What to do when you have a sewerage outflow
What to do when you have a sewerage outflow
You might think of ringing your plumber if sewerage is backing into your shower, toilets or bath tub. Action should be taken immediately as this can effect your health, sewage is full of germs, so this problem should be resolved immediately.
It would be prudent to clean the area with a cup of bleach to five Imperial gallons of water before the plumber reaches your home. Protect yourself from germs by donning a face mask, boots, gloves and full length trousers; ensure that ageing and young family members keep out – even pets should not be allowed in the affected area. Remember to thoroughly wash your hands with soap after you are done with the cleaning up. Reduce the flushing of water into the drain to keep sewerage backflow under control.
Sewage backflow can happen if something has blocked the waste line or if there is some choke between the toilet and shower in the pipework. Whatever the cause, protecting you and your family from harmful waste needs to be your first concern.
Vomiting, fever, chills, stomach pain, diarrhoea are some of the symptoms of exposure to drainage. If any of these symptoms occur to you or your household, particularly the young or aged, seek medical attention without delay.
All objects polluted by the sewerage, including children’s play items, should be disinfected by mixing one cup of odorless household bleach for every five Imperial gallons of water. Throw away items that cannot be washed and cleaned (such as mattresses, stuffed animals, baby toys, and wood cutting boards) and food that may have come in contact with sewerage water.
If the sewage back flow is in the shower area, try using a snake. For such drains and pipe joints in close proximity, a quarter-inch snake of 25 feet length will work fine. At this size it will be more easier for the tool to move all the way through the drainage and plumbing line. Sometimes the toilet in a bathroom can be fine but the shower backs up. The reason is that the typical shower drain is installed level with the floor whereas the toilet trap is frequently 6 inches above the floor level.
An expert tradesman, a plumber, must be contacted if you can’t fix the backflow yourself. Not only would they find exactly where the block is but they would also clean up the leaked sewerage thoroughly for you saving a lot of effort and grief. Unless you know what you are doing when you try to do your own plumbing repairs, it is generally wise to let the professionals handle it to begin with.