Unlike water damage, sewage damage is more serious and requires immediate attention. Sewage damage is highly contaminated water that can have harmful bacteria, viruses, and pathogens that are detrimental to your health. It is important that you have trained restoration professionals handle sewage damage cleanup and ensure your home/business is disinfected and safe.
At RestoreUnow, our restoration specialists will respond quickly and get to work promptly to contain the initial damage. We will work with you to develop a restoration strategy to restore your home/business and prevent further damage to your property.
Trust the experts, and call RestoreUnow at 301-452-7531 for efficient and reliable sewage damage restoration services in Clarksburg, New Market, Mount Airy, and beyond. Click here for your free estimate!
How Quickly Should I Report Sewage Damage?
You should report sewage damage immediately. Exposure to sewage damage can cause cross-contamination to unaffected areas of your home/business; it can also result in severe health issues and safety hazards. Upon finding sewage damage, you should evacuate the premises immediately and call expert restoration professionals.
How Quickly Will RestoreUnow Respond to My Sewage Damage Call?
The restoration experts at RestoreUnow are available 24/7 for help. With response times of less than an hour, our team of RestoreUnow professionals will be at your home/business to prevent further sewage damage and begin cleanup.
Does RestoreUnow Handle Residential or Commercial Sewage Damage?
RestoreUnow services both residential and commercial customers. Sewage damage can happen anywhere at any time, so we aim to assist both homes and large commercial properties (retail stores, warehouses, manufacturing firms).
To learn more about our sewage damage restoration services at RestoreUnow, click here.
What Causes Sewage Damage?
There are various reasons for sewage damage, local and non-local. Here is a list of common sources of sewage damage:
Local
- Pipe Blockage – Pipe blockages are one of the easier fixes. They are typically caused when any large household item is lodged in a toilet or drain. While plungers, liquid drain cleaner, and augers can be used to dislodge most items, it is still recommended you call a sewage damage specialist in severe pipe blockage cases.
- Pipe Corrosion – This occurs when the integrity of your pipes is damaged due to corrosion. When this happens, sewage damage is unavoidable. Corrosive soil, acidic water, aggressive flux, and sub-par pipe installation methods can all cause pipe failure. Some warning signs are: higher than normal water bills, rattling/odd noises, and discolored water. Replacing pipes can be expensive; however, repairing sewage damage along with replacing pipes is much more expensive. It is important to take precautions concerning your pipes so you are not overpaying for restorations.
- Toilet Seepage – Every toilet has protective gaskets (wax rings) at its base to protect against seepage and leaks. It’s recommended to inspect your gaskets on a semi-annual basis. Once the integrity of the gaskets become compromised, toilet seepage can occur and end up costing you a lot of money.
- Growth of Large Roots – This one is a less common, yet still very serious, source of sewage damage. Tree roots are uncontrollable, so when they damage pipes, it causes serious sewage damage to your home/business.
Non-Local
- Sewer Overflow Due to Flooding – This factor is uncontrollable and is usually caused by heavy rains and flooding. This can result in sewage overflows that affect your home/business or even the entire neighborhood/town. When these kinds of sewage overflows take place, you will typically be notified of the flooding and will be offered assistance for the sewage damage.
- Sewer Main Blockage – Sometimes, there is damage to the main pipeline connecting to your home/business pipes, resulting in sewage blockage in your home/business area. Again, in larger sewage damage cases such as these, you will be notified and assisted in restoration.
Can Other Areas of My Home/Business Become Affected?
Other areas of your home/business are definitely susceptible to becoming affected. Cross-contamination is a very common, key safety hazard when dealing with sewage damage. To ensure there is no cross-contamination within your home/business, the affected area must be properly contained and ventilated. It is important that only sewage damage specialists handle the damage since they are trained and practiced in handling these procedures. If the cross-contamination is not controlled, it may lead to toxic fumes, seepage, and exposure to airborne bacteria and viruses.
Will My Insurance Cover Sewage Cleanup Cost?
RestoreUnow is certified to work with all insurance companies and can refer specialists for rebuilding, reconstruction, or repair of sewage lines. Our restoration experts want to help you get your life and your property back to normal as soon as possible. If your insurance policy covers sewage damage, then you are usually only responsible for the deductible.
If you’ve experienced sewage damage, immediately call RestoreUnow at 301-452-7531 or contact us online for your free estimate.
Can My Belongings Be Saved?
It may difficult to hear, but it’s important to understand that, in most cases, your belongings affected by sewage damage are not able to be salvaged. This is especially significant for pregnant women, those who have immune deficiencies, young children, and the elderly. Belongings that have been exposed to sewage can cause diseases and infections, so it is best to just get rid of the affected items. Most carpeting, furniture, upholstery, and other common household/business items will have to undergo extreme sanitation/sterilization processes before returning to their normal place.
What Items Can Be Sterilized?
When sterilizing items affected by sewage damage, it is important to be very careful and follow strict guidelines outlined by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). The IICRC instructs that affected items that cannot be washed in water at a temperature of 130°F (54 °C) for at least 10 minutes must be confiscated promptly by sewage damage specialists. These items include:
- Carpet/Carpet Padding
- Upholstery
- Bedding/Linens/Blankets
- Wicker
- Paper/Boxes/Cardboard
- Fabric/Clothing
- Drywall
- Insulation
When Can I Return to My Property?
You should only return to your home/business when the sewage damage experts or environmental hygienist gives you verification after completing the sewage damage cleanup. The cleanup can take many weeks, so it is best to just wait for the sewage damage experts to finish their restoration before returning.
For more information about RestoreUnow and our expert sewage damage clean up, extraction, drying, and other restoration services we provide, please call us at 301-452-7531 or fill out our contact form.
What Are the Health Risks Involved with Sewage Damage?
There are many health risks involved with sewage damage, mostly in the forms of serious infections and diseases. It is important to understand the severity of sewage damage and the thousands of pathogens and parasites that live in the sewage waste. Home/business owners are encouraged to call restoration professionals to take control of the situation before diseases are contracted.
Bacteria
- Escherichia coli (E. coli) – causes bloody diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting
- Campylobacter jejuni – long-term effects include arthritis and Guillain-Barre syndrome
(a disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system, causing paralysis) - Salmonella – causes gastroenteritis, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever
Parasites
- Cryptosporidiosis – life-threatening in immune-deficient patients
- Giardia – causes diarrhea, dehydration, malabsorption, chronic weight loss
- Ascariasis (roundworm) – blocks intestinal tract; causes chronic cough, shortness of breath
- Helminths worm (tapeworm) – feeds on intestinal tract; causes vitamin deficiencies, fatigue, weight loss
Viruses
- Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) – known to cause cervical or anal cancer, genital warts
- Adenoviruses – cause respiratory and eye infections, pneumonia, croup, and bronchitis
- Norwalk virus – causes gastroenteritis
- Rotavirus – causes severe diarrhea and high fevers
You can check out our website for more information on our sewage damage restoration process and services. Call RestoreUnow at 301-452-7531 or contact us today for any of your sewage damage or other restoration needs!