When Tree Roots Block Pipes Around Your Pool — And How to Fix It Without Digging Up Your Garden
Your pool area looks great, but the drain beside it keeps backing up. Around the Sutherland Shire and southern Sydney, when we put a camera into a blocked sewer or stormwater line near a pool, we often find tree roots that have got in through the joints of older pipework.
Fixing a blocked pool drain does not have to mean lifting pavers or digging up the garden. Here is what causes the blockage, how we find it and how pipe relining repairs it from inside the pipe.
Which Drain Pipes Run Under a Backyard Pool Area?
Most backyard pools in Sydney are surrounded by paving, tiles, decking, retaining walls and garden beds. Under that hardscape there are usually several drainage lines:
- The house sewer line
- Stormwater drainage from the roof, paving and pool surrounds
- The pool backwash line
- Overflow drains and subsoil drains
The pool’s filtration pipework, which runs between the pump, the filter, the skimmer box and the return jets, carries water under pressure and is a separate system from the drains. This article is about the drainage lines, because those are the pipes tree roots get into.
How Do Tree Roots Block the Drains Around a Pool?
Tree roots look for water, and a pipe joint that weeps a little water is enough to draw them in. Roots from a tree several metres away can reach a cracked joint in an older terracotta, earthenware or PVC pipe. Once a fine root is inside, it keeps growing in the wet pipe until it catches waste and debris and blocks the line.
When a drain near the pool blocks, the backwash water has nowhere to go and can flood the pool deck. If the blockage is in the sewer line, showers, toilets and floor wastes inside the house can start to back up as well.
If you are still planning the garden around a new pool, our guide to the best trees to plant to avoid blocked drains covers which trees are safer to put near pipework.
Signs Your Pool Drain or Stormwater Line Is Blocked
Watch for these signs around the pool and in the house:
- Pool water drains away slowly or backs up during a backwash
- The backwash line overflows
- Water bubbles up through a garden drain or grate
- A sink or shower gurgles while the pool is being backwashed
- Water pools on the pavers or the lawn near the pool
Each of these signs points to a blocked or broken pipe under the surface, and a camera inspection shows us where it is.
Why Digging Up a Pool Surround Is the Last Resort
The drainage around a pool is hard to reach without breaking something. To get to a pipe by digging, someone has to lift travertine or granite pavers, cut through a concrete slab or retaining edge, or pull up garden beds, turf or decking. Once the pipe is fixed, the paving and landscaping still have to be rebuilt.
That is why we look at relining before we recommend excavation. On the property in the case below, relining also let us work around steep stairs and a well-established garden.
Pipe Relining Near a Pool: A Sutherland Shire Case
A homeowner in the Sutherland Shire called us about three problems in the backyard:
- A blocked stormwater line near their in-ground pool
- Gurgling sounds in the back garden
- Water pooling near a tiled corner
Our CCTV drain inspection showed heavy root intrusion from a nearby tree, cracked junctions in an old earthenware line and several blocked joints about 3 metres under the pavers.
These are the before and after photos. The first shows the old blocked pipe, and the second shows the same pipe after relining.
Instead of recommending excavation, we took these steps:
- We cleared the line with high-pressure hydro jetting and root-cutting tools.
- We installed a resin liner through the damaged run to seal the cracked junctions and joints.
The stormwater line was flowing again, not one paver or garden bed was disturbed, and the work was finished in under 6 hours.
How Pipe Relining Repairs a Drain Without Digging
We use cured-in-place pipe relining. A liner soaked in resin is fed into the damaged section of pipe, pressed against the inside wall and left to cure, so it forms a new pipe inside the old one. The liner seals the cracks, the leaking joints and the gaps the tree roots were using to get in. We reach the pipe through an existing access point such as an inspection opening, so the pavers and garden stay where they are.
Our own team does every stage of the relining, from the first camera inspection to the last, without handing it to a subcontractor. You can read more about the process on our pipe relining Sydney page.
When Pipe Relining Will Not Fix a Pool Drain
Relining suits a pipe that is damaged but still holds most of its shape. If a section has collapsed so badly that a liner cannot pass through it, that section has to be dug up and replaced. If a section has sunk and lost its fall, a liner follows the same dip and water keeps sitting in it, so the pipe has to be relaid at the right fall.
Sometimes the camera shows that the roots are in the Sydney Water main rather than your private pipe. In that case the repair is Sydney Water’s responsibility, and we give you the footage so you can report it.
Blocked Pool Drain Questions We Are Asked
Can you reline the drain pipes around a pool?
Yes. We reline the sewer and stormwater pipes that run under pool surrounds, as long as the pipe still holds most of its shape. A camera inspection comes first to measure the damage and confirm the pipe can take a liner. If a section has collapsed or sunk, that part needs to be dug up and replaced instead.
How do you fix a blocked pool drain without digging?
We clear the blockage with a high-pressure hydro jet and root-cutting tools, then check the pipe with a CCTV camera. If the camera shows cracked joints or root entry points, we can install a resin liner from inside the pipe through an existing access point. That repair seals the damage without lifting pavers, cutting the slab or pulling up the garden.
What causes blocked drains around a pool in Sydney?
Tree roots are one of the causes we find most around pools, especially in older terracotta and earthenware lines. Roots grow into joints that leak a little water and keep growing until they trap debris. A camera inspection shows what is causing the blockage in your drain.
Who pays to clear tree roots from a sewer pipe in Sydney?
The property owner is responsible for their own pipes. Sydney Water’s guide to responsibility for repairs says the owner is also responsible for clearing tree roots that enter the junction at the point of connection. If our camera footage shows the roots are in the Sydney Water main, that repair is Sydney Water’s responsibility, and we give you the footage so you can report it.
How long does pipe relining near a pool take?
The Sutherland Shire relining in this article was finished in under 6 hours, including clearing the roots and lining the damaged run. The time for your drain depends on how long the damaged section is, how many joints need sealing and how easy the access point is to reach. We can give you a time frame once the camera inspection is done.
Book a CCTV Inspection for a Blocked Drain Near Your Pool
We look for a way to repair the drain from inside the pipe before anyone talks about digging, and we show you the camera footage before any work starts.
If you are seeing signs of a blocked drain near your pool, book a CCTV inspection or call The Blocked Drain Guys on 0418 408 333. Craig or the team can talk you through what the inspection involves and what we look for.
