One of the most troublesome incidents a homeowner can face is a sewage backup accident. While it may not be instantly fatal like a natural disaster, sewage backup presents a variety of serious sanitization and health issues that will put you and your family in danger. It’s important to act quickly following any type of sewage spill inside your home to prevent further damage or health risks. To help you better understand what causes a sewage backup and how you can begin the cleanup process, Total Restore Inc. has assembled this informative guide.
Why Does Sewage Backup Happen?
There are three main reasons why your home may become a victim of sewer backup. In general, sewer line backups are caused by one of the following issues related to either your home’s sewer lines, the city’s main sewer lines — or even both!
- Blockage – When it comes to sewer line backups, the most common culprit are tree roots. These roots often grow into pipes, wrapping themselves around the line and creating cracks or holes.
- Clogs – Clogs occur from solid materials, ones that wastewater pipes are not designed to handle, such as hair or an accumulation of cooking grease. These clogs can form in your home’s drain pipes or the city’s main sewer line and create a sewage backup, pushing waste intended for the public sewer network back inside your home.
- Old or Damaged Lines – An older home is more susceptible to deterioration of drains and lines. If they have eroded away due to age, trees, and shrub roots around your home, can more easily break or puncture your pipes.
Problems Caused By Sewage Backup
- Mold Growth – Following a sewage backup incident, mold will begin growing inside and around the impacted area. To learn more about the harmful effects of mold growth, visit our mold growth guide.
- Serious Health Risks – Contaminated sewage water commonly carries bacteria that can put your health in serious jeopardy. Whether you’re exposed to them via physical contact or through inhalation, it’s important to contact the professionals at Total Restore Inc. to help keep you and your loved ones protected from harm caused by a sewage backup.
Sewage Backup Cleanup Process with Total Restore Inc
As we’ve previously mentioned, sewage backup poses plenty of serious risks to both your health and the condition of your home. We recommend contacting Total Restore Inc. as soon as possible following a sewage backup incident; our team of professionals has the expertise along with the specialized equipment to get the job done right while keeping you and your family protected from danger. Listed below is a brief breakdown of how the cleanup process works from start to finish.
- Assess Damage – If the sewage backup has occurred in the basement or nearby appliances or electrical supplies, it’s important to contact the utility companies to shut off power and gas. If you must enter the area in question, always make sure to wear protective equipment, shielding yourself from injury and other health risks. Better still, let our team assess the situation, stop the source of the damage, and develop a game plan for cleanup.
- Wastewater Removal – Using specialized pumps and removal equipment, our team will remove contaminated water from the area as quickly as possible to prevent further damage. It’s essential that any belongings or contaminated materials be disposed of; attempting to salvage damaged items is simply not a health risk worth taking.
- Sanitization – After removing damaged materials and contaminated sewage water, we’ll begin the sanitization process. We have access to sophisticated/organic cleansers, disinfectants, and other cleaning tools which will kill any remaining bacteria in the impacted area.
- Drying – To remove excess moisture and properly ventilate the area following cleanup, we’ll use powerful drying fans, dehumidifiers, and air scrubbers; opening windows will also assist in this effort. It’s important to ensure that the area is completely disinfected, sanitized, and dried before beginning the rest of the restoration process.