washing.

Camera first

A camera shows whether you have fine root hairs, a heavy mass, a cracked collar or a dropped section. Jetting and mechanical cutting clear many root blockages, but they will not last if the pipe itself has failed. Relining from a pit can seal joints and cover cracks without a deep trench on a steep frontage, when the line is a good candidate. A collapse still needs to be dug.

We show you the footage and quote the next step as a fixed price. We do not sell a 'lifetime clear' over a broken pipe.

What you can do

Do not keep pouring chemical openers down a stopped line, and do not plant thirsty trees on a known sewer alignment if you can avoid it. If fixtures are backing up, stop using them and call 03 8658 7175. A photo of the gully or the pit helps.

Endeavour Hills pipes at a glance

Endeavour Hills was built through the 1970s and 1980s on rising ground between Dandenong and the Lysterfield hills, postcode 3802, in the City of Casey. A lot of the original brick veneer is still on the block it was built on, often with a steep drive, a sleeper or concrete retaining wall and a stormwater pit at the low corner. Water services may be copper, with patches of later poly, and many sewers are still earthenware with tree roots from street and backyard plantings. Hot water is often a gas storage unit squeezed onto a narrow side path, which is why a replacement sometimes has to come down the front steps.

We use cameras, locators, pressure tests and acoustic leak detection so we can see the pipework before anyone cuts a wall or opens a trench on a slope.

Related services

• Emergency plumbing
• Blocked drains
• Hot water
• Gas fitting
• Hot water replacement
• Heat pumps
• Leaking taps
• Burst pipes
• Toilets
• Leak detection
• Pipe relining
• Stormwater
• Roof and gutters
• Bathrooms
• Commercial plumbing
• Backflow and maintenance

More guides

• Stormwater on sloping blocks
• Retaining walls and ag drains
• Ageing hot water in 1970s homes
• Tree roots in hillside sewers
• Choosing a plumber
• No hot water checklist
• Burst pipe, first minutes
• Leaking tap, when to call
• Gas heater safety
• Finding your meter on a slope
• Water pressure on the hills
• Hot water for split-level homes