Wichita's elm, cottonwood and silver maple canopy is the direct cause of most repeat sewer blockages in the older parts of the city. Those species send aggressive roots a long way looking for water, and a clay tile joint weeping moisture is exactly what they find.
We cut roots with a cable machine or clear heavy mass with jetting, then camera the line to see the joint they came through. That last step is the one that matters, because roots do not break into sound pipe. They follow a failure that already exists.
Clearing buys you a year, sometimes two. If the same line has blocked twice, we will tell you it is a repair conversation rather than sell you a third clearing.
Technician insight
A cottonwood in the parkway over a clay lateral is a permanent arrangement unless the joint gets closed. Chemical root killers slow regrowth and change nothing structural.