A Comprehensive Guide to Sewage Clean Up Services

Damage to a property can occur in many different ways, but homeowners and businesses will especially shudder at the thought of sewage-related damage. In the aftermath of a septic tank failure, toilet overflow, or other sewage-related problems, the last thing you want to do is deal with the mess. Thankfully, you don’t have to contend with these issues on your own. This is exactly the time when professional sewage clean up services can be invaluable!

You’ll typically be able to find different types of sewage clean up services based on your situation, including:

Emergency clean up. For extremely time-sensitive issues, you’ll want a company that provides 24/7 and emergency sewage clean up.
Residential clean up. Residential services are tailored to assist with sewage clean up in and around homes, apartment buildings, and condos.
Commercial services. This type of clean up and repair service is suitable for most types of businesses, including offices, retail locations, industrial sites, and more.

It’s important to know that sewage clean up isn’t just about removing waste and hazardous materials from a space. These services also include odor removal, comprehensive treatment of a property with specialized cleaning products, structural repair, and much more. Comprehensive restoration can be absolutely critical to restoring the overall cleanliness and appearance of your home or business and delivering results that last.

So, what causes sewage-related issues? And what can you expect with professional sewage clean up services? Below, we’ll take a deeper dive into everything you need to know.

What Causes Sewage Clean Up Issues?

Sewage problems can come in plenty of different configurations. Each of these issues may require a different approach to cleaning, treatment, and restoration. When it comes to sewage clean up services, the most common problems are related to:

Why do sewage issues occur? Sometimes, the issue is preventable with regular maintenance and other steps. In other situations, like unexpected flooding, there’s nothing you could’ve done ahead of time. Here are a few different causes for sewage problems.

3 Natural Causes of Sewage Problems

Natural causes are an all-too-common root of sewage problems. These issues may be out of your control, but can still contribute to the deterioration of your sewage systems. Here are a few natural causes that we see frequently:

Tree roots. Sewer lines running into your home are located underground, and they can often be vulnerable to encroaching tree roots. As tree roots spread, they can dig into pipes, weakening them or causing a rupture. For homes with septic tanks, tree roots can reach these as well, causing potential failure.
Flooding. Pipes are built to withstand a certain amount of precipitation, but they’re not invincible. Unexpectedly heavy snowfall, flooding, or high volumes of rain can all overwhelm sewer systems. When that happens, it’s common to experience problems like sewage backup.
Freezing temperatures. For areas of the country with severely cold temperatures, frozen pipes are often a wintertime worry. While you can take steps to prevent your pipes from freezing, these issues can affect your water lines and sewer lines alike.

3 Structural Causes to Keep In Mind

The sources of sewage problems extend well beyond natural sources. Often, issues can be tied to the strength and structural stability of your pipes. As the structure of your plumbing system starts to weaken, it can put strain on the overall system. Here are three reasons that happens:

Corroded or outdated pipes. Over time, your pipes will slowly degrade—it’s inevitable for them to get weaker due to corrosion, use, age, or other issues. As their quality deteriorates, they’re less capable of performing tasks, sometimes resulting in issues like sewage backup or overflow.
Damaged or misaligned plumbing. Pipes can become misaligned, damaged, or cracked for all kinds of reasons. As one example, in severely cold temperatures, pipes may freeze and unfreeze frequently. This can lead to leaks and other plumbing problems.
Bellied pipes. Because pipes are located underground, they’re often susceptible to small changes in their environment. When the soil around your pipes shifts, it can result in “bellied” pipes—a sagging effect that makes your pipes less structurally sound.

3 Human Causes of Sewage Issues

Finally, human error can contribute to all kinds of problems related to your sewage system. Knowing what these are can be a great way to take preventative action—but you can’t always get ahead of the problem. Through our sewage clean up services, we often see these common causes:

Buildup of grease. Oils, grease, fats, scum, and residue can all cause blockages in your pipes. In most cases, these products aren’t meant to be disposed of down sinks, garbage disposals, or toilets, and can therefore tax your entire system.
Improper disposal of waste. It’s all too common for toilets to be used as a way to get rid of all kinds of undesired objects. From bugs to debris to other foreign items, these objects aren’t meant to go through your pipes, and can quickly cause a blockage.
Lack of maintenance. Your pipes and septic systems need to be cared for regularly to prevent issues from surfacing. For example, septic tanks require pumping once every three years, in most cases, to limit the potential for failure. When that doesn’t happen, you’re more likely to deal with problems.

Understanding Sewage Clean Up Services

Why Opt for Professional Sewage Clean Up?

In the aftermath of a sewage backup, you may be faced with a costly plumbing bill—and so it might be tempting to skip professional sewage clean up services. But this can be even more expensive, frustrating, and time-consuming in the long run.

Here’s why that’s true, and why professional sewage clean up services can be invaluable for your home or business:

Health hazards from waste materials. Biohazard and waste materials can be incredibly dangerous for your health. Exposure to sewage materials can lead to a greater risk of E. coli, salmonella, Hepatitis A, parasites, fungi, and so much more.
Safety concerns from mold and contaminated materials. Even if waste materials appear to be minimal, they can become aerosolized, getting into the air and onto surfaces. Mold and mildew can also be a hazard when dealing with sewage clean up. For these reasons, you want technicians with appropriate safety gear and the proper equipment to find and treat contaminants.
Proper sewage clean up and disposal. When you’re faced with sewage issues, you want the right methods taken for treatment, clean up, and disposal. With a trusted sewage clean up company, you can look forward to industry-leading equipment, products, and processes. Technicians can treat sewage on surfaces, harmful particles in the air, and lingering odors. It’s a level of thoroughness and care you want in the aftermath of sewage problems.
Extensive and impactful treatment. It’s important to remember that removing waste materials is often just the start of the sewage clean up process. You may be dealing with hidden mold or mildew as a result of these issues, as well as damage to surfaces and subsurfaces of your property. These are things that a professional team can help with—helping you get your space back to its previous condition.

About Our Sewage Clean Up Process

What can you expect with professional sewage clean up? Every company will vary in its approach, and their process will also be dictated by the level of your sewage clean up needs. With these caveats in mind, here’s what you can typically expect from our team:

A thorough inspection of the damage. You can always expect precision and care from our team, starting with an in-depth assessment of the affected areas. This allows us to build out tailored strategies for treatment, and to provide a clear and upfront scope of the work involved. As part of that, we provide upfront pricing for homeowners and businesses, too.
Removal of sewage materials. Wearing protective gear and using tried-and-true methods, we’ll carefully remove sewage and other biohazards from your space. Our friendly technicians come with fully stocked trucks with industry-specific equipment to ensure we can complete this task, effectively removing contaminated materials from the site.
Drying up moisture. We don’t just extract standing water that’s still in your space. We also make every effort to dry up moisture on surfaces and in the air. Our technicians use high-impact technology like air scrubbers, professional water extraction equipment with auto-pump capabilities, and professional-grade LGR humidifiers to effectively remove moisture throughout an affected area.
Cleaning and treating your property. Our technicians keenly understand the many hazards related to sewage contamination. That’s why we use powerful products and equipment to clean and treat your property. Backed by our company’s decades of industry experience, we use proven processes to get the job done correctly.
Addressing mold and odors. Mold and mildew are common in the aftermath of sewage problems—and strong odors can linger, too. With all of these issues, we take a thorough approach to treatment. It means we’re able to deliver longer-lasting results while returning your space to its pre-loss condition.
Providing repairs. Whether sewage-related issues have resulted in structural damage or surface damage, we can handle the repair process for you. Our technicians will work tirelessly to return affected areas to their previous condition, providing clear updates throughout the process for your peace of mind.

Get Started with 1-800 WATER DAMAGE Today

Dealing with sewage and plumbing issues can be tremendously stressful. But a professional, reliable sewage clean up company can help you get your property back up and running.

At 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, we offer our services to homes and businesses across the country. We understand that a sewage issue can be a crisis. That’s why we’re available round-the-clock for all your sewage clean up needs. When things are tough, you can count on 1-800 WATER DAMAGE for invaluable assistance.

Choose 24/7 emergency sewage clean up services from 1-800 WATER DAMAGE. We’re here to help—so just give us a call to get started.