Containment first
The affected rooms are closed off and the air is filtered before anything is moved, so contamination is not carried through the rest of the house.
Sewage Backup Cleanup
A backup through a floor drain, tub or shower pan is a health hazard rather than a mopping job. An independent provider contains it, removes the contaminated material and disinfects the area before any drying starts.
- Restoration Referrals
- Independent Pros
- Drying & Repairs
Signs of a Sewer Backup
- Water rising in a shower pan or tub when a toilet is flushed
- A toilet or floor drain overflowing with dark or cloudy water
- A strong sewer smell in a bathroom, laundry room or hallway
- Several drains in the house running slowly at the same time
- Wet carpet against a bathroom wall with no visible leak
Sewer lines under the older neighborhoods around downtown Glendale are often clay or cast iron, and desert tree roots find the joints. A blocked line backs up at the lowest fixture in the house, which in a slab home is usually a shower pan, a tub or a floor drain.
What the Service Includes
Contaminated water is handled differently from a clean supply leak from the first minute. Ask the provider to explain what is being removed and why before anything is cut or bagged.
Removing what cannot be cleaned
Carpet, pad, wet drywall and affected cabinet bases are cut out and bagged. Hard surfaces are cleaned and disinfected rather than thrown away.
Drying the structure afterward
Once the area is clean the framing and slab are dried, and the readings are recorded before any repairs are discussed.
Safety and What Comes Next
Water from a sewer line or a toilet backup is treated as contaminated no matter how clear it looks, and porous material that absorbed it comes out rather than being dried.
Keep children and pets out, wear gloves and closed shoes if you have to pass through, and leave the air conditioning off so the system does not spread it. After the cleanup the structure still needs structural drying, and often mold remediation if it sat overnight.
See the restore versus replace comparison for how these calls are made, read how the service works, or check the service areas page.
Sewage Cleanup Questions
Is a sewage backup dangerous?
Treat it as a biohazard. Keep children and pets out of the room, do not walk through it in bare feet or socks, and leave the air conditioning off until the system has been checked. Call Glendale Water Damage Repair and keep the area closed off.
Can I just clean it up with bleach?
Wiping a hard floor is not the difficult part. The problem is the carpet pad, drywall and cabinet base that absorbed it, and those are removed rather than disinfected in place. See water extraction for what happens first.
Why do sewer lines back up here?
Roots getting into older clay lines, grease buildup and heavy monsoon runoff reaching the system all at once. A backup that keeps returning usually points at the line rather than the fixture.
How long before the room can be used again?
Removal and disinfection often come first, with drying running for several days afterward. Ask the provider which rooms are safe to use while the equipment is running.
Arrange sewage cleanup in Glendale
Call and say which fixture backed up and how far the water spread.