Sewage Cleanup and Sanitation in Austin, TX

When sewer pipes become blocked, the thick, black water that presents as sewage is a health risk, and is tremendously unsanitary as it consists of contaminants like pathogens, bacteria, and viruses that can present a risk of extreme sickness illness if exposed to people or pets. If you have a sewer backed up in your basement, or your toilet has backed up, you will need to fix it quickly, or you will end up with sewage all over your home or business. Knowing the cause of sewer backups, however, may help you prevent a hazardous occurrence in your basement, home or business. Here’s a list of items that may help to prevent and handle sewage backups:

Sewage Backup Causes

• Drain Pipe Clogs – Sewage can infiltrate your home or business when either your drain pipes or the main sewer line becomes clogged. For example, if one commode creates a sewage backup, the drain leading to that toilet, or the mainline of multiple toilets, will likely also be clogged.
• Tree Roots – Trees with long roots can move into pipes and cause holes or alter the sewer line by growing around it. Even if the roots in your yard are not the issue, roots from nearby trees can reach your sewer pipe and damage it, forcing a sewer backup. Always be watching for roots where your sewer lines to the street or septic system is located.
• Defective Sewer Lines – Aging sewage systems can break down and crack, causing sewage backups and flooded homes and basements. The older your neighborhood is, the greater chance of these types of issues.
• Heavy Rainfall – Sudden large amounts of rain can overburden your city’s storm sewer lines. If the public storm sewers can’t handle large amounts of rainfall, the water can make its way into attached sewer lines, which will put your home or business at risk of water backflows. City-wide flooding waters from events like rising rivers and creeks, hurricanes, and other isolated events can also combine with sewage waste and other chemicals and harmful bacteria that can cause health-related issues. Extreme caution is needed when trying to walk in these waters, and even when the sewer water recedes and begins to dry out. Dried up organic matter can then become aerosolized and become respirable. Proper personal protective equipment (PPE) should be worn to stop any contact and the danger of breathing in these contaminants.

Our Austin, TX process for sewage cleanup and sanitation

Our procedures for Category 3 water (also known as sewer and contaminated water backup) cleaning, following the IICRC industry guidelines, consists of:

1. Ensuring safety for all employees and occupants by placing strict rules on site access to remediation personnel only in order to prevent health related occurrences.

2. Health & safety survey and complete building assessment.

3. Ensure proper personal protection equipment (PPE) is being utilized by all restoration personnel. This may include but is not limited to:

• Full face respirator
• Full body suit protection
• Nitrile and cut resistant gloves
• Rubber boots with steel toes and shank

4. Engineering controls utilized and condemnatory barriers used (if needed) guarding against cross-contamination.

5. Completely getting rid of any potential safety risks if possible.

6. Clearing the work area of all bulk water, soil, and contaminates.

7. Disposal of all contaminated porous and semi-porous materials that are not salvageable, which can consist of but are not limited to:

• Carpet, rugs, pad, or underlayment
• Padded and upholstered furniture
• Gypsum board
• Vinyl flooring and underlayment
• Hardwood flooring

8. Implement cleaning methods and use of EPA approved biocides and antimicrobials

9. Physical cleaning of all remaining structure items

10. It is recommended to hire a third party Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) for a safety clearance inspection to ensure the entire site is returned to pre-loss condition for health and safety.

11. All items and structure affected by the water to be dried and returned to pre-loss dry conditions

12. Post remediation cleanup of all equipment used

13. Disposal of all demo materials removed from the site

Call PuroClean for your Professional Austin, TX Sewage Cleanup Needs!

If a sewage drain pipe backup takes place in your home or business, call the PuroClean specialists for sewage removal and cleaning services. Our technicians use state-of-the-art tools, methods and cleaning systems to efficiently remediate the damaged building materials and contents.

The high standard of our sewage removal and cleaning services along with the rapidity in which we complete the work, and the absolute care we demonstrate throughout the process make PuroClean your complete water damage restoration and remediation company. PuroClean pledges to do whatever it takes to save, clean and restore all properties that are within our service neighborhoods.

*Not all PuroClean offices offer sewage cleanup and sanitation cleaning services.