Roots do not grow through solid pipe. They grow into the joints, which is why the same tree keeps causing the same problem.
Tree and shrub roots cannot penetrate an intact pipe wall — clay, cast iron and PVC are all effectively solid to a root tip. What roots find is the joint between pipe sections, where even a small gap or a hairline separation lets a trace of moisture and sewer gas escape into the surrounding soil. Roots grow toward that moisture, a fine root works its way into the gap, and once it is in, it thickens over seasons and years until it has wedged the joint open further and built a mat that catches paper and grease behind it.
Mechanical cutting — a rotating blade head pulled through the line on a cable — clears that mat and restores flow, and for a lot of lines that is a genuinely adequate fix for years at a time, repeated occasionally as new growth returns. What it does not do is close the gap the roots were using to get in, so the same tree tends to produce the same problem again unless the joint itself is addressed. Chemical root treatments poured down a drain can slow regrowth between cleanings but do not replace cutting once a mass has actually formed, and camera footage of the joint afterward is what tells you whether cutting alone is enough or whether that particular joint is a candidate for a spot repair or a lining.
Tell us what the drains are doing and we will match you with a contractor who diagnoses before recommending a repair.
Get Matched With a Sewer ContractorTell us which fixtures are affected and how often — we will follow up to size the visit and get a camera on the line.