Sewage cleanup in Cary, NC

What counts as sewage

Any water that contains human waste is treated as Category 3, the most contaminated class under the industry standard. That includes a toilet overflow with feces in it, a sewer backup coming up through a shower, tub or floor drain, and a septic system that has backed up into the house. A toilet that overflowed with clean tank water, or only urine, is a lesser category, but the line is easy to cross: water that sits for a day or two in a warm house gets worse, not better.

Why sewer lines back up

Most backups start between the house and the street:

• Tree roots find their way into the joints of older clay and cast iron lines and gradually fill them.
• Grease poured down kitchen drains cools and hardens inside the pipe.
• Wipes, including those labeled flushable, do not break down the way toilet paper does and catch on everything.
• Sagging or broken pipe collects solids at the low spot until it blocks.
• Heavy rain can overload public sewers when storm water leaks into them, pushing sewage back up service lines.

When a line blocks, the lowest drain in the house overflows first, which is usually a first-floor shower, tub or floor drain, not the toilet that was flushed.

Your line or the town’s

The pipe that runs from the house to the public sewer main, called the service lateral, is mostly or entirely the owner’s responsibility, and the exact split varies by town. Raleigh makes the owner responsible for the line from the house to where it joins the city main, and notes that most backups happen in that stretch. Cary clears blockages between its main and the cleanout pipe at the edge of the property, leaving the section from the cleanout to the house to the owner; where there is no cleanout at the property line, the whole lateral is the owner’s. If there is a cleanout near the street, a plumber can open it to see which side the blockage is on: a full cleanout points toward the main, an empty one toward the house. Ask the plumber to clear the line all the way to the main.

How sewage cleanup is done

1. Protection first. The crew wears protective suits, gloves, boots and respirators, and the area is closed off from the rest of the house.
2. Removal. Sewage and solids are pumped and scooped out and disposed of properly.
3. Tear-out. Carpet, padding, and drywall and insulation that the water reached are cut out and bagged, with drywall usually cut well above the wet line.
4. Cleaning. Hard surfaces and framing are scrubbed with detergent, then treated with a disinfectant or antimicrobial.
5. Drying. Air movers, dehumidifiers and HEPA air scrubbers run until the readings reach the dry standard.
6. Verification. A final inspection confirms nothing contaminated was missed before rebuilding begins.

What can be saved

Hard, nonporous items such as metal, glass, glazed ceramic and hard plastic can usually be cleaned and disinfected. Solid wood furniture sometimes can. Mattresses, upholstered furniture, stuffed toys, cushions, paper goods and anything else that absorbed sewage are discarded. Photograph everything that is thrown out for the insurance claim.

Health precautions while it is being cleaned

Keep children, pets and anyone with a weakened immune system away from the affected area. Do not run a heating or cooling system that pulls air from the contaminated space until it has been checked. Wash hands thoroughly after any contact, and see a doctor about any cut or wound that touched the sewage.

Sewer backups and insurance

Most standard homeowners policies exclude water that backs up through sewers or drains, but many insurers offer a water backup endorsement for a modest added premium. If you do not know whether you have it, check before you need it. When the cause was a public main, the town or city may have its own claims process. The insurance guide covers the rest. For a toilet overflow, see the toilet overflow page, and for water that came in from outside, flood damage cleanup.