Keep the camera on the joint or crack once the water is flowing again. Root removal from drains clears growth from the bore, while the footage shows the opening that may still need a separate repair after the clearance visit.
When roots are causing the blockage
Slow flow and repeat blockages can have many causes. A CCTV inspection of the drain helps the drainage company distinguish fine root strands from heavier intrusion and locate the affected section before selecting a method.
Cutting should proceed in controlled passes that restore the bore without forcing a tool through pipework already weakened by an open joint, crack or displacement.
Root cutting restores the bore but does not seal the entry point
Removing the root mass allows the drain to carry water again and gives the camera a view of the pipe surface. It does not close the joint, crack or displaced section through which the roots entered.
The repair decision should therefore follow post-clearance footage. It needs to address the visible opening rather than the nearby tree or shrub in isolation.
The pipe opening beneath the cut roots
Root cutting can restore a route through the drain, but the growth itself is not the underlying fault. Once loose material is removed, CCTV should show the crack, open joint or connection through which the roots entered.
The drainage company can then explain whether the visible opening is suitable for repair or whether direct access is needed. The site should not be asked to accept a repair that the camera cannot locate.
Deciding what should happen after clearance
A small visible opening may call for a different repair discussion from a badly displaced or unstable run. Keep removal and repair as separate decisions, supported by the condition found after cleaning.
- Has the root mass been removed from the affected length?
- Can the entry point be seen clearly on the finished footage? Is the pipe still aligned and open around that location?
- Would a local repair address the defect, or is excavation more appropriate?
- Which symptoms would make another check worthwhile?
Our overview of root ingress and blockages explains why the pattern can continue when only the immediate obstruction is addressed.
Keep the footage and note which section was cut. A later comparison can show whether growth has returned at the same point. If the blockage has already come back after root cutting, read why the same drain keeps blocking before paying for another identical clearance without investigating the opening. Use the same chamber reference on the cutting record and final footage so a later comparison starts from an identifiable point.
Root removal and the repair decision
Cutting roots can reopen the bore, but it does not seal the crack or joint beneath them. Clean footage of that opening is needed before a separate repair recommendation can be assessed.
Roots may return where another opening remains outside the treated section. The completion record states exactly what was cut and which part of the pipe was visible afterwards.
Ask for the distance from the camera entry point and an image that shows the cleaned defect in context. That is much more useful than a general statement that roots were present, and it gives another contractor enough information to discuss the repair without guessing which section was affected.