Why sewage backups need a crew
Sewage carries bacteria and viruses that can make people sick, and it soaks into porous materials like carpet, pad and drywall. Those materials usually have to come out. Crews wear protective gear, remove the contaminated water and materials, clean and disinfect hard surfaces, and dry the area. Trying to clean it up with household cleaners and a mop tends to leave contamination behind.
What to do now
- Stop running water anywhere in the house. Every flush and every load of laundry adds to the backup.
- Keep kids and pets out of the area.
- Do not touch sewage-soaked items with bare hands.
- Turn off power to the area if you can reach the panel from a dry spot.
- Take photos, then call. If you think the city main is backed up, also call the city's utilities line.
What causes backups
Most backups start in the side sewer, the private line between the house and the city main. Tree roots get into older clay and concrete pipes, sections settle and crack, and grease and wipes build up. Less often, the city main itself is blocked or overloaded during heavy rain. A plumber or sewer contractor can scope the line with a camera to find the problem.
Sewage backups in Edmonds homes
Many Edmonds neighborhoods were built out between the 1940s and 1970s, and a lot of those homes still have original side sewers made of clay or concrete pipe. Decades of tree roots, especially from the big firs and maples that line so many Edmonds streets, can crack those lines and slow them down until they back up.
Hillside lots add another wrinkle. On a sloped lot, a cracked side sewer can let groundwater in during the rainy season, and the extra water can push the line past what it can carry. Lower-level bathrooms and basement floor drains are usually where the backup shows up first.
In condo buildings, a blocked shared drain stack can send sewage into a ground-floor unit even when the owner has done nothing wrong. Tell your HOA or building manager right away.
Insurance is worth checking ahead of time. Many standard homeowners policies cover sewer backup only with an added endorsement. Crews work across the 98020 and 98026 ZIP codes and nearby Woodway, Mukilteo, Shoreline and Mountlake Terrace.