If you ever experience a sewage backup, you’re suddenly in trouble.
Your home’s sewer lines are easy to forget about. After all, you can typically flush the toilet, run the garbage disposal, and drain out your bathtub without any incidents. However, if you ever experience a sewage backup, you’re suddenly in trouble. You can do a few things in certain backup situations and the steps an emergency plumber will do once they arrive on the scene. Read on to learn more!
Overflowing Toilet
Your very first priority is to stem the flow of the water coming from your toilet until your plumber arrives. The steps to follow include:
- Turn off Your Water: look on the wall behind your toilet and locate a valve. Turn the valve clockwise to turn off your water supply.
- Stop Your Toilet From Running: the toilet might continue to run for a bit, even with your water valve turned off. To prevent this, remove the tank cover and life your float ball up.
From here, you can scoop up any excess water from the toilet bowl into a bucket and try to plunge the toilet. This should be your main approach if a recent clog is the reason for a toilet overflow. However, if you notice a tree root issue, it is best to leave unclogging to the plumbers from B&D. We have experience and special tools to deal with this kind of issue.
Bathtub Overflow
When you’re taking a shower, you know you have an issue if the water begins to rise around your ankles. Nasty clogs might cause the tub to fill up quickly with water, even causing the bathtub to overflow in some instances. Here is what you should do:
- Prepare Your Tub: cover the overflow plate with wet rags and duct tape. To prevent any splashing and sloshing, scoop out some of the water from the tub with a bucket before you plunge.
Plunge Your Tub: the end goal is to push out the blockage. Try around three or four plunging attempts, and then call a plumber if your efforts are not enough.
When to Call for Emergency Plumbing
Get some help solving your sewage backup emergency issues without delay, even if it is after regular business hours. Quick responses from a 24-hour plumber could help stop a bigger issue. A plumber might use a drain auger or cable device. A lot of drain backups occur from hair, food, soap, and other foreign objects. A drain auger can usually remove these. A camera inspection in your drains is one other solution a professional plumber might use too.
Get in Touch With B&D Today!
Dealing with any plumbing concerns that require a professional to step in? Struggling with an absolute plumbing emergency that can’t wait? Let B&D Plumbing know. B&D Plumbing Inc. services the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area, including Maryland and Northern Virginia. Get in touch with us by calling (301) 595-1141 or follow us on social media including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. As a small, family-owned business, we understand how important your home is—and we offer exceptional service that matches!