Safe removal and cleaning of sewage backup from floor drains and basements in Syracuse, 24 hours a day.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Sewer backup cleanup removes sewage that has come up through a floor drain, toilet or laundry tub, then cleans, disinfects and dries the affected room. Syracuse Water Damage Restoration takes sewer backup calls around the clock in Syracuse and Onondaga County, and a crew is sent as soon as one is free.
Sewage is not ordinary water. Water that has come up through a drain carries bacteria and other material that can make people sick, and it cannot be treated the way clean water is. A backup in a basement is a job for people with the right protective equipment and a plan for every surface the water touched, not a job for a mop and a fan.
Syracuse homeowners often find a backup after a heavy storm, when the sewer and the drain system are carrying more than they were built for. The sewer water rises through the lowest opening in the house and spreads from there. A crew arrives with the equipment to remove it, and the first thing it asks is where the water came up and whether the drain is still running. Call (833) 490-5225 for a crew, then keep people out of the room until one arrives.
Sewage comes up into a basement when the drain system cannot carry its flow, usually because a line is blocked or the public system is full during heavy rain. The lowest drain in a house is the first place the water shows.
A drain carries waste away by gravity. When a line is blocked by roots, grease, a collapsed section or debris, the flow has nowhere to go and it rises. The basement floor drain sits lowest in the house, so the water appears there before it appears anywhere else.
The city's own material on Onondaga Creek describes the creek channel as engineered for combined sewage and storm flows. Where a system carries both, heavy rain can fill the pipes and push water back toward the buildings that sit at the bottom of the line. That is one reason a backup can start during a storm rather than from a blocked fixture.
A crew removes the standing sewage, takes out the solids and the soaked porous material, cleans and disinfects the hard surfaces, and dries the structure. Each step is recorded so the owner and the insurer can see what was done.
The technician wears gloves, eye protection, boots and, where the water is heavily contaminated, a respirator. The standing water is pumped into a holding container and carried off for proper disposal. Solids and soaked paper are bagged on site and removed.
Hard surfaces are cleaned with a detergent first, so the soil is lifted, and then treated with a disinfectant that is suited to sewage. Porous materials such as carpet, pad, the lower part of drywall and insulation are removed where they have taken on the water, because a cleaning cannot reach what is inside them.
A backup can often be reduced by keeping drains clear, by avoiding fixture use during a storm and by having a backwater valve or a backup device assessed by a plumber. No method removes the risk entirely.
Running a lot of water through the house during a heavy rain adds to the flow in the line. Waiting until the storm passes before running the washer or the dishwasher can lower the risk of a backup at a basement fixture. Keep grease out of the drains and do not flush wipes or paper towels, which tangle in the line.
A plumber can assess whether a backwater valve or a standpipe is suitable for a particular house. The valve is installed on the sewer line and closes when the flow reverses. Whether a valve is needed or practical depends on the house and the line, so ask a plumber for an assessment rather than relying on a general answer.
Tell the insurer the time you found the water, where it came up, and what you saw. Photographs before cleanup and a written record of the readings are the most useful papers you can keep.
Backup is handled under different terms than many other water events. Some policies exclude sewer or drain backup unless a separate endorsement is held, and the wording of the policy decides. Read the policy before the claim, and ask the insurer to show the backup terms in writing.
Keep the crew's note, the readings, the list of materials removed and the invoices. The New York State Department of Financial Services is the state regulator for insurers, and questions about how a claim is handled can be raised with it.
Drying a sewer backup usually takes several visits over a few days, because the water has soaked into the wall base and the subfloor. The drying ends when the readings reach a dry level, not on a fixed day.
The first visit removes the water and the solids and starts the equipment. The second and later visits move the equipment, take new readings and decide whether another material must come out. A wall that reads wet at the base may need a section cut back to dry the cavity.
Odour is often the last thing to leave. A room that still smells after the readings are dry may need a second cleaning or a closer look at a cavity. The crew notes any area it could not reach.
Do not enter sewage-filled rooms without gloves and eye protection, and do not run any fixture until the line has been cleared. Keep children and pets away from the wet area, and wash hands and skin that touch the water.
Sewage can carry illness, so the room stays closed off. Children and pets should be kept out until the space has been cleaned and dried.
Do not run the washer, the dishwasher, the shower or the toilet until the crew has cleared the line. Each use adds more water to the backup.
The crew removes the standing sewage with pumps and wet vacuums, and takes out the solids and any soaked debris into sealed bags for disposal.
Hard surfaces are cleaned and treated, porous materials that were soaked are removed, and the space is dried with air movers and a dehumidifier until the readings reach a dry level.
A sewer line that backs up usually needs to be cleared by a plumber, and the crew's note says where the water entered so that the plumber knows where to look.
The water rises through a floor drain in the lowest part of the basement. It is often the first sign that the main line is blocked or that the street system is full. The crew treats the drain area first and then the surrounding floor and wall base.
A toilet, shower or laundry tub backs up while the rest of the house drains normally. This usually means a blockage in the branch line close to the fixture. The water is still sewage and gets the same cleaning as a floor drain backup.
Several fixtures back up together, and the water shows up in the lowest rooms. This points to the main sewer line or to the street system. The crew cleans the affected rooms and records the level of the water on the wall for whoever clears the line.
The cost of a sewer backup cleanup depends on the area affected, the number of materials that must come out, and how many visits the drying takes. The crew prices the job on site after reading the water and the room.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency response and sewage removal | Quoted on site | Covers pumping, solids removal and protective equipment |
| Cleaning and disinfection of hard surfaces | Quoted on site | Depends on the square footage affected |
| Removal of soaked porous materials | Quoted on site | Carpet, pad, lower drywall and insulation, as the readings show |
| Drying equipment and monitoring | Quoted on site | Billed by equipment and days on site |
The drain line itself is cleared by a plumber, and that work is priced separately by the plumber. Your exact cost for the cleanup is confirmed on site before work starts.
A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available, and you approve the estimate before any work starts.
A house whose lowest drain sits at or below the level of the street sewer can have water pushed up through that drain when the line is surcharged. The lowest drain is the first point of entry, so the crew checks it first on every call.
Onondaga Creek is channelised through much of the city, and the city says its six-mile section inside the limits is engineered for combined sewage and storm flows. Homes near the creek or near a storm-heavy street can see a backup during a storm even when nothing in the house is blocked.
A backup that affects one house may cross a town line in the surrounding county, where the sewer and the building office are run by a village or a town rather than by the city. The crew asks which system serves the house so the note goes to the right office.
Fast removal of standing water from homes in Syracuse and Onondaga County, any hour of the day.
Structural drying with air movers and dehumidifiers for flooded basements, with readings logged at every visit.
Water removal and drying for leaks from washers, dishwashers, refrigerators and water heaters in Syracuse homes.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
After a storm, sewage that rises through a floor drain or a basement fixture should be treated as a health hazard.
A water damage claim in Syracuse is decided by the insurer under the policy, and the policy's terms on sudden water, flood and backup control the result.
Yes. Sewage can carry bacteria and viruses, so the room should be kept closed and people should avoid contact with the water until it has been removed and disinfected.
A sump pump moves groundwater, not sewage. If a sump basin is taking in sewage, the pump should be turned off and the crew should be told, since the sewage has to be handled as a separate job.
The cleanup and the line repair are separate jobs. The cleanup can start while the plumber is booked, and the crew's note gives the plumber the information needed to find the blockage.
That depends on your policy. Many standard policies exclude sewer or drain backup unless a separate endorsement is held, so read the terms and ask the insurer to confirm them in writing.
A lingering smell often means a wet cavity or porous material that was not removed. Call the crew back so the readings can be checked and the source found.