They reported that between 15 and 35 percent of their sewers were filled above capacity and/or overflowed during wet weather.
Some reasons why a toilet backup can occur in your home
- Sewers and pumps too small to carry sewage from newly-developed subdivisions or commercial areas
- Blocked, broken or cracked pipes and other equipment or power failures that keep the system from doing its job. Tree roots can grow into the sewer. Sections of pipe can settle or shift so that pipe joints no longer match. Sediment and other material can build up and cause pipes to break or collapse. This can also happen to sewer service connections to houses and other buildings. Some cities estimate that as much as 60 percent of the water over-filling their sewer systems comes from service lines.
- A deteriorating sewer system. When sewers are not properly installed or maintained, widespread problems that can be expensive to fix develop over time. Some municipalities have found severe problems, necessitating billion-dollar correction programs. Often, communities have had to curtail new development until problems are corrected or system capacity is increased.
If you have a toilet backup in your home and plan on cleaning it up yourself, you should really consider hiring a professional. Sewerage exposure can be very dangerous to your health. Sewerage can effect people differently, you could get chlorea, salmonellosis ,typhoid fever, bacillary dysentery, gastroenteritis, meningitis, to name a few, all which are very dangerous. This was demonstrated in a 1988-89 epidemic of hepatitis A in Ocoee Florida, that resulted in 39 cases and one fetal death.
Leave the cleaning up to a certified professional who has had the training in water damage restoration. These Technicians will come to your home or business and formulate a plan to decontaminate it and its contents. They will ensure that when they are done, the areas effected will be totally clean and safe.