Sewage Cleanup and Sanitation in Portland, OR

When a sewer line is blocked, the sewage that is thick and dark is dangerous to your health. This sewer waste is extremely unsanitary, 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 premises of your home or business, or a toilet backup in either location, fixing either one is of the highest importance. Having this unsanitary sewer waste in your home is dangerous and should be removed quickly. Furthermore, knowing what is causing the sewer obstruction may aid in stopping 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 mainlines. If this happens, the waste can swell into the connected sewer lines placing your home or business in possible danger of water backflow. Increasing rivers and streams, hurricanes and other related events can cause flood and sewage waters to blend and present genuine health related dangers. You should be extremely cautious when wading in this sort of water, and even stay watchful after the water recedes and dries up. It’s probable for the organic matter to become 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, proper PPE should be worn at all times.
• Tree Roots – Trees can have long roots that grow into water or sewer lines and crush or impair them. Damage to pipes and a sewage backup can also be induced by tree roots that aren’t even on your property. Be acutely aware of any tree roots that can reach your water and sewer lines that lead to the main sewer line or septic system.
• Old/Aging Sewer Pipes – Older and aging sewage structures are susceptible to crumbling and cracking, causing sewer backups, sewer filled basements along with entire home flooding. The older your area or house may raise the chance of this type of catastrophe 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 commode causes a sewage backup, the drains connected to that toilet, or the main drain lines of more toilets, will also suffer backflow flooding.

• Old and/or Damaged Lines – Older 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 area is older, the probability is greater that you’ll experience failing sewer lines than newer ones.
• Heavy Rain – Heavy and sudden downpours can overwhelm 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 difficulties. Area flood waters from events like surging rivers and creeks, hurricanes, or any rainy weather events can cause clean water to blend with sewage water and other chemicals and contaminants that cause serious health problems. Use extreme carefulness when moving on foot in this type of waste, but also stay cautious once it dries. The dried organic material can turn aerosolized and turn respirable. The right PPE needs to be used at all times to prevent contact and risk inhaling contaminated air.
• Blocked/Clogged Pipes – A fouled pipe or sewer line can cause sewage to back up into your dwelling or business. If only one commode becomes backed up, the sewage backup can spread down the sewer lines and disturb all linked toilets on that line.
• Roots from Trees – Tree roots can wreak havoc on water and sewer lines. The roots from huge trees can maneuver into and around the lines and damage them tremendously. If the roots on your property are not the cause, roots from nearby trees can extend under property lines and damage your sewer line, causing a sewage problem. Be extra aware of all tree roots that could affect your mainline sewer pipes and/or pipes connected to your septic tank.

Our Portland, OR process for sewage cleanup and sanitation

Our procedures for Category 3 water (also known as sewer and contaminated water backup) cleanup, following the IICRC industry guidelines, consists of:

1. Ensure all personnel and occupants stay safe by restricting access to the site to restoration employees only in order to guard against any health-related issues.

2. Health & safety survey and complete building assessment.

3. Be thorough that all restoration employees are equipped with the precise personal protection equipment (PPE). This includes but is not limited to:

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

4. Engineering controls utilized and condemnatory barricades used (if needed) guarding against cross-contamination.

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

6. Eradication of bulk water, dirt, and contaminates.

7. Eradication and disposal of all contaminated porous and semi-porous items that is not restorable – which can include but is not limited to:

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

8. Implement cleaning procedures and utilization of EPA registered biocides and antimicrobials

9. Full physical cleaning of all structure items that remain

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 touched by water to be dried and returned to pre-loss condition

12. Post restoration cleaning of all tools and machinery used

13. Disposal of all demo materials removed from the site

Call PuroClean for your Professional Portland, OR Sewage Cleanup Needs!

What do you do if a sewer main backup occurs in your house or business? The right answer is: Call PuroClean! For the simple fact that PuroClean technicians are your perfect professionals for sewage abatement and cleaning services. With the latest and greatest equipment and cleaning tools, we efficiently restore, remediate and completely cleanse the affected areas in your home or business.

The high goals of our sewage removal and cleaning services along with the speed in which we complete the work, and the sheer compassion we practice throughout the process make us your complete flood damage restoration and remediation company. PuroClean pledges to do whatever it takes to rescue, clean and restore all properties that lie within our service regions.

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