One of the most unpleasant disasters for a homeowner to deal with is a sewer backup. When a clog or block in the sewer line causes the sewage system to become overloaded, waste can get pushed back through the line and into the home.

This not only causes damage to the home, but it is also hazardous to your health, as sewage contains chemical and biological contaminants. Water contaminated with sewage usually contains a variety of bacteria, viruses, and germs that are harmful to your health.

Causes of Sewer Backup

• Clogged Pipes: Sewer backups are common when a sewer line is clogged. A blockage in the sewer lines causes a backup through floor drains and toilets at the lowest point in your home. Your sewer line can become clogged from items such as – excess toilet paper, hair, feminine hygiene products, cooking grease, paper towels and much more.
• Tree Root Infiltration: The roots of large trees in the approximate area of a sewer line can often cause severe problems. The roots can grow into the pipes, cause holes and blockages or they may wrap around the sewer line and crush it.
• Damaged Sewer Lines: If your home is older and the sewer systems have not been updated, your sewer backup may be caused by broken or cracked pipe. Your sewer lines can experience deterioration over time.

Preventive Steps

There are a few steps that you as a homeowner can take to help prevent sewer backup. A few of the things you can do include;

1. Disposing of cooking grease properly: we recommend disposing of cooled grease in a container with a lid that can then be put in the garbage instead of down the drain.
2. Disposing of paper products correctly: paper towels, hygienic items, and disposable or cloth diapers can take longer to deteriorate. Make sure to throw these items in the garbage can.
3. Consider replacing your sewer line with plastic pipe: Tree roots can’t break through plastic piping, and therefore create a more secure line.

Dealing with a sewer backup is not a job for you to tackle by yourself. Call AAA Restoration to help solve this problem and to protect your home from further damage. We can clean up the mess, eliminate odor, and sanitize the area for your safety. At AAA Restoration, we do not recommend that the property owner should attempt to clean the affected areas themselves. When dealing with sewer water, we recommend contacting us to help assist in this cleanup.