Sewer & Sewage Backup Cleanup

Stay out of the affected area

• Stop using water and drains in the building so nothing more is added to the backup.
• Keep people and pets away from contaminated water and anything it has touched.
• Do not run fans across contaminated areas before cleanup begins.
• Avoid contact without protection, and wash thoroughly if contact has already happened.

Why sewage backups happen

• Blocked main drain or sewer lateral
• Root intrusion, sagging or collapsed sewer sections
• Grease, wipes and debris accumulation in the main line
• Multiple fixtures backing up at once, which usually points at the main line
• Backups through basement floor drains during heavy flow or storms

Cleanup and sanitization

• Clear or diagnose the drain or sewer failure so the backup stops
• Remove contaminated water and affected debris
• Remove porous materials that cannot be safely cleaned, including carpet, underpad, insulation and affected drywall
• Clean and sanitize affected hard surfaces
• Dry and dehumidify the area with moisture monitoring
• Odour control after cleaning and drying

Contaminated water is treated differently

With sewage involvement, more material is normally removed rather than dried in place, because porous materials that have absorbed contaminated water cannot be reliably restored by drying alone.

Scope and pricing

The affected area must be assessed before the scope of restoration work can be confirmed. A technician inspects the water source, the extent of the moisture and the affected materials, then explains what the recovery actually requires.