Recently, a job in Broward County illustrated perfectly why one should not wait to get help if sewage escapes its black hole and begins to invade your home or business. The story goes a little something like this: a man had a sewage leak in his home on his birthday, a terrible happenstance any day of the year, but particularly on your birthday. Our technicians, knowing the importance of timing, particularly with sewage damage, encouraged him to let them come out immediately to assess the situation. However, he had plans for his birthday and opted to make an appointment for them to come after the weekend, on Monday.

I know what you’re thinking- that’s disgusting. He decided to let not just water, but raw sewage stand in his home for days? Yes. And the even crazier thing? He’s not the only one who would do this. Far too many people think that water losses of any kind can be rectified days or even weeks later in the same way they could be immediately. But that is SO not the case, especially with sewage damage. The longer you put off sewage damage remediation, the less likely that any of the contents will be salvageable, and the more likely that the situation will need to be handled as a biohazard loss.

The IICRC states that the following are some of the key principles homeowners should know about sewage damage:

• It is not safe to stay in a building that’s flooded with sewage unless the contaminated area can be completely sealed off and placed under controlled air flow so that there will be no cross contamination of unaffected areas.
• Highly absorbent sewage-saturated materials, such as carpet, pad, upholstery, bedding, wicker, paper or even fabrics that can’t be washed in hot water (130°F/54°C) for at least 10 minutes, must be contained and disposed of properly. This goes for sewage-saturated drywall, insulation and several other structural materials too. There’s simply too great a health risk involved if any of these materials are dried in place and cleaned only.
• Only the most highly trained professionals should attempt sewage damage remediation work. Then, a “third party” indoor environmental professional can provide post-remediation verification or “clearance testing” to ensure that the home or building is safe to re-occupy.

http://www.iicrc.org/consumers/care/water-damage/

Joe Taylor Restoration is made up of highly trained professionals who have almost fifteen years of experience dealing with all types of water damage, including sewage damage cleanup. We are prepared to handle even the worst sewage situations in your home or business. If you are faced with sewage damage, do not wait! Call Joe Taylor Restoration for the expertise you need.