Roots Create Liability

Root intrusion costs owners of sewer systems millions of dollars every year. In fact, the intrusion of roots into sewers is probably one of the most destructive elements that faces those maintaining a wastewater collection system. Roots can enter your system through microscopic openings in joints, cracks and service connections. Once inside, they grow in size and strength until they create serious problems.

Left unchecked roots can break even the strongest pipes.

In addition to weakening the pipes, these openings increase infiltration which decreases the sewage capacity of your pipelines, adds to treatment plant costs, and washes away vital side fill support which can lead to soil subsidence and pipe collapse. As root masses grow in your pipeline they reduce flow and often lead to complete blockage of the line. While sewer blockage and resulting backups often require costly emergency repairs, backups can lead to even more expensive liabilities.

Successful lawsuits against wastewater collection utilities are increasing steadily.

Courts have ruled that municipalities do not have a common law immunity pertaining to sewer systems, and that negligence can be shown by failure to inspect and maintain a system. This negligence standard has been applied to find a city liable for backups. The expense of this liability is growing for owners of wastewater collection systems. Most of the damage and much of the cost caused by root intrusion can be avoided by implementing a Roo-Pru root control program.

Mechanical Cutting vs. Chemical Treatment

While mechanical cutting may be the fastest way to clear roots out of your sewer system, it certainly is not the best long-term solution. Roots respond to the injury of cutting by producing abscisic acid, a plant hormone which hastens and thickens regrowth. Just like an above-ground plant, pruning causes roots to grow back heavier each time they are cut. Mechanical cutting is labor intensive and dangerous to both workers and the pipeline. Offset joints and protruding service laterals often cause cutters to become stuck, necessitating a dig-up. To prevent damage to their equipment or the pipeline, operators frequently avoid full-gauge cutting and simply cut a hole through the root masses to relieve a blockage. Roo-Pru kills roots and inhibits their regrowth for up to three years or more without damaging your pipeline or above-ground plants. Roo-Pru not only kills the root inside the pipe, it also kills the root for a short distance outside the pipe wall.

How Roo-Pru Works

Roo-Pru contains the two most powerful chemicals registered by the EPA for root control in sewers. Metam-sodium, a herbicide which has been in constant use since 1954, quickly gives off a gas, methylisothiocyamate (MITe), when mixed with water. This gas penetrates root cells and bursts them, causing them to die, usually within the first few minutes of exposure to the gas. Dichlobenil is a residual chemical which adheres to pipe surfaces and is absorbed by solids such as soil in joints and cracks where it awaits new root growth for up to three years. When new roots attempt to enter the pipeline, the dichlobenil enters the cells of the root and stimulates oxygenutilizationwhile inhibiting esterification of phosphourous. This inhibits the development of the actively dividing merisem cells in the root tips. As a result the root can not grow.

Why Roo-Pru is the Best Chemical Root Killer

There are many root control chemicals on the market today, but only a few contain metam-sodium and dichlobenil.  According to the EPA, no other method of root control approaches the effectiveness of these two chemicals.  Roo-Pru is superior to other metamsodiumdichlobenil products for several reasons.   Roo-Pru's special packaging ensures that it arrives at the job site with all its potential power, even if it has been stored for up to five years.  Roo-Pru also delivers more active ingredients per gallon than the competitive products, so it is more economical to use.  Independent laboratory tests have proven the active ingredients in Roo-Pru remain in suspension significantly longer than the next most popular product, in both concentrated and diluted form.  The tests also proved that the foam generated with Roo-Pru is more stable than the competition, due to its finer bubble structure.

Contact us today about Roo Pru root treatment for your sewer system.