My Sewage is Backing Up - What Now?

One of the most disconcerting things that can happen with your drains is blocked sewer lines. As sewage starts to back up, you can end up with horrific smells throughout your property, but especially in the bathroom and kitchen where drains are near. That’s not something you want to smell if you’re trying to hold an outdoor barbecue or a dinner party.

You likely won’t be able to fix your sewage line yourself, so here’s a quick guide as to what’s best to do in that situation.

1. Call the Professionals

Summoning a quality blocked sewer plumber in Melbourne or in whichever city you are based is the first course of action you should take when you encounter this problem. The unblocking and repair of sewage pipes is a highly specialised and challenging task, which is why it is best left to those with the right equipment, and more importantly the right experience.

The first thing that has to be done is to determine exactly what the extent of the damage is, and what’s causing it. Professional sewer plumbers will use CCTV equipment to get into the pipes and find out what’s going on. This is key, of course, because there are some cases where the ground will have to be dug up to replace pipes broken by tree roots, for example.

There are other cases, however, where the pipes are intact but something is just blocking the way. In this instance, no digging would be needed. If you were to try and check yourself, you might needlessly dig up your garden or backyard. Beyond that, however, there are serious health and safety risks when it comes to sewer problems, and that should be reason enough to leave it to the pros.

2. Cleaning Up Any Mess

If you are taking part in any cleanup, it’s absolutely essential that you wear a suitable face mask, as well as rubber boots and gloves. When you’ve finished the cleanup task, you should immediately remove all that clothing and gear to be washed. Don’t sit on furniture or interact with others while wearing that contaminated clothing. It may as well be irradiated.

Useful tools include a wet/dry vacuum to use for sucking solids and liquids like water spills. You should also contact your local waste management unit --- if the plumber hasn’t already --- to determine how to deal with any contaminated carpeting, furnishings and other things that you are going to dispose of.

Keep all windows and doors open, using fans and dehumidifiers to continually work removing moisture. If you don’t keep this up, then mould will develop and you’ll have a whole new set of problems on your hands.

3. Work on Preventing It in Future

There are a number of key things you can do to prevent sewage backups from occurring again in the future:

• * Do not throw babies’ nappies, feminine hygiene products, or wet-wipes (even if they claim to be “flushable) down the toilet. The toilet drain is meant only for human waste and toilet paper.

• * When you’re sprucing up the garden, be sure you are aware of the locations of sewage lines so that you can plan to keep trees away from the pipes. Their roots grow into the pipes and are a common cause of pipe breaks, sewage leaking into your soil, and of course backing up into your home.

• * Talk to your plumber about installing a backflow preventer. This can at least stop water from flowing backwards towards your home if and when you do experience an issue. That in itself lowers the health risks and should minimise unpleasant smells.