The Risks of Trees Near Your Foundation Line

Keeping your foundation safe is a tricky issue in East Texas. Constant droughts make the soil pull away from your slab foundation’s perimeter. It also makes the soil under your house shift. But parched trees can also hurt your foundation and the plumbing that extends from it. If you notice changes in your water pressure or signs of pipe leaks around your house, hire professionals who can check for these problems:

Thirsty roots can break into the pipes.

Tree roots typically grow around barriers instead of straight through the hardest surface. But they can displace pipes and concrete even if they grow around them. Roots can also directly penetrate your home’s plumbing if you have:

• perforated drain line covers. The roots will reach through the cover to pick up moisture, especially because the empty space allows for quick growth.
• aggressive trees. The root systems can sense the water on the other side through condensation or any small leaks in older pipe connections. If conditions are dry enough, they can crack through the material to find water.
• concrete or clay pipes. Older homes have pipes that are vulnerable to degradation. Tree roots can easily carve through concrete and clay over time, especially if the parts are near the end of their expected lifespan. Once roots start clogging up the pipes to reach the water source, the destruction will grow.

Tree roots can shift your foundation and stress the pipes.

Even modern pipe systems can be damaged by foundational movement. Shifting soil and growing tree roots can make your foundation tilt, shift, and even crack. This movement puts new weight on your pipes. Sometimes it extends your plumbing past the breaking point and you will have a leak develop under your house.

Detecting the source of leaks is the only way to stop rising water bills and the growing damage in and around your foundation. Call East Texas Leak Locators to schedule a plumbing estimate.