Obstructed sewer lines can leak out sewage — a thick, dark liquid. Sewage water is a serious health hazard and unsanitary, containing contaminants like pathogens, viruses, and bacteria. These harmful contaminants may present risks of serious sickness if animals or humans are exposed to them. That’s why sewage cleanup services are critical in these situations.

Timely repair is key if you have sewage backup anywhere in your home or business. Quickly repairing this will prevent the hazardous wastewater from staying in occupied areas. To prevent a hazardous condition from happening in your home or business, knowing what causes sewer backups could be beneficial.

We’ve put together a list of items to aid in preventing and handling home or business sewage backups:

Why Sewage Backup Occurs

  • Clogged Drain Pipes — Sewage backs up into your home or business when your drain lines or main sewer lines become blocked. For example, if one bathroom starts a sewage backup, the attached drain and/or many toilets and the main sewer may become blocked.
  • Imposing Tree Roots — Trees that have large, strong long roots can grow through and around pipes, even crushing sewer lines. Tree roots can extend long distances and wreak havoc on your pipes, causing a sewer backup. Be aware of roots near your sewer mainline or septic tank area to protect them from damage.
  • Aging and Damaged Sewer Lines — Older sewer lines, pipes, drains, and septic systems can fail by slowly weakening over time, resulting in sewage backups, water-filled homes, and basements full of sewage. Keep in mind the age of your home and neighborhood, and look out for these potential problems.
  • Large Rainfall Amounts — Heavy rainfall can overwhelm your main storm and sewer mains. If it turns out that your public sewers can’t handle large rainfall levels, the water can make its way into the sewer lines connected to the mainline and set your home or business at a likely dangerous risk of sewer backup. There is a risk of serious health issues in and around flooding waters in your area that happen from flooding in rivers and streams, hurricanes, and other similar weather when water blends with sewage, contaminants, and chemicals. When wading in these waters, use extreme caution, and when the water diminishes and starts drying. Organic matter that is dried out can turn aerosolized, and inhaling these contaminants is risky. Be positive to use proper PPE to guard against these dangerous risks.

Our Scottsdale, AZ process for sewage cleanup and sanitation

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

1. To ensure the safety of all occupants and personnel by limiting job site traffic to restoration and cleanup personnel only to help relieve any health-related problems.

2. Health and Safety checks and assessment of the job site.

3. Ensure proper personal protection equipment (PPE) is 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. Put engineering controls in place, as well as critical barriers, if needed to stop any cross-contamination from occurring.

5. Eliminate any and all lingering safety risks if possible.

6. Bulk water, soil, and contaminants removal

7. Remove and dispose of all contaminated porous and semi-porous materials that are not able to be restored, which could include but is not limited to:

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

8. Implement cleaning processes, and use EPA-registered biocides and antimicrobials

9. Actual cleansing of all remaining structures

10. A clearance test by a third-party Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) is recommended to ensure the building is returned to a pre-affected condition for health and safety.

11. All materials damaged by water are to be dried and returned to the pre-loss state

12. Post-remediation cleanup of all equipment utilized

13. All materials from demolition work are removed completely

Call PuroClean for Professional Sewage Cleanup in Scottsdale, AZ!

Reach out to the PuroClean specialists for biohazard cleanup in Scottsdale, AZ, including sewage cleanup and restoration. Whether it’s from a clogged toilet, flood waters, or sewer pipe backups, we can manage the problem on your property. PuroClean uses the latest state-of-the-art equipment and cleansing tools to completely and effectively clean and remediates all affected objects and structures.

We have proved that our services and specialists are top quality and efficient and work with care and kindness for all involved. We are your ideal damage restoration and cleaning professionals and pledge to do whatever needs to be done to rescue and restore all properties in our communities.

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