Sewer Damaged and Backing Up? What You Should Do

Posted on by Homes Reinvented by Satin Touch

A backed up, damaged sewer system causes waste water to collect inside your home and it makes a nasty mess that smells as bad as it looks. Sewer backup isn’t like a flood of clean water, in fact, it’s a toxic brew of potentially health-threatening contaminants.

It’s imperative to your family’s health and safety that you take care of the problem as quickly as possible. Before you plunge in to start cleaning up the mess, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. Following these simple tips for what you should and shouldn’t do will ensure that you stay safe and that the mess is completely cleaned up so you can enjoy your home once again.

What to Do After a Sewer Backup

A backed up sewer can happen because of a variety of things, from tree roots collecting in the sewer line to a clog caused by toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, or any other foreign object. No matter what caused the backup, the result is the same, waste water inside your home. To protect against further damage, and to keep yourself, your family, and your pets take the following actions:

  • Stop Using the Water – Cut the water supply off to your home so that no one flushes the toilet, or runs any water. While it may be an inconvenience, it will help to ensure you’re not adding more waste water to the mix and that will make it easier to clean up.
  • Shut Off the Electricity – If it’s safe for you to do so, make sure that you turn off the power to the area that’s affected to avoid the risk of being electrocuted. If it’s not safe, call your utility provider to cut the power until the water has been removed.
  • Ventilate Your Home – The smell associated with sewage is unpleasant, to say the least, but the fumes can also be dangerous. Open the windows and doors to allow fresh air in. Place fans in windows pointing towards the outside to draw the foul air out and to eliminate any build up of fumes and odors.
  • Protect Your Family – Keep everyone, especially children, those with a weakened immune system, and your pets away from the affected area. Keep yourself safe by wearing protective clothing, gloves, and a face mask if you’re going near the backed up sewer water.
  • Sanitize If You Can – A small backup with minimal water damage is fairly easy to take care of for a homeowner. Add bleach to any standing water to help disinfect it, suck up the water with a wet dry vac, and thoroughly clean the area with a bleach solution.
  • Remove Carpeting & Rugs – Carpeting that’s been saturated with sewer water should be removed and discarded. However, areas that come in minor contact can be cleaned using very hot water and a carpet cleaner. The same holds true for rugs. If you want to keep them, wash them in hot water.

Get Professional Help With Sewer Cleanup

The above suggestions are fine for a minor sewer backup, however, if it’s a major backup with lots of standing water and waste, DO NOT attempt cleanup on your own. Not only is it potentially hazardous to your health, it’s also a very difficult job that requires a great deal of skill and experience. Besides, it’s also a nasty job that you probably don’t want to deal with anyway.

Contact us at Satin Touch immediately so that they can assess the situation and mitigate the damage. We’re available 24 hours a day so we’re always here if you need us. We’re also highly trained, experienced, and we have all the proper equipment necessary to take care of the problem quickly and efficiently. We’ll handle everything for you and make sure that the sewage is cleaned up and that your home is sanitized and safe for you and your family once again.