Sewage Backup Cleanup in San Antonio

The industry standard for water damage, the ANSI/IICRC S500, sorts water by how contaminated it is, and sewage sits in the worst group. Restoration & Remediation magazine summarizes Category 3 as grossly contaminated water that can contain pathogenic, toxigenic or other harmful agents, and its examples start with sewage and toilet backflows that originate from beyond the toilet trap, regardless of visible content or color.

That last part matters. Water that rises out of a floor drain or shower can look fairly clear and still count as Category 3, because of where it came from. Whether it's a few gallons in a bathroom or a few inches across a hallway, the cleanup follows the same rules.

1. Stop sending water down. Every flush, shower and load of laundry goes into the same blocked line and can come right back up. Hold off until a plumber clears it.
2. Get people and pets out of the area. Close the doors to the affected rooms if you can do it without walking through the water.
3. Stay away from wet outlets and cords. The CDC says never to turn power on or off, or use electrical tools, while standing in water.
4. Call a plumber. In San Antonio, SAWS tells customers to call a licensed plumber to televise the line and clear any blockage on the homeowner's side of the main, and to report the backup to SAWS so the utility can check its side.
5. Take photos of the water, the fixtures it came from and anything it soaked, before cleanup starts.

Then call us. We're available 24/7 and come ready to work on the first visit.

Texas Damage Response doesn't do plumbing. We don't clear lines, run cameras or repair laterals. A licensed plumber handles the blockage, and SAWS takes care of problems on its side of the main.

The mess inside is ours. SAWS's own backup page says that if you need clean-up assistance, call a remediation (cleaning) company, and that's the work we do. If you're outside SAWS territory, in Schertz, Cibolo or New Braunfels for example, your own city or utility handles its side, and the cleanup inside the house is the same.

Every backup is a little different, but the order stays the same:

1. Contain. We separate the affected rooms from the rest of the house so foot traffic and air movement don't spread contamination.
2. Remove the sewage. Standing water and solids come out first.
3. Tear out contaminated porous materials. Carpet and pad that sewage soaked go, along with the bottom section of drywall it wicked into, the insulation behind it, baseboards and often the toe kicks on vanities and cabinets.
4. Clean and disinfect. Tile, the slab, tubs, toilets and the studs left in the wall are cleaned, then disinfected.
5. Dry. Structural drying goes after the moisture left in framing and subfloor.
6. Verify. Moisture readings, taken over the drying period, tell us when the materials are dry. The EPA advises drying water-damaged areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, so drying starts as soon as the tear-out is done.

After that, the rooms can be put back together. We rebuild the projects we restore, so drywall, trim, paint and flooring go back in through our reconstruction team.

Sewage can carry the kinds of harmful agents the S500 describes for Category 3 water, which is why we keep the area closed off until the cleanup is done. Kids, pets and anyone who is pregnant, elderly or has a health condition should stay out of the affected rooms. If you're unsure whether to stay in the house during the work, ask your doctor, and we'll show you which areas to avoid.

Floods can bring sewage in too. The CDC notes that floodwater may contain sewage and other germs and contaminants that can lead to illness. If outside water came in along with the backup, our flood cleanup page covers that situation.

Clothing, bedding and soft belongings that sewage reached are a judgment call item by item. Many can't be cleaned well enough to keep, and our crew will talk through each one with you. What's salvageable and dry can go out through contents pack-out while the rooms are worked on.

Coverage for a sewer backup varies from one policy to the next. The Texas Department of Insurance's homeowners comparison worksheet lists backup of sewers and drains as its own line to check when you compare policies, separate from sudden plumbing leaks. Your agent or carrier can tell you whether yours includes it.

Don't count on the utility, either. SAWS states that it will not pay for repairs or replacement of damaged property, although it has a separate reimbursement process for certain plumber charges when the blockage turns out to be on its side.

We help document the damage and work with your insurance carrier throughout the restoration process. We don't interpret policies, negotiate claims or act as an adjuster. Your carrier decides coverage, and the deductible is yours. More on our insurance claims page.