Clearing water that has come back up through floor drains and fixtures, containing it, removing what cannot be sanitised and drying the rest.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Drain backup water is contaminated, because it has carried waste from the sewer or the drain system. A backup through a floor drain or a toilet needs protective equipment, containment and removal of porous materials that cannot be sanitised. In Tampa, the heavy rain of the wet season can push water back through drains, and the cleanup is planned around the contaminated category from the first hour. Calls are answered 24/7 on (833) 490-5225.
A drain backup is a different kind of water loss. Water that comes back up a floor drain, a toilet or a shower has been in the drain system, and it carries what the drain carried. That makes it a contaminated category of water, and the work around it has to protect the people doing it and the people who live in the house. The first decision is therefore not how fast the water can come out, but how to keep the wet area contained while it does.
Heavy rain can push water back up a drain when the drain system is full. The wet season from June to November brings rain that fills drains quickly, and a backup can happen in the middle of a storm, when the water in a floor drain rises above the grate and spreads across a garage or a utility room. That is why the call should be placed as soon as water is seen rising from a drain.
The cleanup follows a set order. The area is made safe and contained, the bulk water is removed with dedicated equipment, the porous materials that have taken the water are removed rather than dried, and the hard surfaces are sanitised and dried. The record of what was removed is kept, because a contaminated loss is judged by what came out as much as by what was left.
Contaminated water can carry bacteria and other organisms, so do not touch it with bare hands, do not eat or drink near it and wash thoroughly after any contact. Wear gloves, closed shoes and eye protection if you must enter the wet area, and keep children and pets out. Do not use household vacuums on contaminated water, because they can spread it. Wet electrical equipment is dangerous, so turn off power at the panel before entering a wet area. This page describes the water work and does not cover the repair of the drain or sewer line.
The wet area is closed off, and anyone without protective equipment is kept out. The crew wears protective clothing, gloves, eye protection and respiratory protection suited to the category. Pets and children are kept out of the work area from the start.
The backup is stopped if the source is a fixture the homeowner can close, and the water is removed with dedicated equipment. The equipment used on contaminated water is kept separate from equipment used on clean areas, so it does not carry contamination between rooms.
Carpet, pad, insulation, drywall to the wet line and unfinished wood that have taken contaminated water are removed and bagged for disposal. These materials cannot be made safe by cleaning, and keeping them would keep the contamination in the building.
Hard surfaces such as tile, sealed wood and metal are cleaned with a product suited to the material and then dried. The drain line and the fixtures are checked for debris, and the crew records which surfaces were cleaned and which were replaced.
Moisture readings confirm the drying is complete. A written record lists the materials removed, the rooms cleaned and the protective steps taken, and a copy goes to the homeowner with the rest of the claim papers.
Because it has been through the drain system and carries waste. Contaminated water can carry bacteria and other organisms, so it is handled with protective equipment and its porous materials are usually removed.
Clean water from a supply line changes category if it stands, touches other materials or mixes with waste. A backup from a drain starts in the contaminated category because it has come from the sewer or the drain system. Porous materials such as carpet pad, unfinished wood and insulation take in contaminated water and cannot be fully sanitised, so they are removed. Hard surfaces can be cleaned, and the decision is made room by room on site, with the category written down for each.
Sometimes, by closing the fixture the water is coming through and keeping the water out of the room. A floor drain that is backing up during a storm is harder to stop, and the crew works to contain the water rather than to stop the source.
A homeowner can close a toilet lid, a shower drain or a sink plug to stop water coming through those fixtures. A floor drain is harder, because the water rises from the main drain line, and stopping it depends on the drain system outside the house. If water is rising in a floor drain during a storm, keep the room closed, move items out of the water and call the line. The crew works to keep the water contained while the source clears.
Protective clothing, gloves, eye protection and respiratory protection suited to the contamination, plus equipment dedicated to the wet area so it does not carry contamination into clean rooms.
The protective equipment is chosen for the category of water and the work being done. The crew uses it from the first step, not only once the water is removed. Equipment that has touched contaminated water is kept in the wet area or cleaned before it is used elsewhere, and the record notes which tools were used in which rooms.
Keep people and pets out of the wet area, do not run a household vacuum or fan through the water, photograph the water and the drain, and call the line.
Contaminated water should not be touched with bare hands or cleaned with household equipment, because the equipment can spread the contamination into the rest of the house. The homeowner should photograph the water, the drain and the rooms before anything is removed, and should note the time the water was seen. The line is answered 24/7 on (833) 490-5225, and the caller is asked the questions the local company needs before any work is agreed.
Often, yes. The cleanup removes the water and the contamination, and the drain system is repaired by a licensed plumber the homeowner hires, because a backup that recurs will keep bringing water back.
A drain that backs up again within a day of being cleared needs a plumber to find the cause, which may be a blockage, a broken line or a failure of the backflow device if one is fitted. The crew's record of the backup, its level and the rooms reached is handed to the plumber so the repair can begin from the right place. The repair itself is not part of the water work.
The usual backup in a garage or utility room. Water rises in the drain during heavy rain and spreads across the garage or the utility floor. The area is contained, and the water is treated as contaminated from the first moment.
A backup through a toilet or shower spreads water across the bathroom floor and into the walls at the base. The fixtures are closed, the water is removed and the base of the wall and the subfloor are read.
A drain that backs up through a laundry or kitchen sink can spread water under cabinets and into the floor covering. Cabinet bases that have taken contaminated water are usually removed, and the room is cleaned and dried.
Heavy wet-season rain in Tampa can fill a drain system quickly, and backups are most likely in the storms that drop several inches of rain over a day or two.
Garages and utility rooms with floor drains are where a backup in Hillsborough County is most often seen, because the drain is the lowest point and the water rises there first.
Heavy rain of the kind Milton brought fills drain systems quickly, so backups can come in the middle of a storm.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent drain backup and sewage water cleanup, send the form and we'll call you back.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Pumping standing storm water out of garages, ground floors and lower rooms across Tampa and Hillsborough County, starting with the water that is still moving.
Removing water that ponded outside a home and found its way in through a low door, a slab edge or a drain, then drying the rooms it reached.
Opening walls and lifting floors to the line the moisture readings set, removing what has soaked through and leaving the rest to dry.
Checking for mold after a water loss, cleaning or removing what it has reached, and keeping the assessor and the remediator apart where the rules require it.
A homeowner's water damage claim turns on the cause of the water, whether it was sudden or gradual, and whether the policy carries an endorsement for flood or backup.
In the first hour of a water loss in Tampa, the order matters.
It depends on the policy and on the cause. Many standard homeowner policies treat backup differently from sudden water, and the insurer decides. The insurance claims guide linked from this page sets out the general pattern a homeowner should expect.
The cleanup removes the water and the contamination. Clearing or repairing the drain line is for a licensed plumber the homeowner hires, and the record of the backup goes to that plumber.
Usually not. Carpet and pad that have taken contaminated water are removed, because they cannot be fully sanitised. Hard flooring can often be cleaned and dried.
The source has to be found and repaired, which is a plumber's job. Closing toilet lids and shower drains during a storm reduces the water coming through those fixtures until the drain is checked.
Keep the wet area closed off and keep out of it. Rooms that are not wet can usually be used, but children, pets and anyone with a weakened immune system should stay away from the work until it is finished.
The work is between the homeowner and the local company that carries it out, and this line does not warrant any work performed. The disclaimer page explains the arrangement in full.