I Have a Sewer Backup! What Do I Do?

Is the water in your toilet not flushing away? Is there a water leak in your basement that doesn’t smell right? If so, you may have a sewer backup issue.

Sewer backup is caused when the pipe moving water and waste from your home is blocked or breached. These issues cause water and waste to “back up” into your home, causing leaks, water damage, and health risks.

If you’re concerned that you have a sewer backup problem in your home, you need to act immediately. Read on to learn the steps you need to take in fixing this problem.

Don’t Run Any Water

As soon as you feel like you have a sewer back issue, do not run any water until the issue is addressed.

If you are dealing with sewer backup, any water that you run will just add to the problem. Even if the signs of sewer backup are in your toilet, running sinks, washing machines, or dishwashers will just make the problem worse.

This is because all the pipes that move water and waster out of your house converge into one main water pipe that goes to your sewer system. A sewer or pipe issue will start to cause a backup in one part of your house, but adding more water to the situation will start to cause issues in other parts of your house.

Look For Water Leaks

Your next step should be looking for any water leaks. Because sewer backup can affect your entire house, you should look everywhere to see if the issue is causing any leaks around your house.

You will especially want to know if there is sewer flooding in your basement or other areas of your house you may not normally pay much attention to.

A sewer backup can lead to mold from leaking moisture into your home, as well as creating biohazards by leaking waste back into your home. If that’s happening, you will want to know exactly where these issues are happening so you can remove them as soon as possible.

On a side note, it’s important to note that sewer backup will affect your water pipes. If you find water leaks coming from other things in your house, then you may need to research other causes of water leaks.

Get Expert Help

Once you know the extent of your sewer backup issue, it’s time to work on fixing it. Whether or not you want to do it yourself, you are going to want expert help.

For those of you who do want to try your hand at fixing the issue yourself, find some YouTube videos from professionals on what you can do. If you really want to get a toilet auger and try to clear any blockage yourself, make sure you know what you’re doing.

However, many causes of sewer backup cannot be fixed with amateur plumping tools alone. And if the issue has become severe, then there’s no time to waste on DIY plumbing.

Now It’s Time To Fix Your Sewer Backup

Now that you know what to do, it’s time to fix your sewer backup. Go make sure that water use has been stopped, find any water leaks in your house, and call in expert advice or services to start fixing the problem.

It may not be cheap or easy, but this is one crappy situation you can’t take your time with.