What To Do When You Find Sewage in Your Bathtub

1/10/2022 (Permalink)

What To Do When You Find Sewage in Your Bathtub

Storms are inevitable. Powerful rains and winds have the potential to cause lasting damage during a storm. If you experience a sewer backup after a storm in your home, you may have some questions about what happened and what to do about the mess.

1. Why Backups Happen
Toilets and bathtubs drain separately down into the same sewer line through separate pipes. When there is a backup or obstruction in the main sewer line for your home, things that did not drain properly, like raw sewage, can be pushed back up through any available pipes and end up in your bathtub. A bathtub backup does not mean there is anything wrong with your bathtub. It's messy and may smell bad, but your bathtub will likely function properly again once cleaned and sanitized.

2. What To Do Immediately
When you discover a sewer backup in your bathtub, there are a few things you can do immediately to lessen the impact on your home. Stop flushing toilets and turn off the waterline. Stopping the flow of water through your pipes will prevent flooding and stop more sewage from coming up in unexpected places. To help dispel the odor, open windows, and use fans to ventilate the area. Try to avoid skin contact with raw sewage. If you should accidentally touch it, wash your hands with antibacterial soap.

3. When To Call For Help
Sewage contains bacteria and other contaminants that can cause lingering odors and lasting damage to your home if not cleaned quickly and properly. Adequate ventilation throughout the cleanup process and personal protective gear are essential for the safe cleanup of sewage. Unless you want to purchase the proper protective gear and cleaning equipment needed to achieve a safe and thorough cleaning yourself, you may want to enlist storm damage repair professionals who are experienced in the process and equipped to efficiently clean and sanitize everything.
Understanding how a sewer backup happens and how to respond to the mess can help you avoid lasting damage to your home.