Sewage backup cleanup: the loss where porous material that got wet comes out

How sewage backup cleanup works

1. Stop using water in the building. Every flush, sink and appliance cycle adds to a backed up line, so the first instruction is to stop using water entirely until the cause is known. That cause is usually a blockage or a failure in the drain line, which is a drain contractor's job rather than a restoration firm's, and the two visits often need to happen in that order.
2. Containment and protective equipment. The area is isolated before anything is moved, because walking contaminated material through the rest of the building is the most common way a contained loss stops being contained. Crews work in full protective equipment. The air in the work zone is put under negative pressure so it does not migrate into occupied rooms.
3. Removal, and it is more than people expect. Carpet and pad, particle board, drywall to a height above the water line, insulation, and any upholstered or absorbent contents that were wetted are removed rather than cleaned. Hard non porous surfaces are cleaned and then disinfected at proper contact time. Anything you cannot verify as clean is a thing you have to take out.
4. Drying, disinfection and verification. Once the contaminated material is gone the remaining structure is dried as any water loss would be, to measured readings rather than to a schedule. Final disinfection follows drying, not the other way round, and you should get documentation of the scope, the disinfection and where the waste went.

The sewer backup endorsement, and what emergency sewage cleanup costs

Sewer and drain backup is normally excluded from both standard homeowners cover and standard flood cover, and is bought back through a specific endorsement with its own, often modest, limit. Many owners of older properties do not know it exists until they need it. Where a municipal main caused the backup, a claim against the municipality is sometimes possible and usually slow, so it runs alongside the insurance route rather than instead of it.

Common questions

Can any of the things that got wet be saved?

Hard, non porous items generally yes, after cleaning and disinfection. Anything porous that absorbed sewage, carpet and pad, mattresses, upholstered furniture, particle board, is removed. The test is whether a surface can be cleaned and verified, and porous material cannot.

Is sewer backup cleanup covered by insurance?

Only with a sewer and drain backup endorsement in most cases, because it falls between the homeowners exclusion and the flood definition. Check your declarations page for that specific wording, and check the limit, which is often much lower than the building sum insured.

How dangerous is a sewage backup in the house?

It is treated as grossly contaminated, which is why the protective equipment and containment are not optional. The practical advice is to keep people and pets out of the affected area entirely until a crew has removed the contaminated material and disinfected what remains.

Do I need a plumber as well as a restoration firm?

Usually yes, and usually first. The restoration firm cleans up the consequence; the blocked or failed line that caused it is a drain contractor's work. Cleaning before the line is cleared simply means doing it again after the next flush.

What does sewage restoration involve after the removal?

Once the contaminated material is gone, the remaining structure is dried as any water loss would be, to measured readings rather than to a schedule, and final disinfection follows the drying. You should be given documentation of the scope, the disinfection and where the waste went.

Is black water clean up the same thing as a category 3 loss?

Yes. Black water is the trade name for grossly contaminated water, which is category 3 under the IICRC S500 protocol, and it is why porous material that got wet is removed rather than dried.

Claims data by state

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• Water damage claims in Washington