Blocked sewer lines can release sewage; a thick, dark water that forms. Sewage water is a serious health hazard and unsanitary; which contains contaminants like pathogens, viruses and bacteria. These harmful contaminants may present risks of serious illness if animals or humans are exposed to them. Quick repair is key if you experience sewage backup anywhere in your home or business . Quickly repairing this will prevent the hazardous waste water from staying in occupied areas. To prevent a hazardous condition happening in your home or business, being aware of what causes the sewer problems could be beneficial. We’ve put together a list of things to aid in preventing and handling home or business sewage backups:

Causes of Sewage Backup

  • Considerable Rainfall – Excess rains can overpower your town or city’s storm sewer system. If this happens, the waste can back up into the connected sewer lines placing your home or business in possible danger of water backflow. Rising rivers and streams, hurricanes and other similar events can cause flood and sewage waters to blend and present genuine health related problems. You should be highly cautious when walking in this type of water, and even stay cautious after the water recedes and dries up. It’s possible for the organic matter to turn aerosolized and respirable, meaning there’s a chance you could breathe it into your lungs. To prevent contact or risk of breathing in these contaminants, legitimate PPE should be used at all times.
  • Tree Roots – Trees can have long roots that grow into water or sewer pipes and crush or impair them. Damage to pipes and a sewage backup can also be induced by tree roots that aren’t even on your land. Be very 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 systems are susceptible to breaking down and cracking, inducing sewer backups, flooded basements as well as entire home flooding. The older your neighborhood or house may raise the chance of this type of damage occurring.
  • Clogged and Blocked Drain Pipes – If your home or business’s main sewer line or drain pipes become blocked, sewage may back up inside the building. A good example is: if a single commode causes a sewage backup, the drains connected to that toilet, or the main drain pipes of more toilets, will also become backed up.
  • Old and/or Damaged Lines – Aging sewage systems have a tendency to suffer damage and crumble, leading to sewage backups and flooded homes or businesses full of sewage. If your home or neighborhood is older, the probability is greater that you’ll experience damaged sewer lines than newer ones.
  • Copious Rainfall – Heavy and rapid rainfall can defeat your local storm sewer lines quickly. If these public sewers can’t deal with excess rainfall, water can backup and flow into connected sewer lines. This can put your home or business at risk of backflow difficulties. Local flood waters from events like rising rivers and creeks, hurricanes, or any other weather events can cause clean water to mix with sewage water and other chemicals and harmful toxins that cause serious health ailments. Use extreme caution when wading in this type of waste, but also stay cautious when it dries. The dried organic waste can turn airborne and turn respirable. Proper PPE needs to be utilized at all times to prevent contact and risk inhaling polluted air.
  • Blocked/Clogged Sewer Lines – A clogged pipe or sewer line can cause sewage to back up into your home or business. If only one commode becomes backed up, the sewage backup can spread into the sewer pipes and affect all linked toilets on that line.
  • Roots from Trees – Tree roots can cause damage to water and sewer pipes. The roots from big trees can maneuver into and around the pipes and damage them excessively. If the roots on your property are not the cause, roots from nearby trees can extend under property lines and ruin your sewer line, causing a sewage problem. Be extra aware of all tree roots close to your mainline sewer pipes and/or pipes that run to your septic tank.

Our Macomb, MI sewage cleanup and sanitation process

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. Ensure all employees and occupants stay safe by restricting access to the site to restoration employees only in order to thwart any health-related problems.

2. Health and Safety survey and assessment of the entire work premises.

3. Be positive that all restoration specialists are equipped with the proper 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) stopping cross-contamination.

5. Eradicating all potential dangers and safety risks if possible.

6. Bulk water, soil, and contaminates removal

7. Removing any and all porous and semi-porous contaminated materials that are unable to be saved, which includes but is not limited to:

  • Gypsum board (drywall)
  • Carpeting, rugs, pad, and/or subflooring
  • Vinyl flooring and underlayment
  • Hardwood flooring
  • Padded and upholstered items

8. Cleaning procedures implemented, as well as the use of EPA registered biocides and antimicrobials

9. Full physical cleaning of all structure items that remain

10. We suggest using a third-party Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) to perform clearance testing to ensure the property is returned to a sanitary pre-loss condition for health and safety.

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

12. After completion of remediation – Cleaning of all equipment used

13. All demo materials removed from the building

Call PuroClean for your Professional Macomb, MI Sewage Cleanup Needs!

If a sewage drain line backup happens in your home or business, contact the PuroClean professionals for sewage removal and cleaning services. Our technicians use state-of-the-art equipment and cleaning systems to efficiently remediate the damaged building materials and contents.

The high goals of our sewage abatement and cleaning services along with the timeliness in which we complete the work, and the absolute care we practice throughout the process make us your complete damage restoration and remediation company. PuroClean pledges to do whatever it takes to rescue, clean and restore all properties that lie within our service neighborhoods.

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

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