There are all sorts of disasters a homeowner can experience, but one in particular can pose a serious health risk along with being a nightmare to clean up. When you notice sewage bubbling up in your toilet, sink, or shower, you’re likely to feel a bit horrified. You need to know what to do in case the sewer system backs up, so that you can address this catastrophe quickly and as safely as possible.
First, you need to understand why this is happening. Wastewater will back up in your bathroom or kitchen because of a clog somewhere in the pipes that exit the house. Yes, you will need to remove the clog, but that’s not actually your first step.
Now, turn off the water! Don’t use any appliances that use water, and instruct your family members not to do so. Better yet, just turn off your water main so that no one forgets. The last thing you want to do is send more water down the pipes toward the clog. It will only end up backing up into the same sink or toilet, or perhaps even in another room.
Next, call a plumber. You’ll need professional equipment to remove the clog that is somewhere deep in your system. You won’t be able to turn on the water and use your plumbing again until that clog is gone.
And then, call us right away. If you have standing water in one or more rooms, you need special equipment to pump it out. Cleaning up raw sewage is a dirty job, and not one that you want to complete yourself. We can take care of it for you, while wearing special gear and using the right equipment to throroughly disinfect the area. We also need to assess for water damages in your floor and walls (and perhaps ceiling if the event happened in an upstairs bathroom).
And finally, we should inspect the area of water damage for the presence of mold. Not only is the sewage itself dangerous; the mold that begins to grow after a water damage event can be seriously harmful to your health.
No one wants to experience this type of disaster in their home, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. With prompt attention to the mess, we can restore your home back to the way it was before.
