Sewage backup cleanup without the health risk

Sewage carries bacteria and other pathogens, and it soaks into anything porous. Carpet, pad, drywall near the water line and insulation are generally removed rather than cleaned. Hard surfaces get cleaned, sanitized and then dried.

Two trades usually share the job. A plumber or sewer contractor clears the blockage, and a restoration contractor deals with the building. Where you are not sure who owns the failed section of line, your city or sewer utility can often say.

Sewer backup is often excluded from a standard homeowners policy unless you have added an endorsement. Read our insurance adjuster guide, and call your insurer early. Older combined sewers can also back up during heavy rain, as described on our Kansas page.

Tree roots, grease, flushed wipes and collapsed pipes block private lines. Heavy rain can overwhelm public systems, especially older combined sewers that carry stormwater too. If several drains back up at once, the problem is usually in the main line rather than one fixture.

A plumber or sewer contractor may run a camera to find the cause. Keep that footage or report, as it can help with a claim.

Hard, nonporous items can often be cleaned and disinfected. Mattresses, upholstered furniture, stuffed toys and paper goods that touched sewage are generally discarded. Photograph everything before disposal, and ask your insurer whether they want to see the items first.

Avoid pouring grease down drains, and flush only toilet paper, even with wipes labeled flushable. Ask a plumber about a backwater valve if your area has combined sewers. For water that is less contaminated, see water damage categories explained.

Sewage tends to come up through the lowest drains, such as basement floor drains, showers and toilets. Gurgling fixtures and a foul smell usually arrive first. Water from a clean supply line has no such smell, and it usually comes from a wall or ceiling.

When several fixtures back up together, suspect the main line. Stop using water, because whatever you send down may come back up.

Read water damage categories explained and plumber or restoration contractor.

CDC advises removing drywall and insulation contaminated by sewage or floodwater, and parting with anything that will not clean up and dry fast. EPA's brief guide also says that sewage or other contaminated water is a case for professional help. This is why a sewage job can look severe even if the water was shallow. The material is not only wet; it has absorbed something that cannot be rinsed out of it.

Walls are usually cut above the highest level the water reached, with some margin to allow for wicking. Baseboards, door casings and hollow-core doors may also go. Subfloors raise the hardest question. Solid wood may be cleaned and treated if it was not soaked for long, while particleboard tends to swell and hold contamination. Contractors commonly talk in terms of the Category 3 language in the water damage categories guide when explaining these calls.

Ask to see the affected materials and photos before they go in a dumpster. Your insurer may want the same evidence.

A sewage job can make a clean part of the house dirty. Good practice uses plastic containment on doorways, negative air where needed and a defined route for workers and waste. Ask the crew how they will get material out, particularly when the only route is through finished rooms. Floors along that route should be protected.

The heating system deserves attention too. If a furnace or return duct sits in the affected space, it can pull odor and contaminated particles through the house. Ask whether it should stay off during the work. On the drinking water side, you should not need any change if a backup is only in your drain system, but consult your local health department if a well or a broken water line may be involved.

Food that touched sewage has to go, including anything in cardboard or in containers with screw caps. Dishes and metal utensils can be washed thoroughly, then sanitized. Children's items need extra care. CDC says that toys that cannot be cleaned, such as stuffed animals, should be discarded, and it describes a bleach solution of 1 cup per 5 gallons of water for those that can.

Clothing and bedding that were only lightly splashed may respond to a hot wash, kept apart from other laundry, while items that sat soaking are often a loss. Important documents can sometimes be recovered by specialists, so bag and freeze valuable papers if advised to, instead of tossing them. Photograph everything that you plan to discard.

A backwater valve is a one-way flap on the sewer line that closes when water tries to return toward the house. It is often installed where the public system backs up in heavy rain. It will not help when the blockage is on your side of the valve, because wastewater from your own fixtures then has nowhere to go. While the valve is closed, avoid using water in the house for the same reason.

Installation generally means opening the floor or digging outside, and it may need a permit. Some towns have programs to encourage these devices, so ask your utility or public works office. A licensed plumber can tell you whether your layout is suitable, and whether the line needs repair first.

If you rent, tell the landlord or manager immediately and in writing. Structural cleanup is generally their responsibility, while replacing your belongings typically falls to your own renters insurance. If the unit is not fit to live in, your local housing or health department can explain your rights. Do not stay in a contaminated home to hold your place in it.

In multi-family buildings, a blockage in a shared stack can flood the lowest unit with waste from everyone above. Notify all residents to stop using water. Common areas such as laundry rooms and storage cages need the same treatment as the flooded unit, so it is worth asking the association who is arranging that.

Sewage does not stay on the floor. It wicks up drywall and wood, runs under cabinets and tubs and enters floor registers. Basement stairs may have soaked stringers. Check storage rooms and furnace closets, and look at any wall that touches the affected floor on its far side. Floor drains may need flushing and cleaning too, since residue collects there.

A sewage smell in an upstairs room may have nothing to do with the backup. A dry P-trap in an unused sink or floor drain lets gases rise from the line, and pouring in water can fix that one. A plumber can tell the two situations apart. Sewer gas can make people feel sick, so do not simply ignore it.

Watch for fever, stomach trouble or skin infections in anyone who was exposed, and tell a doctor about the sewage contact. Keep the area ventilated once it has been cleared, and follow up on any return of smell. Musty or sour odors usually point to something left behind, such as a wall base or a stair stringer that was missed.

Have the line looked at again if the cause was roots or a partly collapsed section. Clearing a clog does not fix a damaged pipe, and a repeat backup is likely if the pipe itself is the problem. Ask the sewer contractor for a camera recording, and whether repair or lining is advisable.

Where you live changes sewage backup cleanup. See Oregon, Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Chicago, Dallas, Colorado Springs, Cedar Hill, Lake Stevens, Norcross, Port Charlotte, Prosper, Atlanta, Indianapolis.

Go straight to the first steps: emergency sewage backup services.