Clogged Storm Pipe

[dchar]

We’ve just moved into a new house and discovered the storm pipe draining our gutters is clogged from end to to end with dirt and roots — the roots had made it four feet up the aluminum gutter pipe. I think the storm pipe is clay. It extends maybe 20 feet and under a city sidewalk.

Can this be cleaned out or is it defunct?
Could it be replaced without disturbing the sidewalk?
Would we be better off with external / overground gutters or trenches to take the water away from the house?
Can I do this? If not, how do we find the right contractor for the work

[DUNBARParticipant]

You can easily do this task, just takes a little time and effort.

I would apply RootX to the piping after you cut away the roots, within one hour of cutting before root ends sap over.

http://www.rootx.com

[Retired plbg1Participant]

When you have clay pipe with roots in no matter what you do cut are use Chen. they come back, get a price to replace pipe and find source of roots and cut the trees down.

[nicktheplumberParticipant]

Does your storm pipe drain into the municipal sewer, or does it just drain into the street (via the curb) and/or the street storm drains?

Either way, you can have a “trenchless” sewer drain run between an access pint at the sidewalk and some point near your house where the gutters discharge into the drain pipe. This is really the best way to go. Your sewer contractor will pull a polyethylene pipe through your oold clay pipe and effect the hookups on either side. You will never have to worry about root incursions again. BTW, in your area a lot of the “clay” pipe is not really “clay,” but a proprietary material called “Orangeburg” pipe. It has somewhat different characteristics, but shares the main the weaknesses of clay, namely fragility and susceptibility to root incursion.

[Author]

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