Sewage Cleanup and Sanitation in Wilmington, IL

When sewer lines become obstructed, the thick, black water that forms as sewage is a health risk, and is tremendously unsanitary as it contains contaminants like pathogens, bacteria, and viruses that may pose a risk of severe 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 avoid a hazardous situation in your basement, home or business. Here’s a list of items that may help to prevent and handle sewage backups:

Sewage Backup Causes

• Considerable Rainfall – Excess rains can overwhelm your town or city’s storm sewer system. If this happens, the water can swell into the connected sewer lines putting your home or business in possible risk of water backflow. Surging rivers and streams, hurricanes and other related events can cause flood and sewage waters to blend and present serious health related problems. You should be immensely cautious when wading in this sort of water, and even stay watchful after the water recedes and dries up. It’s possible for the organic matter to be aerosolized and able to be inhaled, 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 lines and crush or damage them. Damage to pipes and a sewer backup can also be caused 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 lines that lead to the main sewer line or septic system.
• Old/Aging Sewer Lines – Older and aging sewage structures are susceptible to breaking down and cracking, inducing sewer backups, sewer filled basements as well as entire home flooding. The older your neighborhood or dwelling may raise the threat 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 perfect example is: if a single toilet causes a sewage blockage, the adjacent pipes connected to that toilet, or the main drain lines of more toilets, will also suffer backflow flooding.

• 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 failing 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 rainfall, water can backup and flow into connected sewer lines. This can put your home or business at risk of backflow problems. Regional flood waters from events like rising rivers and creeks, hurricanes, or any similar weather events can cause clean water to merge with sewage water and other chemicals and harmful toxins that cause serious health ailments. Use extreme caution when moving on foot in this type of water, but also remain cautious once it dries. The dried organic waste can turn airborne and turn respirable. The right PPE needs to be used at all times to stop contact and risk inhaling tainted air.
• Blocked/Clogged Sewer Lines – A fouled pipe or sewer line can cause sewage to back up into your home or business. If only one toilet becomes fouled, the sewage backup can spread into the sewer lines and affect all attached toilets on that line.
• Roots from Trees – Tree roots can be harmful to water and sewer lines. The roots from huge trees can maneuver into and around the lines and damage them excessively. If the roots under your property are not the cause, roots from nearby trees can cross property lines and harm your sewer line, causing a sewage issue. Be super aware of all tree roots that could affect your mainline sewer pipes and/or pipes connected to your septic tank.

Our Wilmington, IL 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 remain safe by limiting access to the site to restoration employees only in order to thwart any health-related issues.

2. Inspection of the building along with health and safety surveys.

3. Ensure all cleanup and restoration personnel are equipped with the proper personal protection equipment (PPE). This can 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 into place established engineering controls, critical barriers, to alleviate cross-contamination.

5. Eradicating any type of potential safety risks if at all possible.

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

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)
• 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. Actual cleansing of all remaining structures

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

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

12. Post restoration cleaning of all tools and machinery used

13. Elimination and disposal of all demo materials removed from the work areas

Call PuroClean for Professional Sewage Cleanup in Wilmington, IL!

PuroClean technicians utilize state-of-the-art equipment and cleaning methods to effectively restore and clean the affected building materials and contents from your home or business. If a sewage drain pipe backup from blockage is your problem, call our technicians for sewage removal and cleaning services.

The quality of our sewage removal and cleaning solutions, the expeditious way in which we deliver them, and the kindness we demonstrate throughout the whole process make PuroClean your ideal damage restoration and remediation company. We vow 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.