As you say, at this point, you have nothing to lose, so try this. Search Craigs List local to you for an electric chain saw, used and cheap. Or, buy a new one at Harbor Freight, new but cheap. You are going to sacrifice the blade and chain, in the next step.
Spray paint a rectangle box on the ground around the broken water lines and across the offending tree roots... Use the chain saw to make plunge cuts into the dirt along the paint lines to cut the roots and the dirt, and the water lines out of the "broken zone. Pick axe or shovel or what ever tool works to remove the dirt, cut tree roots sections, and broken pipe to "open the box of repair". Dig back at the ends to expose undamaged pipes for a clean glue and repair joint. Repair the pipes... fill the hole.. done... almost.. Go to harbor freight and buy a new bar and chain for the cheap chain saw.... now you have a handy tool ... or sell it cheap on Craigs List.. or donate it... you decide.. I have used the plunge cut on 3 trees todate.... soon will do it to remove a palm tree which has huge root structure that is impossible to dig out.... plunge cut a 4 side box and they pop out with a little effort. If you want, you can file the teeth on a "dirt saw" chain and dress them up enough to cut some more.... Harbor Freight has electric chain saws on sale often... $38 or so. On Sat, Apr 18, 2020 at 11:04 PM fmiser via Mercedes <mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > > Dan wrote: > > > Both lines are surrounded with tree roots, as they’re barely 6’ > > from an oak tree that is probably 24” in diameter. The roots of > > the tree have distorted and stressed the lines, > > > I can’t possibly cut the roots, as some are as large as 3”-4” > > surrounding these lines. To do so would risk damaging the rather > > fragile lines not to mention I would have to do some serious > > excavating to get enough space to get my chain saw at them. > > Use an ax. Replace that whole section with Sch 80 pipe. Put the > pipes in sand, and add zig-zags to allow pipe stretch. That > should gain you a few years. > > > There’s no way I could dig them up and “bypass” the tree, as > > there’s really nowhere to go in close proximity that isn’t > > rootbound. > > Close proximity to a tree is NOT what you want if long service is > a goal. > > > Anyone else have an idea? > > It appears to me that _anything_ you do there would be short term > - 5 year max - as the tree and roots will tear up anything you > do. Repairing the leak that's there will probably only last until > it is stretched more. Like this summer. > > Get to that zone another way, or kill the tree and put in new > lines - or don't irrigate that zone. > > I think the tree will win no matter what you do unless you get at > least 15 - 20 ft away. > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
