Sewer Backup in Your Rancho Palos Verdes Home: What to Do in the First Hour

What should you do in the first five minutes?

1. Stop all water use. No flushing, showers, laundry or dishwasher. Tell everyone at home.
2. Keep people and pets away from the affected room.
3. Turn off power to the affected area at the panel if sewage is near outlets or appliances and you can do it safely.
4. Call for help. Describe exactly where sewage is coming up.

Those four steps stop the problem from growing while help is on the way.

Is it your line or the public sewer?

Look outside. If a manhole in the street is overflowing, or several neighbors are backing up at the same time, the public main may be blocked. In Rancho Palos Verdes, public sewer overflows go to LA County Public Works, which runs a 24-hour dispatch line. Homes on the City-run Abalone Cove system report problems to City Public Works. If only your house is affected and the backup stops at your cleanout, it is almost certainly your private lateral, and you need a contractor for emergency sewer repair.

What should you do in the next 30 minutes?

• Photograph the damage before anything is cleaned, for your insurer.
• Find the cleanout so the technician can reach it quickly.
• Move valuables and rugs away from the affected area.
• Open windows for ventilation if it is safe.
• Call your insurer to start a claim, if you have backup coverage.

What happens when the contractor arrives?

The technician opens the line, usually at the cleanout, using a cable machine or a jetter. Once water drains, the overflow stops. Then a camera goes in to find the cause: a simple clog, roots, a collapse or a pump failure. Ask for the video before agreeing to any major repair. If the home relies on an ejector pump, the problem may be the pump rather than the pipe; see sewage ejector pump repair.

How should cleanup be handled?

Hard, non-porous surfaces can be cleaned and disinfected. Carpet, pad and drywall soaked with sewage usually need to be removed. Large losses call for a water damage restoration company. In older neighborhoods such as Monaco, where many laterals are original, a backup is often the first visible sign of a problem that has been building for years, so the camera findings deserve careful attention. Read more about local repairs on our Rancho Palos Verdes sewer repair page.

How can you prevent the next backup?

Once the line is open and the cause is known, prevention depends on what the camera found. Roots call for sealing the affected joints. Grease calls for keeping fats out of the kitchen sink and periodic cleaning. A sag or collapse calls for a repair. In every case, keeping wipes, paper towels and hygiene products out of toilets helps.

Some homes also benefit from a backwater valve, which lets wastewater leave but stops it from flowing back in, and from a properly located two-way cleanout that gives fast access in an emergency. Ask your contractor whether either makes sense for your plumbing.

How should you handle insurance after a backup?

Call your insurer as soon as the immediate danger is under control. Photograph and video every affected area before cleanup, and keep damaged items until an adjuster has seen them or approves their disposal. Save invoices for the emergency visit, the camera inspection, cleanup and any repairs. Many standard policies exclude sewer backup unless a specific endorsement was added, so ask the agent directly what your policy covers. The camera footage showing the cause of the backup can also matter, since coverage may depend on whether the problem was sudden or the result of long-term wear.

Sewer backup FAQs