My plumber's take on root intrusion made me rethink my whole yard plan

When my plumber said roots from the neighbor's elm found the gap in my pipe seam, not my actual pipes, I started wondering if spending $3,200 on a new sewer line was the fix or if I should just reroute the sprinklers away from that spot, has anyone else dealt with tree roots this way?

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cole_robinson1mo ago

The whole "roots found the gap in the seam" thing is exactly what happened to my neighbor last year. They spent the $3,200 on a new line and honestly that's probably your best bet if the pipe is old clay or cast iron. But before you drop that kind of money, have someone camera the line again and check if the gap is the only issue. Sometimes you can get away with just sealing that one joint with a liner repair, it's way cheaper. And yeah, moving the sprinklers won't hurt, but those elm roots will find water elsewhere eventually. I'd say fix the pipe properly now, because a root that found a seam once will keep coming back every year until the line is gone.