A couple of years ago we got called to repair a broken suction pipe on a buried underground tank that held fire protection water for a nearby commercial property. The pipe on the tank had been cracked for a few years and the local FD was having trouble obtaining a draft during their annual flow tests. When the pipe got struck by a tractor pushing snow - then it was time to call us for repair.
As typical when a heavy piece of equipment strikes a PVC suction or vent pipe, the pipe was cracked all the way down to the flange. This meant that the top of the tank had to be exposed and then a new flange and pipe installed. While digging to reach the top of the tank we began to encounter some large roots from the tree that was growing nearby. This was not a big deal - not great in terms of total time for repair - but not a big deal until we got to the flange.
There was a very good reason why we were finding tree roots - the roots had migrated into the tank via the crack in the pipe! The roots were so thick that they had to be cut and pulled out using a backhoe! It was obvious that the pipe had probably been cracked for quite a few years - enough for the small end of one tree root to make its journey to the grand water source and then grow like crazy.
In the end - the roots were removed and a new flange and suction were pipe installed - plus, we had a new "you ain't gonna believe this" story to add to our collection.
Don't let that innocent looking tree fool you - it created quite a problem.
Because the suction pipe was cracked all the way down to the tank, digging operations commenced in an effort to expose the top of the tank and the pipe flange.
During the digging process, a small backhoe was needed because of the tree roots that were discovered under the lawn's surface.
The more we dug - the more tree roots we found.
When the pipe flange was uncovered, the real problem was exposed - the suction inlet was completely obscured by tree roots.
Over several years, the tiny crack in the suction pipe grew in size as tree roots found their way into the 10,000-gallon water source.
No wonder there was a problem drafting!
The roots were cut and yanked out using the backhoe.
Once the outlet was cleared of roots, a new flange and suction pipe were installed - along with a new suction head.
