When a sewer line is obstructed, the sewage that is thick and dark is dangerous to your health. This sewer water is extremely unclean, containing contaminants like bacteria, viruses and pathogens. All of these contaminants can pose a serious health danger and lead to many illnesses if humans or animals suffer exposure. If it happens that you experience sewage backup on the property of your home or business, or a toilet backup in either location, fixing either one is of the highest importance. Having this dirty sewer water in your home is dangerous and should be removed as soon as possible. Furthermore, knowing what is causing the sewer obstruction may aid in preventing this potentially hazardous situation. To help you in managing sewage backups in your home or business, here’s a list of things that may help:

Why Sewage Backup Occurs

  • Considerable Rainfall – Excess rains can overwhelm your town or city’s storm sewer system. If this happens, the water can back up into the attached sewer lines putting your home or business in possible compromise of water backflow. Increasing 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 walking in this sort of water, and even stay vigilant after the water recedes and dries up. It’s possible for the organic matter to turn aerosolized and able to be inhaled, meaning there’s a chance you could breathe it into your lungs. To protect from contact or risk of breathing in these contaminants, legitimate PPE should be used at all times.
  • Tree Roots – Trees can have long roots that grow into water or sewer pipes and crush or damage them. Damage to pipes and a sewer backup can also be induced by tree roots that aren’t even on your premises. Be acutely aware of any tree roots that can sprawl into your water and sewer pipes that lead to the main sewer line or septic system.
  • Old/Aging Sewer Lines – Older and aging sewage structures are susceptible to crumbling and cracking, inducing sewer backups, sewer filled basements along with entire home flooding. The older your region or home may raise the chance of this type of catastrophe occurring.
  • Clogged and Blocked Drain Pipes – If your house or business’s main sewer pipes or drain pipes become blocked, sewage may back up inside the building. A perfect example is: if a single toilet causes a sewage backup, the adjacent pipes connected to that toilet, or the main drain pipes of more toilets, will also suffer backflow flooding.
  • Old and/or Damaged Lines – Aging sewage systems have a propensity to fail and crumble, leading to sewage backups and flooded dwellings full of sewage. If your home or region is older, the likelihood is greater that you’ll experience damaged sewer lines than newer ones.
  • Copious Rainfall – Heavy and sudden downpours can overpower your local storm sewer lines quickly. If these public sewer lines can’t deal with excess rainfall, water can backup and flow into connected sewer lines. This can put your dwelling at risk of backflow difficulties. Area flood waters from events like surging rivers and creeks, hurricanes, or any other weather events can cause clean water to merge with sewage water and other chemicals and contaminants that cause serious health difficulties. Use extreme caution when moving on foot in this type of water, but also remain cautious when it dries. The dried organic waste can turn aerosolized and turn respirable. Proper PPE needs to be worn at all times to stop contact and risk inhaling contaminated 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 backed up, the sewer water backup can spread on to the sewer pipes and influence all connected toilets on that line.
  • Roots from Trees – Tree roots can be harmful to water and sewer pipes. The roots from huge trees can grow into and around the pipes and damage them tremendously. If the roots under your property are not the culprit, roots from closely located trees can extend under property lines and ruin your sewer pipes, causing a sewage problem. Be extra aware of all tree roots that could affect your mainline sewer pipes and/or pipes leading to your septic tank.

PuroClean’s sewage cleaning and sanitation process in Pineville, NC

The PuroClean procedures for cleaning and remediating Category 3 water, which is sewer and polluted water backup cleaning and restoration as set forth by IICRC industry regulations, consisting of:

1. Ensuring safety for all personnel and occupants by placing restrictions on site access to remediation personnel only in order to prevent health related occurrences.

2. Health and Safety checks and assessment of the workplace.

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

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

4. Put engineering controls in place, as well as critical barriers if needed to stop any cross-contamination from occurring.

5. Stopping all potential hazards and safety risks if possible.

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

7. Removal of all contaminated porous and semi-porous materials that 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. Implement cleaning procedures and use of EPA approved biocides and antimicrobials

9. Physical cleaning of all remaining structure items

10. A third-party Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) is recommended to perform clearance testing, to ensure the building is returned to a pre-loss condition for health and safety.

11. All materials affected by excess waters are to be dried and returned to pre-loss dry condition

12. Post remediation cleaning of all equipment used

13. All demo materials removed from the building

For the Perfect Professional Pineville, NC Sewage Cleanup Company, Call PuroClean Today!

What happens if a sewer line backup occurs in your home or business? The perfect answer is: Contact PuroClean! Simply because PuroClean technicians are your ideal professionals for sewage removal and cleaning services. With state-of-the-art equipment and cleaning tools, we efficiently restore, fix and completely clean the affected parts in your home or business.

The quality of PuroClean’s sewage removal and cleaning services, the speed in which we deliver them, and the compassion we demonstrate throughout the whole process make PuroClean your ideal damage restoration and remediation company. We pledge to do whatever it takes to restore and rescue properties in all the neighborhoods we serve.

*Not all PuroClean offices offer sewage cleanup and sanitation cleaning services.

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