Wichita sewage backup cleanup

Older Wichita neighborhoods often have clay or cast-iron sewer laterals, and mature trees send roots into their joints. That usually shows up as slow drains and gurgling before the floor drain overflows, often when the washer empties. During heavy storms, rainwater that leaks into sanitary sewers can surcharge the system and push sewage back up into low drains, sometimes on several houses at once.

If neighbors have the same problem during rain, call the city's sewer maintenance line as well as a plumber. Our sewage backup cleanup page explains why sewage is handled so carefully.

Once the line is clear, technicians in protective gear extract the sewage, remove carpet, pad, the lower drywall and any porous items it reached, then clean and disinfect the concrete and framing ^[4]. Drying follows. In a finished lower level that can mean a fair amount of demolition; in an unfinished one it may be mostly cleaning the floor and walls.

Water heaters, furnaces and washers that sat in sewage should be checked by a technician before use.

Some homes in and around Cheney, Clearwater, Andale and rural parts of Sedgwick County drain to septic systems. A backup there often means a full tank, a clogged filter or a saturated field after rain, and the fix is a septic company rather than the city. Inside, the cleanup is the same.

A backwater valve installed by a licensed plumber is the main protection for a basement that has backed up ^[3]. A camera inspection of an older clay line shows roots and breaks. Keep grease and wipes out of drains, and make sure sump pumps discharge to the yard, not into a floor drain. More local detail is on Wichita.

In a finished basement, a backup through the floor drain spreads under carpet and wicks into the bottom of every wall it touches. Because sewage is Category 3 water, the usual approach is to remove carpet and pad, cut drywall above the wet line, bag and remove insulation, then clean and disinfect the slab, the bottom plates and the studs before drying. Upholstered furniture, mattresses and cardboard that the water reached are generally discarded.

It is a big job, but doing it fully is what keeps odor and contamination from coming back once the room is rebuilt.

Some newer Wichita-area homes have a basement bathroom below the level of the sewer line, served by a sealed basin and an ejector pump. If that pump fails, the overflow is sewage even though it starts inside your house. Know where the pump's breaker is, keep wipes out of that toilet, and have a plumber service it if it hums without pumping or an alarm sounds.

Photograph the water at the drain, the depth across the floor and every item removed. Ask the plumber for a written note of what caused the backup: roots, a collapse, grease or a city surcharge. That cause decides which coverage applies. Keep the restorer's list of removed materials and their cleaning and drying records together with the plumber's notes.

A lingering sewer smell after cleanup usually has one of a few causes. Residue may remain in a spot that was missed, such as under a stair or behind a utility sink. A floor drain trap may have dried out, letting sewer gas in; pouring a little water into it each month keeps the seal. Materials may still be drying. Or the line itself may still be cracked. Tell the contractor straight away rather than covering the smell; it is far easier to fix before new finishes go in.