A tree root blockage kept coming back year after year, and no amount of clearing ever solved it. We found out why, and made sure it wouldn’t happen again.
A Recurring Problem With No Real Fix
For years, this Cashmere homeowner had the same routine. Call a plumber, get the drain unblocked, and wait for it to happen again. Every year, without fail, tree roots would find their way back into the line. It was never a genuine fix, just a temporary reprieve until the next blockage.
The problem had also gotten harder to live with. An extension had been added to the house, with more people now living there and relying on the plumbing every day. A blockage that was once an annual inconvenience had become a real disruption, and the homeowner was done accepting “cleared for now” as good enough.
Investigating Properly, Not Just Clearing and Leaving
When we arrived, we didn’t just send a cutter down the line and call it done. We inspected the drain properly to understand why the roots kept coming back to the exact same spot, year after year.
What we found was the real cause. A section of pipe had been repaired at some point in the past, and the fitting used in that repair had failed. Tree roots had worked their way through the compromised joint and straight into the drain, giving them a permanent entry point that no amount of clearing was ever going to close off.
A Permanent Fix, Done Properly
Once we knew exactly where the problem was, we excavated the affected section in the yard and removed the damaged pipework, roots, failed fitting and all. New, compliant pipework went in its place, closing off the entry point for good instead of just clearing what had already grown through it.
compromised pipe.
going to hold.
Why This Keeps Happening, and How We Make Sure It Doesn’t
WHY PROJECTION PLUMBING
Recurring blockages almost always have a root cause, sometimes literally. A quick clear might buy a few months, but if the real problem, whether it’s a cracked pipe, a failed fitting or a joint that’s given way, is never addressed, the roots will always find their way back in.
This is where we do things differently. We inspect before we quote, we find the actual cause instead of guessing, and we fix it properly the first time using compliant materials and workmanship built to last. Once the damaged section was replaced, we backfilled and left the yard clean and tidy, the way we do on every job.
THE RESULT
The drain has been running clear ever since, with the entry point for root intrusion closed off for good. No more annual callouts, no more temporary fixes. Just a permanent solution the homeowner can rely on in a home that now has more people depending on it every day.
Sick of the same drain blocking up year after year? Let’s find out why, and fix it for good.
1300 505 229
