Emergency Sewer Backup
Emergency Sewer Backup
It goes without saying that a sewage backup is unpleasant. Wastewater stinks, is filled with things best left unmentioned and poses significant contamination and biohazard risks in addition to all of the other problems that can be caused by regular flood waters. Even more so than normal water damage, sewage backups need to be cleaned up and their damage restored as soon as possible, regardless of whether it is a toilet flooding or a septic backup.
Due to the unique dangers posed by basement sewage flooding, prompt action is needed to minimize damage, drain the waters, and decontaminate and clean the affected areas.
Category 3 Water Damage: Black Water
Category 3 Water Damage: Black Water
The reason that sewage backups are such a big deal is because they often involve what the industry refers to as “black water”, the third and most severe classification of flood water. Black water is highly contaminated and poses significant risk of illness or death if consumed by humans, but it can also make people sick by simply breathing in particles in the air or through other avenues of exposure. In addition to sewage backups, black water can come from rising floodwaters that spill into basements or when groundwater begins to flow into your property.
Some examples of Category 3 water damage
Some examples of Category 3 water damage
are sewage, flooding stemming from rivers or streams, water from the toilet bowl that contains feces, toilet overflows from beyond the toilet trap, and even standing water where microbial growth has begun.
