Topeka sewage backup cleanup

Two patterns account for most calls. In dry weather, slow drains, gurgling toilets and water in the floor drain when the washer empties point to a blockage in your own line, often roots in an old clay lateral. In heavy rain, especially when neighbors are affected too, the public system may be surcharging as storm water leaks into it; many older American cities also have stretches of combined sewer that carry both ^[4].

Call a plumber for your own line and the city's water pollution control or sewer department if the backup came with rain. Our sewage backup cleanup page explains the cleanup.

Older basements often have the floor drain, laundry tub and water heater close together on an uneven floor. Sewage collects in the low spots and around stored belongings. Porous items it reaches are generally discarded, concrete and framing are cleaned and disinfected, and the space is dried. Where carpet or paneling was added, those come out too.

Older houses near Washburn University and the central neighborhoods are often rentals, sometimes split into units with a shared basement. A backup there affects several households' laundry and storage. Tenants should tell the owner in writing and photograph their belongings; owners should arrange the line clearing and cleanup quickly.

With the line cleared, technicians in protective equipment extract the sewage, remove contaminated porous materials, clean surfaces with detergent, disinfect, and then dry. Contact with sewage calls for gloves, boots and careful handwashing ^[2]. Appliances that sat in the water should be checked before use.

A backwater valve installed by a licensed plumber lets wastewater out but closes when sewage tries to come back ^[3]. A camera inspection shows roots and breaks in an old lateral. Keep grease and wipes out of drains and send sump and downspout water to the yard rather than into the sewer.

The older a neighborhood, the more likely its laterals are original. If your house is in central Topeka and drains have been slow for months, a camera inspection is worth doing before the next storm. More about local housing is on Topeka.