"danako" writes:
Hi, was wondering if any can help, there is a jacaranda tree next door
its 4-5m heigh and 1m away from our sewerage pipe. We have been havong
plumbing issues for ages and have talked to the neighbours and they
just do not care. I was wondering how big the roots would be as afte a
$900 camera man came and he said that the roots are cracking the pipe,
then tried to charge $16,000 to replace the pipe. So I have no faith in
the camera plumber (sorry plumbers), can anyone tell me what I should
do? Contact council or start digging or can they trim the jacaranda to
make the roots grow slower? Please help.

Your lack of faith in plumbers is well placed; and Jacarandas that close
to terra cotta pipes are guaranteed to cause endless grief.

You have a number of options. There is a chemical you can periodically
drop down the sink (or whatever feeds that pipe) and the chemical will
kill the small roots that have entered the pipe. I have no experience
with this. Second option: instead of the $16k you could twice annually
employ a plumber to drop his electric eel into the pipe and grind out
the roots. This may be worth considering, especially if you plan to sell
within a few years and you could leave the problem with the new owners.
Third option: get 5 or 6 quotes for the work; typically these will vary
over a 2:1 range, so think $8k at least.

But I think before any of this, you should ring your local council and
ask to speak to someone about a problem non-native tree. If you need to
present your indifferent neighbours with a letter of demand, employ a
solicitor to compose a letter they just can't ignore.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)