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Fire & Water - Cleanup & Restoration

Archived Biohazard Blog Posts

Dealing With the Ick Factor: Sewage Leaks | SERVPRO of Northeast Charlotte

3/20/2024 (Permalink)

sewage water pooling on a kitchen floor after a leak SERVPRO of Northeast Charlotte is always ready to respond to your call when biohazard and sewage incidents strike.

What gives you the ick? Dirty kitchen floors? Discovering the container of moldy food previously forgotten about in the back of your fridge? In addition to these personal experiences, we would bet that suffering from a sewage leak would also be somewhere at the top of this list.? 

Having sewage in any part of your home where it shouldn’t be is not only gross, but it is also a really dangerous situation to find yourself in. Thankfully, our team is here to handle your entire cleanup and recovery.  
 
 

Responding To The Leak

 
Sewage backups can happen unexpectedly if your pipes become clogged or blocked in some way. If the waste water can’t flow down your pipes the way it should, it will eventually be forced backwards up the pipe and can wind up in your toilets, sink or even bathtub. Sewage can also leak out of your pipes if you have any holes or wear and tear along the pipe lines.  
 
No matter how the leak starts, tackling the problem right away should become your top priority. Sewage is considered a toxic substance and you should never handle it without the proper safety gear and training. Sewage can harbor all kinds of dangerous organisms like viruses, bacteria and microbes that can make you sick or worse, they could be deadly.? 

Avoid coming into contact with the contaminated water, but if you are able to reach the water shutoff valve without getting dirty, do that right away to help stop the flow of sewage. Once the situation is partially under control, start opening windows and turn on a few fans to let the fumes escape. Close off the area to keep your family or customers out of harm’s way and then give us a call.? 

Where We Come Into Play  
 
Dealing with toxic substances can be really dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. This is why a quick call to SERVPRO of Northeast Charlotte is always the answer when it comes to biohazard cleanup! Our team is highly trained and we are always equipped with the latest and most secure safety gear.? 

While you wait for our arrival, go ahead and pull out your phone and start taking pictures of the damage right away. Obviously, these images aren’t going to be printed and framed any time soon, but they are necessary for your insurance claim. Your agent will want to see the situation as it happened, so having these pictures will help support your claim.  
 
 

Once we arrive at your door, we will focus on locating the reason for the leak and addressing repairs right at the source. We certainly don’t want you to have to go through this again! At the same time, our cleaning crew will get to work on removing the sewage and standing water. We will request that you stay out of the area during this part to save your nose (and your stomachs) from the least pleasant part of this type of recovery.? 

After the space is cleaned and sanitized, we will be able to categorize the damage and we will work towards your reconstruction. Depending on how long the waste water was left to linger on your floors, you could be dealing with significant structural damage. Our team will be sure to rebuild and reconstruct your home with confidence!? 

Sewage leaks should always be cleaned up by professionals. Call SERVPRO and we will take care of you.