Sewer Backup in Your House: What to Do, Step by Step

The first few minutes

Work through these steps in order. None of them needs tools.

1. Stop all water use in the house. Every flush, shower, dishwasher cycle and load of laundry sends more water toward the blockage, and it comes back up wherever the drains are lowest. Tell everyone at home. Gwinnett County's water department, for example, advises stopping washing machines, dishwashers and showers until a backup is cleared (Gwinnett County DWR).
2. Get children and pets out of the area. The CDC says to keep them away from affected areas until cleanup is finished (CDC).
3. Treat the electricity as live. If sewage has reached outlets, cords, appliances or a furnace, CDC guidance is to turn off the power at the main breaker or fuse, but only if you can reach the panel without stepping into standing water. If you can't, call an electrician, and never switch power on or off or use an electric tool while standing in water (CDC).
4. Note where the sewage is coming from. One fixture, the lowest drains, or several fixtures at once? The next section explains what each pattern means.
5. Call for help. If the public sewer might be involved, call your sewer utility's emergency line; otherwise call a licensed plumber or drain cleaning company. Your utility's number is on its website and usually on your bill.
6. Photograph everything before you move it. The CDC-published homeowner's guide to cleanup after flooding says to contact your insurance company and take pictures of the home and your belongings before cleanup starts (cleanup guide).
7. Put the plunger away. When several drains back up, the blockage is past the reach of a plunger. Skip drain-opening chemicals too, and read the guide to chemical drain cleaners before you use any.

Work out how far the backup reaches

Every drain in a house flows into one pipe, the building drain. Outside, it continues as your sewer line (often called the lateral) and connects to the public sewer main. Where the sewage shows up tells you roughly where the blockage is, and that tells you whom to call first.

Two cautions go with this table. First, leave cleanout caps alone during a backup. On a blocked line the cleanout pipe can be full of sewage, which is exactly what utility investigators look for when they check one (Gwinnett County DWR). The cleanout guide explains what a cleanout is and how to check one safely once the emergency is over.

Second, utility practices differ. When you can't tell which side the problem is on, it's reasonable to call the utility first and ask what it will check.

Utility or plumber: who to call

Georgia doesn't have one sewer system. Cities, counties and water and sewer authorities each run their own, and they handle backup calls in different ways. Your bill or the utility's website tells you which one serves you and how to reach it after hours.

Many run around-the-clock emergency service. Gwinnett County's Department of Water Resources says it treats every backup report as an emergency, responds 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays, and starts by checking the flow in the sewer manholes upstream and downstream of the property (Gwinnett County DWR). Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management lists sewer overflows, ruptured sewer lines and sinkholes among the problems to report to it immediately (Atlanta DWM).

Who pays for which repair depends on where the blockage is and on your utility's rules, and the dividing line differs from one utility to the next. The guide to sewer line responsibility in Georgia explains how to find out for your address. A practical order of calls:

• Neighbors are affected, or sewage is outdoors: call the utility first.
• Only your house is affected: call a plumber, or call the utility if you think the public side may be involved.
• Your home is on a septic system: the sewer utility isn't involved; call a septic contractor or plumber.
• You rent: tell your landlord right away, and keep calling for help if the landlord can't be reached.

If you hire a plumber first and the cause turns out to be the utility's responsibility, ask the utility about its reimbursement process before any repair is made. Gwinnett, for example, requires its own staff to inspect the line after it has been dug up and before it is repaired if you want to file a claim (Gwinnett County DWR).

Protect yourself before any cleanup

Sewage isn't just dirty water. EPA notes that raw sewage carries bacteria, viruses, parasites, and molds and fungi, and can cause illnesses ranging from mild stomach cramps and diarrhea to life-threatening disease (EPA).

Who should stay out. EPA says children and pregnant people should not take part in flood cleanup, and that people with asthma or other breathing problems, or with weakened immune systems, should stay away from moldy areas and out of the cleanup (EPA). Keep pets out as well.

What to wear. When sewage is involved, the CDC calls for rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles (CDC). EPA's flood cleanup list adds an N-95 respirator, goggles without vent holes, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt (EPA).

Cuts and wounds. The CDC says open cuts or sores exposed to floodwater, which it notes can contain sewage, should be washed with soap and water and treated with an antibiotic ointment (CDC). For a puncture wound or a wound contaminated with feces or soil, it says a health care professional should decide whether you need a tetanus booster, and that you should get medical care if a wound becomes red, swollen or starts to ooze (CDC).

Wash up. The CDC says to wash with soap and water once you're done cleaning (CDC) and after contact with floodwater, and to wash children's hands often and always before meals (CDC).

The CDC's advice for anyone who is hurt or becomes sick during cleanup is to get medical attention right away, so see a doctor if you feel ill after exposure (CDC). This guide is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice; a doctor, a licensed plumber, your utility and your insurer can advise on your own situation.

What to throw away, what to clean, and how to dry

Throw away

Anything porous that sewage soaked into is hard to make safe again. EPA says rugs, curtains, flooring, wallboard panels and upholstered furniture that come into contact with sewage usually have to be replaced (EPA). The CDC's list of things to discard when they can't be cleaned or dried quickly includes mattresses, carpeting and carpet padding, rugs, upholstered furniture, pillows, stuffed animals and baby toys (CDC).

Throw away any food that may have touched the water (CDC). Before anything goes to the curb, photograph it and add it to a written list with its rough age and what it cost; an insurer or utility may ask.

Clean what can be saved

Items that don't soak up water, such as metal, glass and hard plastic, can usually be cleaned, and some fabrics can be saved by running them through the laundry (EPA). EPA's order matters: first clean gently with clean water and detergent to remove the dirt and germs. Then, if you use a disinfectant, use an EPA-registered product on cleaned surfaces that don't absorb water, and follow its label, including how long it has to stay wet (EPA).

Never mix bleach with ammonia or any other cleaner, and don't use bleach in a closed room; open windows and doors first (CDC).

Dry everything fast

EPA says mold can grow on wood, drywall, carpet and furniture that stay wet for more than 24 hours (EPA), and the CDC advises drying your home within 24 to 48 hours if possible (CDC). Open doors and windows if it's safe. Use fans and dehumidifiers only after a qualified electrician has inspected any electrical equipment that got wet, which is when the CDC says power can go back on (CDC).

If any part of the heating and air system took on water, don't run it to dry the house; EPA says it's best to have a professional clean it. EPA also suggests a moisture meter: walls, cabinets and floors should read 15 percent or less before you refinish them (EPA).

When to hire a cleanup company

EPA's mold guidance is direct: if water damage was caused by sewage or other contaminated water, bring in a professional with experience cleaning and repairing buildings damaged by contaminated water (EPA). A small spill on a tile floor is one thing; sewage in carpet, behind baseboards or across a finished basement is another.

Hiring makes the most sense when:

• sewage soaked carpet, padding, drywall or insulation;
• more than one room is affected;
• the heating and air system or its ducts took on water;
• someone in the home is pregnant, very young, or has asthma or a weakened immune system;
• you can't get everything dry within 24 to 48 hours.

When you compare companies, EPA suggests asking about qualifications, training and experience, and checking references. Professionals may hold certifications from organizations such as the IICRC, NEHA, AIHA or ACAC; EPA itself doesn't certify cleanup contractors or keep a list of them (EPA).

Keep the two jobs straight. A plumber or drain cleaning company clears the blockage; a restoration company cleans and dries. Cleanup shouldn't start until the line is flowing again, or the next flush can undo it.

Document the damage for your insurer or utility

Good records make every later conversation easier. Start before cleanup and keep adding as you go:

• photos and video of every affected room, the fixture where sewage came up, water lines on walls, and damaged items before they are removed;
• the date and time it started, what you noticed first, and which fixtures were involved;
• who you called and when, the names of the crews or technicians, and what each one found;
• invoices and receipts for plumbing, cleanup, equipment rental and replacement items.

Utilities that review backup claims ask for this kind of detail. Gwinnett's procedure, for example, asks for the address, owner and resident contact details, the date and time, a short statement of what happened, a description of the damage, copies of bills and pictures, and its risk management office reviews the claim and makes the decision (Gwinnett County DWR). Other utilities have their own processes, so ask yours.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, a typical homeowners policy doesn't cover sewer backup unless you bought that coverage as an endorsement or a separate product (III), and the sewer backup insurance guide explains the details.

Example: a Saturday-night backup (hypothetical)

Suppose a homeowner in a split-level house in middle Georgia starts a load of laundry on a Saturday evening. Ten minutes later, her teenager reports water around the floor drain in the downstairs laundry room, and the downstairs shower has dark water in it.

She stops the washer and tells everyone not to flush or shower. The dog goes out to the backyard. The water is spreading toward a power strip, so she turns off the main breaker at the panel in the garage, which is dry. The upstairs fixtures seem fine, but she doesn't run them to find out.

She finds the utility's after-hours number on her water and sewer bill and calls. The crew checks the main in the street, finds it flowing, and tells her the blockage is on her side of the line. She calls a drain cleaning company, which clears roots from her sewer line and suggests a camera inspection.

Before anyone mops, she photographs the laundry room, the den carpet, a sofa and the bottom of the drywall, and calls her insurer's claim line. Because sewage soaked carpet and drywall in a finished room, she hires a restoration company after checking two references. The carpet, padding, sofa and the bottom of the drywall go; the metal shelving and plastic bins are cleaned and kept. Every invoice goes into one folder.

What made the difference was the order: water off, people out, electricity handled, the right call, photos, and only then cleanup.

After the cleanup: lower the odds of a repeat

Once the house is dry, find out why it happened and what would stop it from happening again.

• Ask what the plumber found. EPA lists fats, oils and grease, wipes (including ones labeled flushable), sanitary pads, tampons and tree roots among the things that block sewers (EPA). The cause decides the fix.
• Consider a camera inspection if the cause isn't clear or the line has backed up before. A video shows roots, cracks and low spots that cleaning alone won't fix.
• Make sure your outdoor cleanout is capped and easy to reach. You, a plumber or the utility may need it next time.
• Ask whether you need a backwater valve. If your lowest drains sit below the top of the next manhole upstream on the public sewer, a backwater valve can keep sewage rising in the main from flowing into your house, and the backwater valve guide explains when the plumbing code requires one.
• Watch what goes down the drains. Grease goes in the trash, and only toilet paper goes in the toilet.

Next step

Look up your sewer provider's emergency number today, on its website or your water and sewer bill, and save it in your phone so you're not searching for it with sewage on the floor.