Why is sewage treated differently from clean water?
Sewage carries bacteria and other organisms that can make people sick, and it soaks into porous materials in a way clean water does not. That changes what is removed and what protective equipment is used.
Clean water from a supply line can often be extracted and dried in place. Sewage cannot, because the material it soaks into is a risk even after it has dried. Carpet pad, drywall and paper that stood in sewage are removed, and the hard surfaces are cleaned and disinfected before drying begins.
Protective gear is worn by the people doing the work, and the clean-up is organized so that contaminated items are not carried back through clean areas. Those precautions are the reason sewage work costs more than clean-water work, and the price is explained on site before any of it begins.
What gets taken out, and what is kept?
Porous material that stood in sewage is removed. Hard, non-porous items can be cleaned, disinfected and kept, and the owner decides about anything of value after the clean-up is recorded.
Carpet and pad are removed, as is drywall, particle board and insulation that the water reached. Wood is removed where it is soft or stained through. Tile, concrete, steel and most plastics can be cleaned and kept, and that includes the floor drain and the fixtures, which are disinfected before being used again.
Stored items in the basement follow the same rule. Cardboard and paper are removed, and a sealed plastic container can often be washed and kept. The record lists every item, with a note of whether it was removed or cleaned, so the claim can be settled from the record.
A useful habit during the clean-up is to keep a running list on the kitchen table: what came out of the room, which bag it went into, and whether a photograph was taken first. The list is simple, and it becomes the basis of the record the insurer reads.
Who fixes the line that backed up?
The sewer line is repaired by a plumber, and if the blockage is in the public sewer, the local utility or the sewer authority is the one to ask. The clean-up does not clear the line.
A blockage that is cleared by a plumber can be recorded with the time and the location, and the owner should keep that record for the insurer. If the line keeps backing up, the cause should be found, because a second backup on the same line means a second clean-up and a second claim.
Where a backwater valve or an ejector pit is involved, the plumber should check it before the house is used again. The record notes which parts were checked and what the plumber found.
What should be done in the first hour?
Keep people away from the water, turn off the appliances that drain to the line, and photograph the water and the damage from the doorway. Do not walk through the water or try to clear the drain yourself.
The priority is to stop more waste from entering the room. Turning off the washing machine, the dishwasher and any other drain in use cuts the flow, and closing the door keeps the water in the room until the clean-up starts. Children and pets should be kept out completely.
Photographs of the water, the drain and the room should be taken from the doorway before anything is moved. That record is the start of the claim, and it shows the condition of the room before any work began.
