Standard water damage to a house is already a major crisis and something that no homeowner wants to deal with. But when you add sewer water to the situation, it becomes substantially worse. Sewage-contaminated water can do even greater damage to property and presents serious health risks.
This isn’t a topic people want to talk about, but as damage restoration specialists with a long history of dealing with all types of damage to homes, it’s one we want to address. We’ll look at the dangers of sewer water to both your home and your health. We want you to know why it’s crucial to have this problem dealt with quickly and why only experts can do the job.
Understanding Sewer Water Damage
Sewer water damage in a house can occur for a variety of reasons. One of the most frequent is from a plumbing problem with toilets, sinks, or drains that lead to sewage backup. Damage to sewer lines can rapidly cause parts of a house to flood with sewage-contaminated water. This sewer water contains harmful contaminants and pathogens—a toxic mixture of bacteria, viruses, chemicals, and waste.
The Health Risks for People
The dangers that sewer water poses to a house are similar to those of standard water damage: it weakens the structural integrity of the building, quickly leads to mold growth, can trigger electrical issues, and damages possessions. But the larger concern with sewage water damage is the health risk it carries for people…
- Bacterial Infections: One of the biggest dangers found in sewage is pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella an E. coli. These bacteria lead to deadly gastrointestinal illnesses.
- Viral Infections: Also lurking in sewage water is a range of viruses such as hepatitis A, which causes liver infections. Other viruses in sewage can lead to kidney damage—and even cancer in some cases.
- Respiratory Problems: You know that sewage water smells awful, but you may not be aware that these smells accompany dangerous fumes that can irritate your respiratory tract. Complications from these fumes can include coughing, wheezing, and worsening of asthma symptoms.
- Skin Irritation: If you come into contact with sewage water, it can lead to skin irritation such as rashes. It is especially dangerous if this water comes into contact with open sores.
Professional Restoration
If the sewage damage to your house is limited to one area, you might think you can take care of the clean-up on your own with a wet-dry vac, some hard work, and nose plugs. Please don’t attempt this.
First, there’s the health risk involved. Second is that any type of water damage is insidious and seeps into material where it’s hard to remove. With sewer water, you’ll have deadly contaminants saturating parts of your home—and your efforts to remove them won’t do anything! You need pros on the job.
Our professionals have the special training and equipment to clean up sewer water damage and dispose of the harmful materials safely. We use special tools for water extraction, drying, dehumidification, and sanitizing and disinfecting that will completely eliminate any later hazards. We will always watch out for the health of you and your family.
If you’re facing sewer water damage in your house, don’t delay—your home and your family’s health depends on fast action and working with the best contractor. Call us right away to arrange for restoration services for water damage in Orange County, CA.
For comprehensive home restoration services you can rely on, contact Jarvis Restoration today!