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7 Austin-Area Trees That Cause the Most Plumbing Damage - Are Any in Your Yard?

  • Writer: Wendy W
    Wendy W
  • Sep 11
  • 2 min read

Updated: Nov 11

What kinds of trees do you have in your yard? You need to find out! To protect your plumbing you must know what kind of trees you have and where they are planted in relation to your sewer lines, since some trees are more trouble than others for your plumbing.

Cutaway drawing of trees, roots, dirt and pipe with tree roots invading the sewer pipe through a crack. Text reads Tree Roots Clogging your pipes: the worst culprits

Tree roots can exploit tiny cracks or holes in your sewer pipes, and use them to invade! It's a very common problem in Central Texas to have tree roots clog, crack and even completely destroy parts of sewer lines. Did you know that tree roots can be 2-7 times as long as the tree is tall? These roots will travel long distances seeking water. Roots can actually sense water vapor, and will follow the trail of leaking moisture straight back to small cracks, badly sealed joints, or pinholes in your pipes.


Was your home built 1950-1986? Then you very likely have cast iron sewer lines which are very deteriorated and especially vulnerable to root invasion. Read more here.


Cutaway drawing of below ground showing tree, roots, pipe and dirt. The roots of the tree have invaded the sewer pipe and caused a buildup of debris. Inset photo shows a plumber's camera picture of the inside of a pipe with hairlike root tendrils invading through cracks.
Tree roots will invade your sewer pipes!

As you can see in the diagram above, roots will invade the pipe with many hair-like masses at each hole or crack. The roots will grow quickly and catch toilet paper, debris and grease over time, adding to the blockage and slowing the passage to the main sewer. If left untreated, the roots will continue to get bigger and exert more pressure on the pipe, eventually cracking it open and causing the total failure of your pipe. The roots of some trees are more likely than others to send moisture seeking tendrils searching for the flaws in your pipes. 


If your toilets are backing up, you have wet or stinky spots in the yard, your house is older, or your toilets are gurgling, you may have roots in your sewer pipes. Call The Plumbinator and we will run a special, high-tech camera down your line to see if your pipe looks like the one in the video image above, or the pipe depicted below.

Image of two pipes side by side. Pipe on left is labeled tree root entry and is clean with a few tendrils of roots. Pipe on right is completely filled with tree roots and is labeled 10 months later

Please note: Tree roots can't invade your water pipes, since those are under pressure, but if a crack or hole exists in a water pipe, roots will find it and wrap around the pipe, possibly displacing the pipe and causing further damage.


If you do have roots in your sewer pipes, call The Plumbinator and we'll pull them out, like Tim did below. Yikes!

A plumber stands in a bathroom above a hole in the floor and holds in his hand a tree root 3 feet long and 4 inches across that he pulled out of the pipe
Plumbinator plumber, Tim pulls a huge tree root out of a sewer pipe in a bathroom

So which trees are the worst offenders? 

Here are the top 7 trees voted most likely to invade.


  1. Sycamore

  2. Willow

  3. Oak 

  4. Maple

  5. Aspen 

  6. Elm

  7. Birch


So which trees are safer?

If you're thinking of choosing a new tree for your yard, here are some trees that pose little or no threat to underground pipes:


* Mediterranean fan palms

* Many fruit tree species

* Certain cypress and cedars

* Wafer ash

* Sabal palmetto

* Magnolia


Call us right away if you see any of the signs of tree roots invading your pipes! 512-786-1771.

A plumber with a muddy shirt and arms lies face down in a muddy hole in a front yard between grass and a bush. He uncovers a pipe in the mud with his hands. Caption reads, It's a dirty job...might as well let us do it.

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