The heavy rains spring brings is damaging enough if it leads to in-home flooding, but add a sewage backup and the problem goes from bad to worse. Instead of water in your home, you now have wastewater, which equates to a smelly, dirty mess, with the added disadvantage of potential health hazards for you and your family.

Common Causes of Sewage Backup

When the weather is dry, a sewer backup is most often caused by clogged pipes. That clogging is typically due to a blockage, such as flushed-toilet items that don’t easily break down, tree roots encroaching on pipes, fats, oils, or grease discarded down drains, or settling soil that collapses pipes making areas unpassable.

When the weather is wet, a sewer overflow can occur when large amounts of rainfall and water from melting snow become too much for the property drainage system to handle. If water levels rise above your drainage system, you could end up with bacteria-ridden wastewater backflowing into your home

Prevent Wet Weather Sewer Overflow

You already know you can’t stop Mother Nature from dropping spring rains. And if you’re in a municipality where sewage and stormwater systems are combined, your hands may feel tied to preventing water damage risks to your home. But while you might not be able to control the amount of rainfall or the amount of water the drainage system can handle, you can be on guard to protect your home and your family’s health by using one of the following flood prevention systems. 

1. Sump Pump: When heavy rains fall to the ground, the water needs somewhere to go. Instead of pooling in your basement, a sump pump can act as the first line of defense to collect the water and send it on its way. The pump is installed into a shallow pit in the foundation where excess water gathers. When water fills up, the pump is activated to remove the water before it has the chance to cause a sewage backup.
2. Alarms: If your home is prone to water leaks despite your best effort to address the root cause, use a detection system to be notified when water levels are on the rise. There are all kinds of water sensors available and many are relatively inexpensive. If water begins to collect in an area of your home, the sensor will go off so that you can respond to the issue as quickly as possible to avoid sewage backup.
3. Automatic Backwater Valve: Possibly the best way to stop a public line sewage backup is to install a valve that only allows water to flow in one direction. So when the sewer water reaches a set level above the house drain, the valve closes off and stops the backwater from getting in. Once the water levels drop, the air in the chamber decompresses and the valve is able to re-open automatically.

The spring rains will soon be falling. Don’t let a potential flood lead to a mess of a sewage problem. Work with a professional to assess your home and respond to any potential flaws.

If you’ve already got the aftermath of a sewage backup on your hands, let us help. We can quickly and safely remove the wastewater, and clean and dry the area back to pre-damage conditions. You don’t have to deal with the dilemma all on your own. Give us a call.

Water and Sewage Restoration Services

When extensive water damage or a blockage results in sewage from sewer lines to back up into your property, immediate cleanup and decontamination services are necessary. Sewage backup is a potentially hazardous situation that can cause the destruction of your property, create electrical malfunctions, and enter your groundwater, contaminating your drinking water and leading to disease. The DRS team of certified technicians are trained to mitigate the microbial risk and thoroughly decontaminate your property. Sorting of sewage-contaminated and at-risk items is done to assure your safety. If you’re dealing with sewage backup issues, call DRS today to get help from our team of experienced cleanup and decontamination specialists.