Sewage that backs up into a home is treated as contaminated from the first pass, with affected materials assessed.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Sewer backup cleanup removes sewage that has come up through drains, floor drains or toilets and treats the water and the materials it touched as contaminated from the first pass. In Albuquerque and across Bernalillo County, Albuquerque Water Damage Restoration answers 24/7 and sends a local technician as soon as one is free to remove the water, assess the floor coverings and drywall and dry the affected areas.
A sewer backup is one of the most unpleasant water losses a home can have. Water that comes up through a floor drain, a toilet or a shower drain carries waste with it, and the water is not clean from the first moment it reaches the floor. The job is different from a supply leak, because the water has to be handled as contaminated and the materials it touches are judged on that basis.
Albuquerque Water Damage Restoration takes sewer backup calls across Bernalillo County. Phones are answered 24/7, and a local technician is sent as soon as one is free. Because the water is contaminated, the call taker asks the caller to keep people and pets out of the area and to avoid touching the water, and that instruction matters more than the arrival time. Arrival times are not promised, because a technician goes to the nearest available job.
The job has three parts: removing the water, deciding what can be cleaned and what must come out, and drying what is left. Each part depends on how long the water sat, how far it spread and what materials it reached. The technician makes those calls on site and explains each one before the work goes further.
Sewage carries bacteria, viruses and waste, and it can leave contamination in porous materials that is not removed by drying. Water from a sewer backup is handled as contaminated from the first pass, so the people working on it use protection and the materials it touched are judged by a stricter standard.
The first concern is the health of the people in the building and the people doing the work. The water should not be touched with bare hands, and it should not be splashed onto skin or into the eyes. Children and pets are kept out of the area until it has been cleaned and dried.
The second concern is the materials. Carpet pad, insulation, unfinished drywall and wood can hold contamination after they dry, and they are often removed rather than cleaned. The decision on each material is recorded so the reason is clear.
Carpet and pad that were in sewage are usually removed, because the pad is porous and holds contamination below the surface. A carpet that is made of a dense material may sometimes be cleaned and kept, but the decision is made after the carpet is lifted and the pad is looked at.
A carpet that is lifted and cleaned can still hold contamination in the pad and the backing. The technician checks the subfloor underneath and decides whether it can be disinfected or must be replaced.
The removal is recorded with the material, the room and the reason. The record matters for the insurer and for a later repair, because the material cannot be recovered once it has been thrown away.
Keep belongings out of the water, move the items that are not wet to a dry room, and photograph everything that was touched before it is moved. Wet porous items such as paper, upholstery and bedding are usually removed, while hard items can often be washed and kept.
Do not try to wash clothing or linens in the house before the technician has checked the area, because the contaminated water can spread through the laundry. Bag wet items and keep them apart from the rest of the house until a decision is made.
The list of belongings and the photographs are useful to the insurer. Write down what was lost, what was saved and what was removed, and keep the bags for inspection if they are asked for.
This site cannot say what a policy covers, and a policy may treat backup water differently from other water damage. The insurer decides, and the technician keeps the record of the source, the water and the materials removed that the insurer will ask for.
Backup is often handled by a separate part of a policy, so do not assume it is included. Ask the insurer what your policy says about sewer and drain backup, and keep the record of the cause as it was found.
The technician records the source of the water as it is seen on site, and does not decide the coverage question. The record is the evidence of what happened, and the policy and the insurer decide the rest.
This site does not publish prices. The cost moves with how far the water spread, how many materials must be removed, how many rooms are affected and how long the drying runs. The scope is explained on site and approved before any work starts.
Contaminated water costs more to remove and treat than clean water, and materials that must be removed add to the scope. A basement with several rooms affected is a larger job than a single bathroom.
Ask for the scope in writing with each material and each room listed, and with the reason for each removal. A written scope is the basis for comparing firms and for the claim.
Do not touch sewage water with bare hands, and wear gloves and boots if you must enter the area. Do not wade into deep contaminated water, and do not run a pump or a vacuum in standing water unless it is built for that. Keep children and pets out of the area until it has been cleaned and dried. Wash hands and any skin that touched the water with soap and clean water, and seek medical advice if you have an open cut or feel unwell after exposure.
The area is closed off, and people and pets are kept out of the water. The power to the affected area is switched off at the panel if it can be reached without standing in water. Nobody should touch the water with bare hands or enter it without protection, and the call taker explains this before the crew arrives.
The source is stopped if it is still running, and the water is removed with pumps and wet vacuums that are set up for contaminated water. The water is removed in full, including the water under the floor coverings and in the drain line where that can be reached. The removal is recorded as contaminated water.
Carpet, pad, drywall, insulation, subfloor and baseboards that the water reached are assessed one by one. Porous materials that have been in contaminated water are often removed rather than cleaned, because they hold contamination below the surface. Hard surfaces may be cleaned and disinfected where the material allows.
Hard surfaces and sound materials are cleaned and disinfected with products suited to the material. The cleaning is done in a sequence that moves from the cleanest area to the most contaminated, and the cleaning water is removed as it is used. Each step is recorded so the condition of the room can be shown.
The materials that were kept are dried to the goal set at the start, and the readings are recorded for each area. The removals are listed in the log with a note of the reason. The record is given to you so that the claim, the repair and any later inspection can be based on it.
A floor drain in a basement, garage or laundry can back up through the lowest point of the house. The water spreads across the floor and up the walls at the lowest level, and it often reaches the framing and the subfloor. The drain is cleared by a plumber, and the area is cleaned and dried by the technician.
A toilet or shower that backs up floods the bathroom and can run under the door into the rooms beside it. The water is contaminated, and the floor coverings and the bottom of the walls are assessed. The bathroom is cleaned and dried in a sequence that keeps the contamination contained.
A basement that takes water from the sewer line can have a deep layer of contaminated water that reaches the walls, the stored items and the utilities. The removal takes longer, and the materials at the base of the walls are assessed in detail. The basement is dried from the walls as well as the floor.
Storm water that mixes with a sewer backup during a heavy rain can carry a larger load of soil and debris into the house. The water is handled as contaminated, and the materials it reached are assessed more carefully. Where the source is outside, the entry is noted for the plumber or the utility.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent sewer backup cleanup, send the form and we'll call you back.
Sewer backup in Albuquerque is most often felt in the lowest part of a house, where a floor drain or a basement drain meets the sewer line. The water rises to the lowest fixture first, and a basement or a garage can fill before a bathroom upstairs shows a problem. The call taker asks which room is lowest and where the water is first seen.
A heavy monsoon storm can add a large amount of water to a sewer system in a short time. Storm water that enters the sewer or runs across the ground can come back up into a house through a drain at a low point, which is why a backup can happen during a storm even when the drains were working well the day before.
The water that reaches a home in a sewer backup can carry soil and debris from outside as well as waste from inside. The technician notes whether the water is coming from the sewer line, from a storm line or from the ground, because the source changes the plumbing fix and the record.
Suspect material found during demolition stops the work until a licensed asbestos contractor has assessed it.
Wet carpet, pad and hardwood: what can be dried in place, what must come out, and how the floor is measured.
Air movers and dehumidifiers run until walls, floors and cavities read dry, and each room is logged.
Storm water that enters a home or shop is stopped, removed and dried, with entry points and mud lines recorded.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
A water damage restoration quote in Albuquerque is set by how much area is wet, which materials must come out, how many rooms are affected and how long the drying runs.
The New Mexico Construction Industries Division licenses contractors under the Construction Industries Licensing Act, NMSA 1978, Section 60-13-1 et seq.
In New Mexico, asbestos contractors need the GB-98 general and GS-29 special contractor licenses from the Construction Industries Division.
A water damage claim in New Mexico usually turns on the cause of the water, whether it was sudden or gradual, and what the policy says about it.
Sewage can give off odor and carry bacteria, and it is safest to keep the area ventilated and closed off until it is cleaned. Anyone with a breathing condition or a weakened immune system should stay out of the area. The technician uses protective equipment and tells you when the area is safe to enter.
Sewage should be handled by someone wearing protection, and porous materials that it touched are usually removed rather than cleaned. A homeowner who mops or sweeps the water can spread contamination to other rooms. Keep people out of the area and let the technician take over.
A local technician is sent as soon as one is free, and Albuquerque Water Damage Restoration cannot promise an arrival time. Because the water is contaminated, keeping people out of the area is the most important step until the crew arrives. Give the call taker the lowest room and whether the flow is still coming.
The drain and the sewer line are fixed by a plumber, and the drying and the cleaning of the affected rooms are done by the technician. The plumber should check the line before the building is closed up, so the same backup does not happen again.
Only the materials that were wet with contaminated water and that cannot be dried and cleaned are removed. Drywall that has been soaked from the base often comes out to the height the water reached, and the cavity behind it is dried and checked. The technician shows the line and the readings before any wall is opened.
This site does not name a license class for water cleanup in New Mexico. Suspect asbestos found during demolition is a licensed job, and the asbestos page explains which license applies. Ask any firm for its contractor license number and its insurance in writing.