Sewage Backups Means Black Water Damage in Norco

6/27/2018 (Permalink)

This photo shows how we remove the affected flooring and drywall when dealing with a category 3 water emergency.

Sewage backups are a dirty business—literally. Thankfully, we at SERVPRO of West Riverside City know exactly how to handle it. When toilets backup or start to overflow, sometimes it’s just a little toilet water that needs to be removed, but sometimes it is infinitely worse. The category of the sewage water (Category 1, 2 or 3) will directly affect how we treat the situation. With Category 1, we clean, disinfect and remove anything too saturated. On the other hand, Category 3 requires us to remove anything the water touched. Category 3 means you, the homeowner, could be in danger if we do not remove everything.

A Norco homeowner recently experienced a Category 3 sewage backup. As with most sewage backups, it originated in the bathroom. It happened while the homeowner was not home, so when she returned it had already spread to other rooms. She knew she would need a professional to help her remove the damage, so she called her property manager who referred her to SERVPRO of West Riverside City. 

As soon as the call came in, we sent our Project Manager to the home. His initial inspection found that the kitchen, bathroom and hallway were all affected. He also determined the water to be Category 3 sewage water, so he informed the homeowner anything the water touched would have to be removed for her safety. As soon as we had her approval (and the approval of her insurance), he called out our technicians.

Our technicians ended up removing the lower cabinets in the kitchen as well as the backsplash and counter tops. From there, they moved to the bathroom where they removed the vanity, tile floor and shower tile. And then finally they moved to the hallway where they removed all the hallway carpet, baseboards and a foot of drywall. Once everything was removed we worked to disinfect every area and then we set up air scrubbers and dehumidifiers to make sure everything was dry and sanitary for the homeowner.

She was so grateful for our work! She told us she could not have picked a better water damage company to come out to her home. Though her damage was extensive, she knew our ultimate priority was her safety and for that, she was grateful.

To read more about what categories of water exist, click here.

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