Sewage backup cleanup for homes and buildings in central and northeast Maryland

What a sewage backup is

Every drain in a house feeds one pipe, the building sewer or lateral, that runs out under the yard to the public main in the street, or to a septic tank on a rural lot. When something blocks that pipe, or when the main itself can't take any more, waste water has nowhere to go but back. It rises until it finds the lowest open drain inside, which in most houses here is a floor drain or a basement fixture.

A backup is different from a clean leak in one important way: the water carries waste. That changes what can be kept. Hard surfaces can be cleaned. Porous things it soaked, like carpet, pad, upholstery, cardboard and the lower edge of drywall, generally can't be brought back to an acceptable standard and are removed.

Warning signs, before and during

Backups often give notice. The early signs are easy to put down to something else:

• Several drains running slowly at once, not just one sink
• Gurgling from a toilet when the washer drains or the tub empties
• Water rising in the basement shower when an upstairs toilet is flushed
• A sewer smell near the floor drain that comes and goes
• Damp or unusually green patches in the yard along the line to the street

During a backup, water appears at the floor drain first in most homes, then at the lowest toilet or tub. If it only appears when you use water, the blockage is probably in your own line. If it rises on its own during a heavy storm, the public main may be involved.

Common causes in this part of Maryland

Roots in older laterals

Mature street trees are a feature of many established neighborhoods in the corridor, and their roots find the joints in older clay and cast-iron sewer pipes. Over the years they grow into a mat that catches everything flowing past.

Aging cast iron

Cast-iron drain stacks and building sewers in houses from the first half of the twentieth century corrode from the inside, narrowing the pipe and roughening the walls until debris catches.

Grease and wipes

Kitchen grease hardens in cold pipes, and wipes don't break down the way toilet paper does. Together they're behind a large share of residential blockages, in new houses as much as old ones.

Heavy rain on the public system

In some established areas, storm water can find its way into sanitary sewers through old joints and connections. During intense rain the main can run full, and the lowest drains on the line are where it shows up.

Septic systems

On rural lots, more common in Cecil County and the outer edges of Baltimore and Howard counties, a full tank or saturated drain field produces the same result: waste water backing into the house.

The first hour

Two calls usually happen close together: one to a plumber or drain service to clear the line, and one to a restoration crew to deal with what's already come in. Clearing the line first, or at the same time, matters, because cleanup can't finish while water is still arriving.

In a condo or apartment building

Buildings share stacks and a building sewer. A backup in a ground-floor unit may be caused by use in every unit above it, so the management office needs to know at once and may ask other residents to stop using water. Neighbors on the lowest level should check their own drains.

If you rent

Tell your landlord or property manager right away, and follow up in writing. Clearing the line and approving cleanup are decisions for the owner or manager.

If the public main may be involved

If water is rising while nobody is using any fixtures, particularly during heavy rain, it's worth reporting to your local public works or utility as well. They're the people who look after the main.

How sewage cleanup is done

1. Confirm the line is clear

   The crew checks that water has stopped rising before starting, and coordinates with the plumber if work on the line is still going on.

2. Contain and protect

   The affected area is sectioned off from the rest of the home, and the crew uses protective gear suited to contaminated water.

3. Remove the liquid

   Waste water and solids are extracted and disposed of through proper channels.

4. Take out what can't be cleaned

   Carpet, pad, upholstered items, cardboard, and drywall and insulation to a margin above the highest wet line are bagged and removed.

5. Clean every hard surface

   Slab, framing, tile, fixtures and anything else that stays are cleaned and treated with appropriate products.

6. Dry the structure

   Once affected materials are gone, dehumidifiers and air movers dry what remains, with daily readings.

7. Address odor

   Cleaning and drying handle most odor. Where it lingers in framing or concrete, odor treatment follows.

8. Document

   You get photos, readings and a list of what was removed, cleaned and dried.

What affects time and cost

Sewage cleanup usually takes longer and costs more than a clean-water job of the same size, because more comes out and each surface gets more attention. What moves the number:

• How far the water spread, and into how many rooms or units
• Finished space versus bare concrete
• How long it sat before cleanup started
• Stored contents that have to be sorted, bagged and removed
• Whether work on the drain line is still under way
• Access for equipment and disposal

You'll get pricing for cleanup before work begins. Clearing or repairing the line is separate plumbing work.

After the cleanup

With the area clean and dry, rebuilding can begin. Before it does, it's worth asking the plumber what they found. A camera inspection of the lateral shows whether roots, a sag, a break or corrosion caused the backup, and whether it's likely to happen again.

A few changes make a repeat less likely: a backwater valve on the building sewer where a plumber recommends one, a regular root-clearing schedule for lines with a history, keeping grease and wipes out of drains, and replacing a failing section of lateral rather than clearing it every year.

Keep the crew's records with your own photos. If you're contacting your insurer, ask them directly what applies, since it depends on your individual policy. In a shared building, notify your association promptly as well.

Related services and areas

Related services

• Ejector Pump Failure Cleanup
• Toilet Overflow Cleanup
• Basement Water Damage
• Odor Removal & Deodorization
• Condo & Shared-Building Water Damage
• Reconstruction & Repairs

Regions

• Baltimore Metro
• Washington Suburbs
• Howard & Anne Arundel
• Cecil County