Sewage Damage is on the rise

8/24/2016 (Permalink)

Sewage damage is not something you should clean up yourself. It is contaminated and dangerous

Sewage back ups and sewage damage is becoming a big problem. We are seeing a lot of homes and businesses damaged by sewage. This article with provide you with some key ways to hopefully prevent any such damage to your property.

Many people think that all sewage backups are the cities responsibility if they have a public system. This is simply not the case. The city is responsible for the main sewage line and the homeowner or property owner is responsible for the anything that happens from that main line to the  property.

Sewage damage can be a major expense as there is quite a bit of contamination involved. They can cause severe health risks, and property damage.  Making sure you have sewage damage within your insurance property is the best way to protect your investment. Review your policy to make sure it is available. If it is not  on your policy please contact your agent and discuss having it added.

That being said there are some preventative steps that can be taken to help keep you protected and help prevent a sewage backup to begin with. Ok so knowing what the main causes of a backup are is the key to prevention. Tree roots and grease poured down the drains are the key reasons a back up occurs.

Grease you say!!! But it is a liquid.. Sure it is a liquid when it was hot off the stove from cooking your morning bacon but before that at room temperature or colder if coming out of the refrigerator it was solid. When you pour it down the drain and it cools it hardens and attached to the sides of the drain limiting the flow of water. Eventually over time it will continue to build up and fully block the drain and depending on where that occurs can involve your sewage.  Fun right.. So take all that grease dump it into a can and make sure that you wait for it to solidify and toss it out in the trash. Every little bit will help.

Tree roots!!! But it is a solid pipe how could that happen. Lets explore that a bit. Have you ever tripped over a raised sidewalk? Most likely it is raised because of a tree root pushing its way underneath the concrete. Roots are  very intrusive and can make their way through the metal and once inside are provided with a great deal of nutrients and water they will grow and expand down the pipe and eventually clog the pipe and trap debris  to the point a back up will occur.  When you are landscaping your yard know where the pipes run under your property and plant away from them to help prevent roots from taking hold in the lines.

Making sure that the debris that is put into the drains is easily bio-degradable such toilet paper only is key to keeping the flow moving as well. Items larger or more dense that do not break down quickly should be thrown away with the regular trash. It is especially important to keep plastic bags, paper towels, diapers, washcloths, and towels out of the drains at all times. Many times it is kids not knowing or attemting to see what will happen when something larger goes down the drain. It is important to teach children to not put these things down drains. It is also important to remember these are not items for a drain due to their bulky nature. Convenience now can result in big problems later.

Storm drains can sometimes be connected to sewer lines and when there are storms it is possible the water will exceed the capacity of the drain and force backups to occur. If you discover a sewer problem in your home it is important to call your local city water department immediately unless you are 100% sure that the problem is coming from the part of the sewer lines that are your responsibility. It is also very important to stay away from the water and do not touch anything that the water has come into contact with it will be very contaminated. Do not walk through it if at all possible and it is not to be played in. Turn off all of your water sources at a main valve if possible and make your second phone call to a remediation company that can help get your home back to normal. Sewage damage is not something that you should try and clean up yourself it is too hazardous.