Is Your Home at Risk for Sewage Damage?

Filled with bacteria and viruses, sewage water can be quite harmful if it seeps into your property. In addition to smelling bad, sewage water can lead to disease making those coming into contact with it quite ill. While leaks and flooding from freshwater sources can cause a great deal of damage, sewage water raises the stakes. To respond to the damage, instead of drying the area and tending to the risk for mold and mildew as you would with a clean water source, sewage water destruction may be irreversible.

Padding, carpet, furniture, and other household possessions may need to be replaced if not able to be adequately cleaned, and this can make the cost of repairs quite costly. To avoid sewage damage in your home, understanding the potential causes and tending to them may be the best strategy for prevention.

A Bit About Plumbing Systems

Living in contemporary society means light comes with the flip of a switch and running water comes with the turn of a faucet handle. Unless it’s your area of expertise, you likely don’t give much thought to how these modern conveniences work in your daily life. However, to truly grasp why sewage damage happens, a quick primer on your plumbing system may be helpful.

There are three main parts to your plumbing system: the water supply, a drain system, and the appliances and fixtures. The water supply is connected to either your city municipal line or to a well, depending on where you live. This line carries fresh, potable water into your home. Once in your home, the water travels through different pipes for different reasons. For example, cold water lines run to toilets and exterior faucets, while hot water lines lead to hot water tanks and then to showers, faucets, and appliances, such as dishwashers and washing machines.

Wastewater, or water that is no longer potable or used, leaves your home via the drain system. The drain system uses gravity to send water downhill through a series of pipes, with U-pipes and traps helping to prevent sewer gases from escaping into your home.

When a blockage or structural problem occurs in the plumbing system, the water can’t flow freely, and thus a backup occurs. This can lead to hazardous sewage water backing up into your yard or flooding your home, or both.

Sewage Backup Causes

There are many reasons why sewage damage occurs, but the following are among the most common.

• • Root Invasion

    As trees grow, so do their roots. These roots can infiltrate plumbing system pipes causing backups and blockages, not to mention the breaking and cracking of pipes.

  • Structural Defects

    Just like many items in your home or the structure of your home itself, wear and tear comes with time. For your plumbing system, this can include the breakdown of pipes leading to cracks and holes, offset joints, and misaligned pipes. These issues can lead to problems with sewer service lines, causing overflow of sewer water and the possible need to reconstruct your sewer lines.

  • City Sewer Backup

    Sometimes sewage damage has nothing to do with your home’s personal plumbing system, but instead the water line to which it connects. For example, city lines can become backed up during heavy rains when snow and ice block drains. If the water has nowhere to go, your home might be where it’s headed.

  • Solid Flushes

    Toothbrushes, toys, diapers, and other solid objects sometimes make their way down toilet drains without you knowing. When an item is too large for the wastewater pipes to pass from your property to the city line, and when that item cannot decompose, it can lead to a blockage and a backup of water in your home.

Work with a professional to make sure your plumbing system is in working order, addressing any repairs needed to avoid future damage. Should a sewage backup happen, call a trusted, reliable sewage cleanup service pro, such as A&J, to help you deal with this potentially dangerous situation.

Contact A&J Property Restoration for your emergency water and sewage cleanup services today!

A&J Property Restoration provides 24/7 emergency water damage restoration services and sewage cleanup services for homes and businesses around Madison, Middleton, Sun Prairie, Waunakee, Milwaukee, Brookfield, WI Dells, Fort Atkinson, Watertown, Oconomowoc, Waukesha, West Allis, and surrounding Dane County Wisconsin areas.