Syracuse and the surrounding Onondaga County area
Sewage Cleanup in Syracuse, NY: Contaminated Water Is a Different Job
Clean up sewage and other grossly contaminated water in a Syracuse area house safely: remove what cannot be saved, disinfect what can, dry the structure, and record it all for the insurer.
Sewage Cleanup quote
Stop running water in the house first. Then tell us where the water came up and what it reached, and we connect you with a licensed, insured contractor for contaminated water cleanup.
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Why sewage is not dried in place
Water that came up through a floor drain or toilet, or came in from outside as flood water, is not the same job as a burst supply line. The industry standard for water damage treats sewage and backflow from beyond a trap as grossly contaminated, whatever it looks like, and the EPA advises calling in a professional experienced with buildings damaged by contaminated water. In practice that means porous materials it soaked, drywall, insulation, carpet and pad, generally come out rather than being dried in place, and what stays is cleaned and disinfected before the drying starts. The CDC advises boots, gloves and eye protection, and keeping children and pets away until it is done. Before any of it, stop running water in the house and find out whether the public sewer is the cause. Then tell us what happened and we connect you with a licensed, insured contractor for contaminated water cleanup.
- Pumping out sewage and contaminated water from basements and lower floors
- Removing soaked drywall, insulation, carpet and pad, photographed and listed before they go
- Cleaning and disinfecting concrete, framing and hard surfaces that can stay
- Flood water from outside: the same contaminated water handling, for water that came in through walls or window wells
- Containment so contaminated material is not carried through the rest of the house
- Handling and disposal of contaminated belongings that cannot be cleaned
- Drying the structure once it is clean, with readings taken and written down
- Toilet overflows and washing machine discharge that reached finished floors
- Photographs of the water line, the drain it came from and every removed item, for the insurer
What decides how big a sewage cleanup is
The category of water decides most of it. After that, it is how far it spread, what it soaked and how long it sat.
Whether it is really sewage
Water from a sewer or drain beyond a trap is treated as grossly contaminated regardless of color. Rain through a ceiling is not automatically in that category, and the industry standard says the category is decided after inspection.
Whether the cause is public or private
If sewage is coming up, stop running water and check whether the public sewer is the cause before the cleanup is scoped. In the county's sanitary district and in several villages there is a public line for exactly that call.
What it soaked
The CDC advises removing and discarding drywall and insulation contaminated with sewage or flood water. Concrete and solid framing can usually be cleaned and dried, which is why a bare basement is a much smaller job than a finished one.
How long it sat
The longer contaminated water stands, the further it wicks up walls and into materials. Getting it out on the first day keeps the cut line lower.
Whether the policy has a backup endorsement
The standard HO-3 form excludes water that backs up through sewers or drains unless an endorsement was added. Look at the declarations page before the scope is agreed, and photograph where the water came up.
Who lives there
Children, older people and anyone with a health condition should stay out until cleanup is finished. In a rental, the owner needs to hear about it in writing, because a contaminated unit is a habitability question too.
Sewage in the basement?
Stop using water, keep people out, and photograph where it came up. Then send the details.
Contaminated water cleanup, in the order that keeps people safe
Stop the water going in
Stop running water, flushing and laundry anywhere in the house. Drain water mostly stops when you stop feeding it.
Rule out the public sewer
Call the municipality that runs your sewer to check its side. That call costs nothing and comes before a private crew is booked.
Keep people out and the power safe
Children and pets away. If water has reached outlets or the panel, turn the power off at the main only if you can reach it from somewhere dry.
Photograph the water line and the drain
Where it came up, how high it reached and every damaged item in place. The insurer may want to see all of it.
Remove what cannot be saved
Soaked drywall, insulation, carpet and pad come out, photographed and listed first. Ask your insurer whether they want anything kept.
Clean and disinfect what stays
Hard surfaces and framing cleaned, then disinfected. The CDC warns never to mix bleach with ammonia or any other cleaner.
Dry, read, then rebuild after inspection
The structure is dried and read like any other water loss. The rebuild waits for measured dry and for the insurer.
What sewage cleanup looks like
What contaminated water cleanup covers, and what waits
When you may not need this at all
- A toilet that overflowed once with clean bowl water onto a tiled floor, wiped up and disinfected the same hour, usually needs nobody.
- If sewage is still coming up, the first call is to whoever runs the sewer, and then to a licensed plumber for the cause. Cleanup follows once it has stopped.
- Rain dripping through a ceiling is not automatically sewage-grade water. Use the ordinary extraction route unless it has reached something that contaminates it.
- Renters: tell the owner in writing before anything else, and photograph your own belongings. Your things are protected only by a renters policy of your own.
What is out of scope
- Clearing the sewer line, the lateral or the drain. That is a plumber's or the municipality's job.
- Installing backwater valves or sump equipment.
- Mold assessment or mold remediation, which is a separate job arranged separately.
- The rebuild, which waits until the house reads dry and the insurer has seen it.
- Any view on whether a backup or flood claim will be paid. Only your insurer can answer that.
Sewage cleanup across the Syracuse area
- Sewage Cleanup in Syracuse
- Sewage Cleanup in DeWitt
- Sewage Cleanup in Cicero
- Sewage Cleanup in East Syracuse
- Sewage Cleanup in Liverpool
- Sewage Cleanup in Camillus
- Sewage Cleanup in Baldwinsville
- Sewage Cleanup in Jamesville
- Sewage Cleanup in Manlius
- Sewage Cleanup in Fayetteville
- Sewage Cleanup in Solvay
- Sewage Cleanup in Skaneateles
- Sewage Cleanup in Clay
- Sewage Cleanup in North Syracuse
Sewage and contaminated water questions
Can I clean up a sewage backup myself?
The EPA advises calling in a professional experienced with buildings damaged by contaminated water. If you do go in, the CDC says rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles, children and pets kept away, and washing with soap and water afterward. Soaked drywall and insulation should come out rather than be dried.
Is my sewage backup covered?
Only your insurer can say. The standard HO-3 form excludes water that backs up through sewers or drains unless a water backup endorsement was added, and New York's regulator says some insurers offer one up to a limit you choose. Check your declarations page and ask.
Is flood water from outside treated like sewage?
Often, yes. Rising water from rivers and streams is among the examples of the most contaminated category in the industry standard, because it picks up whatever it crosses. Weather-related water is not automatically in that category, and the call is made after someone has looked.
Who should I call first when sewage is coming up?
Stop running water in the house, then call whoever runs your sewer to rule out the public side. In the City of Syracuse that is the Department of Public Works; in most towns around it, the county's sanitary district; in some villages, the village itself. A licensed plumber handles the cause on your side.
What has to be thrown away?
Porous materials soaked by sewage: drywall, insulation, carpet and pad, upholstered furniture and anything that cannot be cleaned. Photograph and list every item before it goes, and ask your insurer whether they want anything kept.
What does sewage cleanup cost?
We cannot quote a price. The size of the job depends on how far the water spread, how high it wicked and what it soaked. Ask the contractor to describe what will be removed and what will be cleaned before work starts.
Tell us where the water came up
Floor drain, toilet, tub or through a wall from outside. It decides what the cleanup is. No obligation.