Sewage Cleanup and Sanitation in Spokane, WA

Toilet and sewer line backups can result in sewage entering your basement or other parts of your home or company. This dark, thick water is extremely hazardous and contains quite a lot of dangerous contaminants. These contaminants consist of pathogens, bacteria and viruses and present health risks and illness dangers if people or animals become exposed. Repairing these problems ASAP is imperative, as is removing sewage from your property. Having knowledge of what may cause sewer backups may help you avoid a hazardous condition in your home or basement. Following is a list of things that may aid in stopping sewage backups that may occur in your home or business:

Sewage Backup Causes

• Heavy Rainfall – Excess flooding can overwhelm your town or city’s storm sewer mainlines. If this happens, the water can swell into the attached sewer lines putting your home or business in possible compromise of water backflow. Growing rivers and streams, hurricanes and other relevant events can force flood and sewage waters to mix and present genuine health related dangers. You should be highly cautious when wading in this type of water, and even stay watchful after the water recedes and dries up. It’s probable for the organic matter to turn aerosolized and respirable, meaning there’s a chance you could inhale it into your lungs. To stop contact or risk of breathing in these contaminants, legitimate PPE should be worn at all times.
• Roots from Trees – Trees can have strong 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 land. Be keenly aware of any tree roots that can sprawl into 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 area or home may raise the threat of this type of damage 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 dwelling. A good example is: if a single toilet 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 fail and crack, leading to sewer water influx and flooded dwellings full of sewage. If your home or area is older, the chance 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 sewer mains can’t deal with excess downpours, water can backup and progress into connected sewer lines. This can put your dwelling at risk of backflow difficulties. Area flood waters from events like rising rivers and creeks, hurricanes, or any rainy weather events can cause clean water to blend with sewage water and other chemicals and harmful toxins that cause serious health problems. Use extreme caution when moving on foot in this type of water, but also stay cautious when it dries. The dried organic material can turn airborne and turn respirable. Correct PPE needs to be utilized at all times to stop contact and risk inhaling tainted air.
• Blocked/Clogged Sewer Lines – A fouled pipe or sewer line can force sewage to back up into your home or business. If only one toilet becomes fouled, the sewage backup can spread into the sewer pipes and affect all attached toilets on that line.
• Tree Roots – Tree roots can cause damage to water and sewer pipes. The roots from large trees can grow into and around the pipes and damage them tremendously. If the roots on your property are not the problem, roots from closely located trees can cross property lines and ruin your sewer pipes, causing a sewage issue. Be extra aware of all tree roots near your mainline sewer pipes and/or pipes that run to your septic tank.

PuroClean’s process for sewage cleanup and sanitation in Spokane, WA

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 restrictions 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 PuroClean employees are supplied with and use the correct personal protection equipment (PPE). This includes, but isn’t limited to the following:

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

4. Institute engineering controls, firm barriers if required to prevent 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. Removal of all contaminated porous and semi-porous materials which are not salvageable, which can be but are not limited to:

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

8. Cleaning methods put in place and the use of EPA approved biocides and antimicrobials

9. Physical cleaning of all remaining structure items

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

11. Drying of all items affected by the water intrusion back to pre-loss dry condition

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

13. All materials from demolition work removed completely

Call PuroClean for Professional Sewage Cleanup in Spokane, WA!

Call the PuroClean specialists for sewage abatement, cleaning and restoration. Whether it’s from a clogged toilet, flood waters or sewer pipe backups to take care of the problem for your dwelling. PuroClean uses the latest, state-of-the-art equipment and cleaning systems to completely and effectively clean and remediate all affected objects and structures.

The high measure of our sewage eradication and cleaning services along with the speed in which we complete the work, and the absolute care we practice throughout the process make us your complete flood damage restoration and remediation company. PuroClean vows 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.