A sewage backup in the basement can be a scary experience to encounter. The potential risk of wastewater flooding your basement can become a safety hazard that can damage not only your home but its inhabitants as well. Here at Five Star Plumbing, a plumber in Harford County, we’ve had our fair share of encounters with sewage backups in the basement and know how frustrating it can be to assess the problem. Let’s take a look at some of the causes of sewage backups and what to do if it happens to you.
Causes of Sewage Backups in Basements
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact causes of a sewage backup unless you contact a professional to inspect it. There are a couple factors that can play a role in the damage and blockage of your main sewer line. Here are a couple reasons why your basement might be experiencing a sewer backup:
Sewer Line Damage
Sewer lines that have broken, cracked, or collapsed for any number of reasons could cause sewage to back up. One of the common reasons for damage to the sewer line is tree roots. Roots from trees will enter through the cracks in search of water and wrap themselves around the pipes, thus creating blockages in the pipes and preventing wastewater from passing through.
Clogs
Having a clog in the main sewer line can obstruct the flow of wastewater from your home to the city sewer line. Sewer line clogs can slow down or completely stop wastewater passage and can cause it to back up into your home. A good way to detect this problem is if you notice all of your toilets and sinks being backed up.
Severe Weather
Extreme weather like heavy rain, floods, snowfall, or thunderstorms can be hard to predict, and they could cause your basement sewer to back up. An overflow into your home could result from the city’s sewage infrastructure being overwhelmed by the excessive rain.
What to do If you have a sewage backup
A backup of sewage in the basement is a dangerous situation that needs to be handled carefully. The first thing you would want to do is contact a professional plumber to have the issue addressed ASAP. Until then, if you see your basement flooding due to sewage backup, leave immediately and do not let anyone near it. If, for whatever reason, you need to enter the flooded basement, make sure you are covered up with a facemask, gloves, goggles, and so on. You also need to turn off the power to the basement to prevent short circuits. Another thing that would need to be addressed in the main water line. Shut down the main water line to your home and do not use the water. To get rid of the smell, open the windows and vents in your home to help alleviate it.
How to prevent it
Now that we know some of the causes of sewage backup in the basement as well as how to handle it, let’s take a look at some preventative measures to take so that you don’t experience sewage backups in your home. First, we recommend that you have your sewage pump go through routine maintenance and inspections to make sure that everything is working properly. Next, we suggest that you install a backwater prevention valve so that wastewater can pass through the pipes without backing up into your house. If you have older pipes that have gone through wear and tear, it’s best that you have them replaced with new ones to save yourself the headache and save some money in the long run. Lastly, we recommend that you contract a professional to cut the tree roots to prevent it from causing any problems with your sewer line.
Are you having sewage problems in the basement?
Five-Star Plumbing has been proudly serving the Harford County and Baltimore County areas for over 30 years. We offer a wide range of services, such as well pump services, water treatment, plumbing repair and installation, outdoor plumbing services, drain cleaning, and water heater services. Our technicians will provide you with a flat rate up front so you know exactly what to expect. There are no hidden fees. We’ll explain what we plan to do and why we plan to do it, so you know exactly what’s going on.
Call us today at 410-836-0118 to schedule an appointment! You can also submit an online form at plumber-baltimore.com