Tree Root Removal in Philadelphia, PA
Roots in the sewer line are Philly's most common sewer complaint. We cut them out, then show you on camera whether the pipe behind them is still sound — and what stops them coming back.
Cut, camera, then fix it for good
Cutting clears the pipe today; the roots grow back through the same joints, usually within a year or two. Our visit is structured so the cutting is never the whole story.
Camera first
We see the root mass, where it's entering, and what the pipe looks like behind it. Not all root jobs are equal.
Cut and clear
Mechanical cutting and/or hydro jetting removes the root mass and restores flow — the immediate problem, solved.
Assess the pipe
The camera goes back through. Sound pipe with root-bitten joints? Damaged pipe the roots have crushed? The footage decides the next step.
Seal the entries
Lining seals every joint with a continuous new pipe wall; bursting replaces the lateral with jointless HDPE. Either way, roots lose their way in.
Sound familiar?
This is how our calls usually start, in the caller's own words.
“We're having a sewer problem, and we think we might be having roots”
The classic call — and usually right. Old clay laterals have joints every few feet; roots find the tiny gaps and pry them wider as they grow.
“It backs up every fall”
Trees put on a surge of root growth in the fall as they store energy for winter — that's when fine roots probe clay joints hardest, and when we see the most root calls.
“Snaking fixed it last year and now it's back”
Cutting is a stopgap by nature. The roots grow back through the same joints, usually within a year or two — the permanent fix seals the entries.
“The toilet gurgles when the washer drains”
Partial blockage signature: air trapped by a root mass somewhere in the lateral. A camera run confirms it in one visit.
What root removal does
It fixes
- Restores flow now — the mass comes out, the drains run, the backups stop.
- Maps every entry point on camera, so the permanent fix targets the real joints.
- Sets up the lasting repair: lining for root-bitten-but-sound pipe, bursting for pipe the roots have destroyed.
- Keeps your trees — the fix is in the pipe, not the canopy. Nobody has to cut down a street tree to fix a lateral.
Honest limits
- Cutting alone is temporary. Anyone selling root cutting as a permanent fix is selling you next year's visit too.
- If roots have crushed or fully collapsed the pipe, cutting can't restore it — that's a bursting or excavation job.
- Chemical root killers are a band-aid with side effects; they don't repair the joints the roots came through.
Philadelphia pairs century-old clay laterals with mature street trees — the exact combination that makes root intrusion the city's top sewer complaint. Fall is the worst of it: a full growing season of root pressure plus autumn rain loading the line. A fall camera-and-cut visit before the ground freezes is the smartest seasonal move a rowhome owner can make.
What it costs in Philadelphia
Root removal, priced per job
Cutting and jetting are priced per visit; the permanent fix (lining or bursting) is quoted per foot after the camera. Pennsylvania law caps deposits at one-third of the contract price on home-improvement contracts over $5,000. We never ask for more — and your quote is in writing before you approve anything.
Compare methods: Pipe Bursting · Pipe Lining (CIPP) · Sewer Camera Inspection · Full cost guide
Straight answers before you call
Roots chase moisture, and old clay laterals have joints every few feet — tiny gaps leak, roots find them, and once inside they spread into a mass that catches everything passing through. A camera inspection shows exactly where they're entering.
Trees put on a surge of root growth in the fall as they store energy for winter. That's when fine roots probe the joints of clay laterals hardest — and when we see the most “roots in our sewer line” calls across the city.
Both. CIPP lining seals every joint with a continuous new pipe wall — roots can't find an entry. Pipe bursting replaces the old lateral entirely with jointless HDPE. The camera footage and the pipe's condition decide which one your line qualifies for.
Yes — the fix happens inside the pipe, not in the canopy. Lining or bursting removes every entry point while the tree stays standing. We don't recommend removing healthy street trees to solve a pipe problem.
Tree Root Removal across Philadelphia
Based in Philadelphia and running jobs across the metro — Delaware County, Montgomery County, Bucks County, and Chester County. Philadelphia is the home base: every neighborhood, from South Philly to the Northeast.
South PhiladelphiaCenter CityFishtownNorthern LibertiesManayunkWest PhiladelphiaNortheast Philadelphia
Related servicesRoots in the line? Cut them — then seal them out.
One visit: cut the mass, camera the pipe, and get the honest permanent fix in writing.
[[ADDRESS]] · Philadelphia, PA · Open 24 hours · PA HIC #[[HIC_NUMBER]]