Posted by: Chris Laney on February 26, 2019

Prevent Sewage Backup and Damage to your Home

Sewage is never supposed to find its way into our homes. However, at times, due to unforeseen circumstances, we find ourselves (and our basements) in a messy situation.

Sewage lines are built to move waste and water away from the home through underground plumbing directly to the main sewer lines. What happens if a clog forms in those pipes or a line fails? We've all experienced the small panic of a toilet overflowing – now imagine that on a much larger scale!

A clog in the main plumbing pipe leading to the sewers will cause sewage to back up into the ground, and eventually into your basement space.

Should I be Worried if I Find Sewage in My Basement?

The short answer is yes. When we talk about sewage, we mean a mix of water and waste products. This can include garbage, human waste, organic and inorganic matter, and more. This is not something that you want in any space of your living area.

While organic material will start to decompose quickly, the gas that it produces can be hazardous to the health of anyone that comes in contact with it – especially if the organic matter is human waste. This type of matter can contain pathogens that may spread diseases quickly among household members.

This is why hiring a sewage clean up professional like those at Water Out, as soon as the problem is noticed is extremely important!

How to Prevent a Backup

Taking necessary steps to prevent a sewage backup is extremely important for every member of the household. Avoiding an overflow won't just save you money in home repairs, it will keep you free of sickness caused by the leak.

Here are a few precautions to take to prevent a sewage backup:

1. Avoid throwing items down the drain that will not dissolve. This includes baby wipes, diapers, or hygiene products. Instead of the toilet, throw these items in the trash to avoid blockage!
2. Watch out for cooking grease and your sink! While it may look like a liquid while it's hot, as soon as the grease starts to cool, it will solidify. One the grease has become a solid it will cling to the sides of your pipes and begin trapping food residue and other matter that finds its way down your drain, leading to a blocked sink!
3. Long hair can cause a drain to clog quickly, so keep it away! Use a drain cover or clean out any hair gathered around your drain from the shower before it disappears down the pipes!
4. Paper towels belong in the trash – not the toilet. When you see a paper towel commercial, the first thing they talk about is durability. This means that towel will not break down quickly, and will, instead, cause a blockage in your drain!

Call Water Out for Emergency Sewage Cleanup Services!

If you do experience a sewage backup in your home, don't panic. Seal off the area, and do not allow any children or pets near the backup.

At Water Out, we service the homes around the Fort Wayne area, and are available to emergency services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our sewage cleanup and remediation team is trained and certified in sewage removal, and will remove the black water from your home quickly and safely.

Contact us today for more information if you experience a sewage backup!