Sewer backups are quite possibly one of the worst and most dangerous forms of property damage you can face, next to fire. If you notice a foul, sulfurous odor in your home or see sludge or brackish water, you need to call for professional help immediately. This kind of damage can present serious health concerns to you and your family, or to your employees and clients if it’s a business.
Sewer water can contain bacteria, viruses, microbes and pathogens that can result in serious illness and health conditions. You should have the problem quickly addressed by a leading damage restoration service like Ark Restoration.
Restoration professionals classify damage from backed up sewage based on the kind of contaminated water they face. Our experienced technicians will analyze the damage to the area and determine the right course of action to remove the variety of sewage encountered as well as sanitizing the area to ensure that there are no dangerous contaminants left behind.
The first kind of sewage danger is from clean water contamination. This kind of issue arises when a normally clean source like a leaky faucet, broken supply line or plumbing problem creates flooding. This sort of water begins clean, but gets contaminated from flooding and sitting. The longer it sits and the more severe the environmental conditions are, the faster this kind of water will become brackish and degrade into more serious issues.
Gray water is that which already has contamination and has the potential to cause illness or other discomforts. This results from an overflowing washing machine or dishwasher, toilets that overflow and may contain some urine but no fecal matter, or the like. Such issues might present dangers of viruses and bacteria and if not treated quickly can quickly degrade into the worst kind of contaminant: black water.
This is the worst and most dangerous form of sewage issue. Black water is seriously contaminated and is almost certain to contain major pathogens which could cause severe health issues and even death if contact is made or it’s ingested. Any risk of contact with this water should be avoided and you should call for help immediately.
Examples of black water contamination include flooding from streams, rivers or storm damage, flooding from behind a toilet trap, toilet overflows involving fecal matter, sewer line backups and brackish standing water which has sat for long enough to begin the growth of bacteria. Clean or gray water contamination can become black water within a few hours if left to sit in the right conditions for pathogen growth.