Sewage Backup: Signs, What to Do First, and What Cleanup Involves

A sewage backup is not the same as a leak from a supply line. The water carries waste and bacteria, anything porous it soaks into has to go, and the cleanup has to be done in a way that does not spread it through the rest of the home.

This post covers the signs that a drain is backing up, what to do in the first hour, and what professional cleanup actually involves.

What we are working on right now in Encino

This week our crew has been on a sewage job in a condo building in Encino. It involves three units in the same building, and the association’s property manager brought us in. Here is what the job has looked like so far:

• On the first visit, our team took moisture readings around the toilets, along the base of the bathtubs, at the vanity toe kicks and along the bathroom walls.
• Baseboards came off in the affected bathrooms so the bottom of the walls could be checked.
• The bottom of at least one bathtub showed brown staining.
• Air scrubbers and dehumidifiers were set up in the bathrooms, with tape marking areas on the floor.
• The crew went back three days later to take a second round of readings.

Why sewage is a different kind of water damage

Restoration work sorts water by how contaminated it is. Under the IICRC S500 standard, sewage falls in Category 3, the most contaminated class. That changes the whole job:

• Porous materials it touched are removed, not dried and saved.
• Hard surfaces are cleaned and disinfected, not just wiped down.
• The crew works in protective gear, and air filtration runs while the work is done.

Our post on clean, gray and black water explains the three categories in more detail.

Signs a drain is backing up

A sewage backup usually gives some warning before water comes up. Watch for:

• Gurgling from a tub, shower or sink drain when a toilet is flushed
• Water rising in the tub or shower when another fixture is used
• Several drains in the home going slow at the same time
• A sewer smell near the floor drains or the toilet base
• Dirty water showing up in the tub, shower or around the toilet

What to do in the first hour

1. Stop running water. No flushing, no sinks, no dishwasher or washing machine. Every gallon that goes down the drain can come back up.
2. Keep people and pets out of the affected rooms.
3. Do not run household fans in the area. They move contaminated air and droplets into the rest of the home.
4. Take photos of the water, the fixtures and the floors before anything is cleaned up.
5. Call a plumber to clear the line, and a restoration company for the cleanup. In a condo, let the association or property manager know right away.

What cleanup after a sewage backup involves

1. Find how far it went. Moisture readings around fixtures, along walls and under cabinets show where the water traveled, including under flooring.
2. Remove what cannot be cleaned. NDSU Extension puts it plainly: all porous materials exposed to sewage must be discarded because they cannot be adequately cleaned, and that includes carpet and carpet padding. Baseboards and the bottom of the drywall often come out too.
3. Clean and disinfect. Hard surfaces like tile, tubs and cabinet boxes are cleaned and treated.
4. Filter the air and dry the structure. Air scrubbers and dehumidifiers run while the framing and subfloor dry. That part is structural drying.
5. Confirm it is dry with readings before anything is rebuilt.

Leaving wet, contaminated material in the wall is how a sewage job turns into a mold job later. Our post on mold behind drywall covers how that gets found.

In a condo, it is rarely one unit

Drain lines in a multi-unit building are often shared, which is how one backup can reach more than one unit. The Encino job is a good example: three units in one building. When that happens:

• The association and its property manager usually need to be involved from the start.
• Each unit needs its own readings and its own documentation.
• Who pays for what depends on where the problem started and on the association’s documents.

We cover how responsibility usually breaks down in our post on mold in a condo after water damage.

FAQ

Can I clean up a sewage backup myself?

A very small spill on a hard floor, maybe. Anything that reached carpet, walls or cabinets is a different story. NDSU Extension recommends a HEPA-rated respirator, rubber gloves, eye protection and a protective suit for sewage cleanup, and porous materials still have to be removed.

Does the flooring have to come out?

Porous flooring like carpet and pad does. Hard flooring can sometimes be cleaned, but it depends on the material and whether sewage got underneath it. Readings and a look under the edges decide that.

What does sewage cleanup cost?

It depends on how many rooms were affected and how much material has to come out. Our breakdown of water damage restoration costs in Ventura County covers what drives the price.

Dealing with a sewage backup?

Total Restoration handles sewage cleanup and water damage restoration across Ventura County, Santa Barbara County and Santa Clarita. We map how far it went, remove what has to go, and dry and clean the rest properly. Contact us and we will get a crew out.