Sewage Cleanup and Sanitation in Pittsburgh, PA

When sewer lines become blocked, the thick, black water that forms as sewage is a health hazard, and is extremely unsanitary as it consists of contaminants such as 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 floors. Knowing what causes 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:

Why Sewage Backup Occurs

• Drain Pipe Clogs – Sewage can infiltrate your home or business when either your drain lines or the main sewer line becomes clogged. For example, if one commode creates a sewage blockage, the drain tied to that toilet, or the mainline of multiple toilets, will likely also be obstructed.
• Tree Roots – Trees with large roots can move into pipes and cause holes or crush the sewer line by encircling it. Even if the roots on your property are not the problem, roots from nearby trees can reach your sewer pipe and damage it, causing a sewer backup. Always be aware of roots where your mainline to the street or septic system is placed.
• Damaged Sewer Lines – Older sewage systems can break down and crack, creating sewage backups and flooded homes and basements. The older your area’s houses are, the greater chance of these types of problems.
• Heavy Rainfall – Heavy amounts of rain can put a strain on your city’s storm sewer lines. If the public systems can’t handle large amounts of rainfall, the water can make its way into connected sewer lines, which can leave your home or business at risk of sewer backflows. City-wide flooding waters from events such as rising rivers and creeks, hurricanes, and other micro events can also mix with sewage water and other chemicals and harmful bacteria that can cause health-related issues. Extreme care and safety is needed when wading in these waters, and even when the sewer water recedes and begins to dry out. Dried up organic matter can then become aerosolized and present the possibility of breathing it into your lungs. Proper personal protective equipment (PPE) should be worn to avoid contact and the danger of breathing in this harmful matter.

Our Pittsburgh, PA process for sewage cleanup and sanitation

Our cleaning and remediation procedures for Category 3 water (which describes sewer and contaminated water backup) according to the standards put in place by the IICRC industry are:

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 all cleanup and restoration personnel are outfitted with the proper personal protection equipment (PPE). 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. Create engineering controls, critical barriers if suitable to prevent cross-contamination.

5. Eliminating any and all probable safety risks if possible.

6. Disposal, removal of bulk water, soil, and contaminates.

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

• Carpet, rugs, pad, or underlayment
• Padded and upholstered furniture
• Drywall materials
• Vinyl flooring and underlayment
• Wooden flooring

8. Cleaning processes put in place and the use of EPA certified biocides and antimicrobials

9. Full physical cleaning of all structure items that remain

10. A third-party Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) is recommended to perform clearance testing, to ensure the building is returned to a pre-loss condition for health and safety.

11. All materials affected by the water to be dried and returned to pre-loss dry standards

12. All equipment used on the project to be cleaned after restoration completion

13. All materials from demolition work removed completely

For Professional Sewage Cleanup in Pittsburgh, PA, Call PuroClean!

If a sewage drain line backup occurs in your home or business, call the PuroClean professionals for sewage removal and cleaning services. Our employees use state-of-the-art equipment and cleaning systems to fully remediate the damaged structures and contents.

The quality of PuroClean’s sewage removal and cleaning solutions, the expeditious way in which we deliver them, and the kindness we demonstrate throughout the entire process make PuroClean your perfect damage restoration and remediation company. We promise to do whatever it takes to restore and rescue properties in all the areas we serve.

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