How do i know if it is actually the tree in my property that is causing sewage problems to my neighbor?
My neighbor thinks that this tree in my property is causing the toilet in his house to back up. If it is so, can this have any legal implications on me? How can i be creatin it is this particular tree?
They have to call a plumber to see what is causing the backup of the toilet. They can run a camera line down the pipe and find the cause. If is is determined to be tree roots from your tree then it is your problem to get it fixed. You will have to contact you insurance company . I know is just had to get my tree roots out of my sewer line as everything in the house was backing up. But it was my house and my tree. I had to do trenchless pipe replacement and it cost me about $3500, that was in California. Good Luck!!!
call your county horticulturist (they’re in the phone book under county, or ask the information operator). Ask that person if there are any trees that are banned in your community (that people shouldn’t plant), and ask them which are the ones that ruin the sewer pipes. (Or you probably could find that out online, on the search engine). As I recall there are willows, and oaks; I’m not sure what else, maybe poplar. Then check to see which you have on your property. Sometimes just silt (mud, sand and such) builds up in the sewer pipes so you may not be responsible. But if the neighbor has to call a plumber and the plumber snakes out their pipes and there’s still a problem and the plumber says it’s out in the yard or under the street then the county will take care of the excavation and cleaning. Depending on how long you have owned the property and whether you planted the trees or if in fact it is the roots from your trees (you’d better hang around while the county cleans out the sewer to be sure) then you may be charged for their work. But this is iffy. Think which attorney you would call if you had to on short notice and what proof you could get to prove it wasn’t your fault.
How far is the tree from your neighbors house?
How tall is the tree?
What type of tree is it?
are there any other trees closer than that one to your neighbors property?
Are there any other trees near the neighbors property (not necessarily closer than your tree is)?
You have to answer these questions before it can be determined if the tree you have is even a suspect.
Tree roots are enver longer, and usually around the same length, as the tree is tall. Some times the size of the canopy can be used, but hight is a better indicator.
So, if it is a 20 ft tree 30 ft from the neighbors property, it is proably not your tree.
The type of tree is also important because some trees only grow shallow roots, some only grow deep roots and some grow roots everywhere. If the tree is 20 feet away and grows deep roots it is probably not causing the problems.
This should also be applied to other trees to see if they are causing the problem.
Do not agree to anything, admit to anything. Contact your insurance company immediately – they will send someone out to examine both your tree and your nieghbors sewage. Let the insurance company handle this for you. It is in their interest to make sure you do not get ripped off for something that is not your fault.
If, after exhausting all of the good and bad advice above and still no one is sure if it’s your tree causing the problem, there is an extreme way to find out – copper chloride. However, this will require the cooperation of you neighbor and if he resists, it may be an indication he knows it’s not your tree causing the problem. Go to a good hardware store and buy the copper chloride used to kill tree roots in sewer lines. Give it to your neighbor and explain to him it not only kills roots but in many cases the offending tree as well. If one of your trees dies, so be it but if one of his dies, you get sweet revenge. RScott