Floor drain and basement backup
Sewage that comes up through a floor drain or a low fixture on a lower floor. The water is often in a basement, utility room or the lowest corner of the house.
Urgent? Phones answered 24/7
Sewage Backup Cleanup in Asheville, NC
Removing and disinfecting sewage that came up through drains or over floors during floods and storms across Asheville and Buncombe County.
- Phones answered 24/7
- Basements, crawl spaces, ice-split pipes
- Mountain valleys and river flooding
Get a fast quote
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Sewage Cleanup
Sewage Backup Cleanup: what it covers
Quick answer
Sewage cleanup is the removal of waste water that came up through a drain or a line, or that a flood carried over a floor. It is treated as a health hazard, not as ordinary water. In Asheville, flood water over lower floors can carry sewage, so the crew sets up the protection, removes what cannot be cleaned and dries the rest on a record.
Sewage is different from clean water, and the difference changes everything about how the room is handled. Anything that touched it is treated as contaminated, the people in the room need protective equipment, and porous materials that soaked it are generally removed rather than cleaned. If you can smell it, see grey water in a drain or find a toilet or floor drain that is backing up, leave the area and make the call.
A backup from a drain can come from a blocked main, a full septic line or a sewer that has been overwhelmed by rain. A flood can carry sewage over a floor from outside. The cause matters for the claim and for the fix, so the crew records what it saw at the drain and at the low point of the room.
- Service area
- Asheville & Buncombe County
- Availability
- Phones answered 24/7, emergencies first
- Phone
- (833) 490-5225
Warning signs
Signs you need sewage backup cleanup
Do not enter sewage-contaminated water without protective gear, and do not work in it barefoot or with cuts on your hands. Keep children and pets out of the area. Ventilate the room without creating a draft through the affected area. If you feel unwell after exposure, see a doctor and mention the contamination.
- Water coming up through a floor drain, a shower drain or a toilet when another fixture is used
- A sewage smell that is strongest near floor drains, basement corners or the bottom of the stairs
- Grey or dark water standing on a floor after a storm or a flood
- Stains or discoloured drywall at the bottom of the walls near a drain
- Sewer gurgling or slow drains throughout the house when it rains
- Waste or toilet paper in the water on a lower floor
Our process
How our sewage backup cleanup visit works
Keep people out and protect the crew
The area is closed off and crew members wear gloves, eye protection, masks and boots. Children, pets and anyone with a weakened immune system are kept away until the area is cleared.
Stop the flow and find the cause
The crew checks the drain, the cleanout and the line that is backing up. Where a backwater valve exists, it is checked for function. The cause is recorded for the repair and the claim.
Remove the water and the contaminated material
Standing sewage is extracted, and porous material that it soaked is removed, including carpet pad, some drywall, insulation and any soft goods that cannot be disinfected.
Clean and disinfect the hard surfaces
Hard surfaces and salvageable structure are cleaned with products suited to sewage, then disinfected and allowed to dry. Fixtures and drains are checked before they are used again.
Dry and verify the area
The area is dried to readings, and the final log is kept. The homeowner is told which items were removed and why, so nothing is discarded without a reason.
Why is sewage water handled differently from a burst pipe?
Because it carries bacteria, viruses and other contaminants that a clean-water loss does not. The material it touches is contaminated, the people who handle it need protection and the drying can only start once the contaminated material is out.
A clean-water loss from a supply line can often be dried in place. Sewage cannot be dried in place, because the contamination stays in the material after the water evaporates. Carpet pad, porous insulation, soft goods and some drywall are usually removed and replaced, and hard surfaces are cleaned and disinfected.
The handling is also different for the crew. Gloves, eye protection, masks and boots are standard, and the area is ventilated and kept closed while the work is done. Nobody should try to clean up sewage without that protection.
Can I clean up a sewage backup myself?
For a very small amount on a hard floor, with protective gear and good ventilation, some people do. For anything that has reached porous material, a wall, a subfloor or a room used by children, it is a job for a crew. Do not mix cleaning products, and do not use a household vacuum on the water.
Bleach and ammonia-based cleaners should not be mixed, because the combination releases harmful gas. A household vacuum can spread contamination through its exhaust and can short out on wet floors. Use gloves, eye protection and a mask, and keep the room ventilated.
The bigger risk is what you cannot see. Sewage that soaked into the wall or under the floor keeps the contamination and the moisture in place, and it can cause illness long after the water is gone.
What does a sewage backup mean for the drain itself?
It means the drain or the line that serves it has a blockage or a failure somewhere, and the blockage needs to be cleared by a plumber before the house is used normally again. The restoration crew deals with the water and the damage. The line is a separate repair.
A backup can come from a blockage in the house's own line, from the public sewer or from the septic system if the house has one. The plumber will want to know where the water first appeared, which fixtures were in use, and whether it has happened before.
Where a backwater valve is fitted, its condition should be checked after any backup. A valve that is stuck open or closed will not do its job, and it is one of the few devices that can stop sewage from coming back into a lower floor.
Does the insurer cover a sewage backup?
Many standard homeowner policies exclude sewer and drain backup unless a separate endorsement was added, and flood water from a river is generally excluded from the standard policy as well. Check your policy and ask the insurer in writing what it covers, and keep the photographs and records.
A backup that comes from a river flood is treated differently from one that comes from the house's own drain, and the policy language decides which one applies. Keep a note of where the water came from and when, because the insurer will ask.
The North Carolina Department of Insurance accepts complaints about how a claim is handled. It does not decide the claim itself, so the written record and the policy wording matter most.
What should I do with the clothing and bedding that was in the water?
Clothing, bedding and soft furnishings that were in sewage are generally bagged, labelled and removed rather than washed at home. Hard items can be cleaned and disinfected, and the decision for each item is recorded.
Washing contaminated clothing in a household machine can spread the contamination to the machine and the drain. Put the items in sealed bags, label them with the room they came from and hand them to the crew. The bags are removed and disposed of in a way that keeps the contamination out of the home.
Keep one item of each kind in a photograph before it is bagged. The record helps when the claim is assessed, and it shows the insurer what was removed and why.
Options
Types and options for sewage backup cleanup
Flood-borne sewage
Waste water carried over a floor by river or storm water. It mixes with silt and can spread to rooms the flood did not reach directly, so the scope covers the whole path.
Toilet and fixture overflow
A toilet, shower or sink that overflowed into the floor or the subfloor. The volume is often smaller, but the contamination reaches the materials under the floor, and those must be checked.
Buncombe County
Why sewage backup cleanup is different in Western North Carolina
River and storm flooding can push sewage up through drains and across lower floors at the same time, so a single loss can have two sources. The crew checks for both before choosing the removal plan.
Heavy rain drives sewer backups in many older systems, because storm water and sewage share some lines. The rains that follow a river crest or a tropical remnant are the ones that most often cause the backup.
Houses on slopes sometimes have their lowest drain in the crawl space or the lowest utility room. Those are the first places the backup appears, and they are often the last places a homeowner looks.
One call and it gets handled.
A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available, and you approve the estimate before any work starts.
Where we work
Sewage Backup Cleanup across Buncombe County
- Sewage Cleanup in Asheville
- Sewage Cleanup in Weaverville
- Sewage Cleanup in Swannanoa
- Sewage Cleanup in Skyland
- Sewage Cleanup in Alexander
- Sewage Cleanup in Arden
- Sewage Cleanup in Fairview
- Sewage Cleanup in Candler
- Sewage Cleanup in Leicester
- Sewage Cleanup in Fletcher
- Sewage Cleanup in Enka
- Sewage Cleanup in Barnardsville
- Sewage Cleanup in Montreat
- Sewage Cleanup in Ridgecrest
- Sewage Cleanup in Gerton
- Sewage Cleanup in Black Mountain
- Sewage Cleanup in Mills River
- Sewage Cleanup in Naples
- Sewage Cleanup in Mars Hill
- Sewage Cleanup in Bat Cave
- Sewage Cleanup in Horse Shoe
- Sewage Cleanup in Canton
- Sewage Cleanup in Edneyville
- Sewage Cleanup in Hendersonville
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Related
Related services
River Flood Water Cleanup
Removing and drying flood water that came over low floors from the French Broad, the Swannanoa and their tributaries, across Asheville and Buncombe County.
Emergency Water Extraction
Pumping and vacuuming standing water out of floors, crawl spaces and lower rooms across Asheville and Buncombe County, around the clock.
Contents Pack-Out and Storage
Moving, cleaning, logging and storing furniture and belongings from water-damaged rooms across Asheville and Buncombe County.
Water Damage Claim Documentation
Helping homeowners keep the photographs, moisture logs and scope that an insurance claim for water damage depends on, across Asheville and Buncombe County.
Guides
Read before you book
Water damage insurance claims in North Carolina: the general pattern
A water damage claim is generally decided on three questions: what caused the water, whether the policy covers that cause, and how much of the damage the evidence supports.
FAQ
Sewage Backup Cleanup FAQs
Is a sewage backup an emergency?
Yes. Sewage is a health risk, and the area should be closed off until a crew has cleared it. Calls are answered 24/7, and the crew is sent as soon as one is free.
Will the carpet be saved?
Usually not. Carpet pad and carpet that have been in contact with sewage are generally removed, because the contamination cannot be fully taken out of porous material. The scope will say what is being removed.
Can the crew fix the drain?
The restoration crew deals with the water and the damage. A licensed plumber repairs or clears the drain and the line, and the two jobs are recorded separately.
Do I need to test the water?
The crew cleans and disinfects the affected area according to the material. If you have a specific concern about health, speak to a doctor, and ask the crew what products were used.
How do I stop it happening again?
Ask a plumber to check the drain, the cleanout and any backwater valve. Keep drains clear, and avoid flushing or pouring anything that can block the line during heavy rain.
What happens to the belongings that were in the water?
Items that were in sewage are assessed one by one. Hard items can often be cleaned and disinfected, and soft or porous items usually cannot be made safe and are removed after photographs are taken.