I know I have roots my sewer lateral. I am on city sewer. I called a plumber to rod out the line in August. I had to call again this past week. My clean out plug is only 3.5", so they had to use that size cutting bit at the time. After the plumber came this past week I did the wash and openned the cleanout to see how the water was flowing down the line. I was disappointed to see the water level filling 3/4 of the pipe. It didn't go down for hours, and even when it did there was still two inches of standing water in the pipe. I called the sewage dept. to inspect the main, and they told me it was fine. I called the plumber back, and he did some more research. It ends up the lateral goes from a 4" cast iron in my house to a 6" clay tile to the main. He said he was going to get a 4" to 6" cutter to clean out the pipe next week. The question I have is....I only have a 3.5" cleanout.....how can he use that cutter. He knows the cleanout is 3.5" he was just here last week. Do you think there is another cleanout buried in my yard? I am about 35' from the street and maybe 45' feet from the sanitary sewer. I don't know if I should ask the plumber how he intends to get a 4"inch cutter in a 3.5"hole

 

The only PERMANENT way to get rid of the roots is to replace the clay pipe with ABS. The alternative is to pay the plumber his $50 to $150 (whatever he is charging you) everytime he gets called out. If your lucky, the line will stay clear from 6 to 18 months.

Doubt that there is another cleanout buried in the yard, but you never know unless you dig out the line.

Getting a 4" to 6" cutter into a 3-1/2" cleanout? Depends on what he has for a cutter.