Clogged Pipes and Sewage Backup - Do it Yourself Repairs For Your Plumbing System

Sewage backup can be extremely dangerous to your health. If you are experiencing sewage backing up into your toilets, bath tubs, and showers, it is time to call your plumber. Sewage contains germs such as E. coli, Cryptosporidium, Hepatitis A, and Shigella, so it must be cleaned up and the plumbing system repaired immediately.

While you are waiting for the plumbers to arrive, begin to clean up the area with a solution of one cup bleach to every five gallons of water. Keep children, the elderly, and pets away from the area, and wear long pants, eyewear, gloves and boots. Wash your hands afterwards with soap and clean warm water. You can help keep sewage from backing up into your home by limiting the amount of water going down the drain.

It may be a clog between the shower and toilet, or the waste line may be plugged. Whatever the cause, protecting you and your family from harmful waste needs to be your first concern.

Symptoms from being exposed to sewage may include diarrhea, stomach pain, fever, chills, and vomiting. Seek medical attention right away if you experience any of these symptoms.

You must also clean all items and surfaces that were touched by the sewage, including children's toys, by using use one cup of unscented household bleach to every five gallons of water. Throw away items that cannot be washed and cleaned (such as mattresses, stuffed animals, baby toys, and wood cutting boards) and food that may have come in contact with sewage water.

If the sewage backup is in the shower area, try using a snake. A one quarter inch snake that is 25 feet is you best bet. It will move more easily through the line. You may find that the shower trap gets backed up, while the toilet in the same bathroom does not. This is due to the fact that the toilet trap is typically about six inches above the floor level, whereas the typical shower drain is installed level with the floor.

If you are unable to clear this backup yourself, you must call in professional plumbers. They will be able to clean up the leaked sewage thoroughly, as well as find out exactly where the clog is located. Unless you know what you are doing when you try to do your own plumbing repairs, it is generally wise to let the professionals handle it to begin with.

Plumbers Can Get Expensive! So Do it Yourself!

Plumbing to most people seems like a complete foreign language and most of the time a call to the local plumber can run up a big bill when the job could in fact be done by yourself. Here are a few DIY tips for smaller plumbing jobs that you could try out yourself next time you have a problem rather then call the plumber.

Split Pipes!

There are many reasons that pipes can split, from old worn down pipework through to changes of temperature suddenly! These occurrences can cause a pipe to split. Now a plumber would be able to fix this with ease but of course with a little DIY you could do it yourself. Instead of draining down the whole system there is actually a system you can buy known as "Pipe Freeze" and by wrapping a towel around the pipe and spraying "Pipe Freeze" onto the area it will freeze the pipe and allow you 30-40mins to change the pipe or call a local plumber meaning you save time and of course money!

Blocked Taps & Sinks!

Blockages In both taps and sinks can occur quite regularly and again calling a plumber out can get costly but if you do get the time then there are steps you can take to do it yourself. A few tips when doing this are to make sure before taking apart a tap to clean and unblock it make sure the water is turned off before hand or you will end up with a very wet bathroom or kitchen! With blocked sinks another tip is to make sure you block up the overflow holes with a damp cloth as this builds up pressure and makes the job a little easier.

Toilet Blockages & Leaks!

Toilet blockages are sometimes quite frequent and can be caused quite simply if a bulkier toilet roll is used or something is put down the toilet that gets caught and forces the water in the bowl to build up. A simple plunge is generally most of the time all that is needed unless of course the blockage is well down the pipe which in this case a plumber is the best person to call. Also if you have a feeling that your toilet may be leaking, in some cases the water droplets around the pipes and the toilet can come simply from condensation. So the problem isn't your toilet but in fact the ventilation within the room!

These small tips can in most cases help you and keep you from having to call for a plumber which saves you money and time but of course if any DIY you do doesn't seem to fix the problem then of course get in contact with a reliable local plumber to help out and make sure the job is done right.