Why is sewer backup water treated as contaminated?
Water from a sewer line or a drain has passed through the waste system, and it can carry bacteria and other contamination. The crew treats it as contaminated from the first hour and does not dry it as if it were clean water.
Sewer backup water is not the same as water from a supply pipe. It has been through the drain system, and it can carry contamination that is unsafe to touch or breathe. For that reason the crew wears protective equipment, limits the spread of the water and keeps people out of the affected area until it is cleaned.
The contamination affects the materials too. Porous materials that the water reaches, such as carpet pad, insulation, fabric and stored cardboard, cannot always be cleaned to a safe level, and the crew assesses each one. Hard surfaces can usually be cleaned and disinfected, and they are checked before the area is closed up.
What should I do before the crew arrives?
Keep people and pets out of the water, do not flush toilets or run drains in the house, and switch off power to the wet area if it can be done safely. Photograph the water and call for a crew.
The most important step is stopping more water from entering the house through the drains. Do not run water in the sinks, the tubs or the washing machine until the backup has been checked. Shut the power to the cellar at the panel if the panel is dry and reachable, and do not step into the water near any electrical equipment.
Take photographs of the water, the drains and the affected rooms before anything is moved. Then call (833) 490-5225 and say where the water is, which drains it came from and whether the house is still using water.
- Keep people and pets out of the water
- Do not flush toilets or run drains until the backup is checked
- Switch off power to the wet area if it can be done safely
- Photograph the water and the drains before moving anything
- Call the crew and say which drains the water came from
Can carpet and furniture be saved after a sewer backup?
Carpet and pad that have been touched by sewage are usually removed. Hard furniture can sometimes be cleaned and dried, while upholstered and porous items often cannot. The crew assesses each item and explains its decision.
Carpet pad is the most porous of the common floor coverings, and sewage that soaks into it is difficult to clean to a safe level. For that reason it is usually removed. Hard flooring, such as tile or sealed concrete, can often be cleaned and disinfected, and the crew checks it before it is released.
Furniture and stored items are assessed one by one. Solid wood and hard plastic may be cleaned and dried. Upholstery, mattresses, cardboard and papers that have been in the water usually cannot be made safe, and the crew says so and records what is removed.
Who fixes the drain or the sewer line?
A plumber or a sewer specialist finds the cause of the backup and repairs it. The drying crew cleans and dries the area and records the drains and the line it observed, so the plumber can start from the right point.
A backup can be caused by a blockage, a broken pipe, a root intrusion or a flow that exceeds the line's capacity. The crew cannot tell which from the cellar alone, and it does not claim to. A plumber with the right equipment inspects the line and recommends a repair.
The crew's note includes the drains that took water, the fixtures that were in use, the time the backup was noticed and any cleanouts or floor drains that were wet. That information helps the plumber, and it helps the owner in deciding on the next step.
What moves the cost of a sewer backup cleanup?
The amount of water, the number of rooms reached, the number of porous materials removed and the access to the drains all change the work. The price is explained and approved on site before any work starts, and no figure is given here.
A backup that stays in one drain and one room is a smaller job than one that reaches several floors. Protective equipment and containment add to the setup, and the number of materials that must be removed adds to the scope.
The plumbing repair is priced by the plumber who carries it out. The cleanup crew explains its own scope on site and confirms its price before any work begins, so the owner knows what is being done and why.
