When a sewer line is blocked, the sewage that is thick and dark is dangerous to your health. This sewer water is extremely unsanitary, containing contaminants like bacteria, viruses and pathogens. All of these contaminants can pose a serious health danger and lead to many illnesses if humans or animals suffer exposure. If it happens that you suffer a sewage backup on the premises of your home or business, or a toilet backup in either location, fixing either one is of the highest importance. Having this filthy sewer water in your home is dangerous and should be removed as soon as possible. Furthermore, knowing what is causing the sewer backups may aid in preventing this potentially hazardous incident. To help you in handling sewage backups in your home or business, following is a list of things that can help:

Sewage Backup Causes

  • Heavy Rainfall – Excess rains can overpower your town or city’s storm sewer system. If this happens, the water can swell into the attached sewer lines placing your home or business in possible compromise of water backflow. Growing rivers and streams, hurricanes and other related events can force flood and sewage waters to blend and present serious health related dangers. You should be extremely cautious when walking in this type of water, and even stay watchful after the water recedes and dries up. It’s viable for the organic matter to turn aerosolized and respirable, meaning there’s a chance you could inhale it into your lungs. To prevent contact or risk of inhaling these contaminants, proper PPE should be worn at all times.
  • Tree Roots – Trees can have long roots that grow into water or sewer pipes and crush or break them. Damage to pipes and a sewer backup can also be induced by tree roots that aren’t even on your property. Be keenly aware of any tree roots that can reach your water and sewer pipes that lead to the central sewer line or septic system.
  • Old/Aging Sewer Pipes – Older and aging sewage structures are susceptible to crumbling and cracking, inducing sewer backups, sewer filled basements as well as entire home flooding. The older your region or home may raise the threat of this type of catastrophe occurring.
  • Clogged and Blocked Drain Pipes – If your house or business’s main sewer pipes or drain pipes become fouled, sewage may back up inside the building. A fine example is: if a single commode causes a sewage backup, the lines connected to that toilet, or the main drain pipes of more toilets, will also become backed up.
  • Old and/or Damaged Lines – Older sewage systems have a propensity to suffer damage and crack, leading to sewer water influx and flooded dwellings full of sewage. If your home or region is older, the probability is greater that you’ll experience damaged sewer lines than newer ones.
  • Copious Rainfall – Heavy and rapid downpours can overpower your local storm sewer lines promptly. If these public sewers can’t deal with excess downpours, water can backup and progress into connected sewer lines. This can put your dwelling at risk of backflow problems. Regional flood waters from events like surging rivers and creeks, hurricanes, or any rainy weather events can cause clean water to mix with sewage water and other chemicals and harmful toxins that cause serious health problems. Use extreme carefulness when wading in this type of water, but also remain cautious when it dries. The dried organic material can turn airborne and turn respirable. Correct PPE needs to be used at all times to prevent contact and risk inhaling polluted air.
  • Blocked/Clogged Sewer Lines – A clogged pipe or sewer line can force sewage to back up into your dwelling or business. If only one commode becomes blocked, the sewer water backup can spread down the sewer pipes and affect all connected toilets on that line.
  • Roots from Trees – Tree roots can wreak havoc on water and sewer pipes. The roots from huge trees can grow into and around the pipes and damage them excessively. If the roots on your property are not the problem, roots from nearby trees can cross property lines and harm your sewer pipes, causing a sewage issue. Be extra aware of all tree roots close to your mainline sewer pipes and/or pipes leading to your septic tank.

Our Howell sewage cleanup and sanitation process

PuroClean’s process for cleaning and remediation of Category 3 water, aka sewer and contaminated water backup clean up following the IICRC industry standards, is as follows:

1. Ensure all employees and occupants remain safe by limiting access to the site to remediation employees only in order to stop any health-related problems.

2. Assessment of the building and Health and Safety checks.

3. Be positive that all restoration workers are equipped with the precise personal protection equipment (PPE). This includes but is not limited to:

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

4. Engineering controls utilized and condemnatory barricades used (if needed) preventing cross-contamination.

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

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

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

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

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

9. Physical cleaning of all remaining structure items

10. A clearance inspection by a third-party Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) is recommended to safeguard that the building is returned to a pre-loss condition for health and safety.

11. All materials affected by excess waters are to be dried and returned to pre-loss dry condition

12. Post restoration cleaning of all equipment used

13. All materials from demolition process removed completely

For Professional Sewage Cleanup in Howell, Call PuroClean!

PuroClean technicians put to use state-of-the-art equipment and cleaning procedures to effectively restore and clean the damaged building materials and contents from your house or business. If a sewage drain pipe backup from blockage occurs, call our professionals for sewage removal and cleaning services.

The quality of PuroClean’s sewage removal and cleaning services, the expeditious way in which we deliver them, and the compassion we demonstrate throughout the entire process make PuroClean your perfect damage restoration and remediation company. We will strive 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.

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