OMG help help- the basement is filled with sewage

[Anonymous]

Immediately call John Foust's office. He is your Supervisor. They will help you or they will tell you whom to call. this is a significant health risk. Foust's office is very proactive. Please start there.

[Anonymous]

Guys. This thread is from 2011. Hopefully the shit problem has been fixed by now? And WTF at bumping 2+ year old threads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what if you owned ur property and it was coming from your basement toilet

Blerg-and of course above is the loser post that bumped it. I hate that.

[Anonymous]

LMAO!

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing the "what if you owned ur property" poster has sewage coming from the basement toilet and is trying to figure out what to do. Of course, everyone comes to DCUM first to search the archives and ask fellow DCUMers, right? I don't think the PP was trying to be snarky.

Sorry, PP. I don't know what to do. I would look on Angie's List for a plumber and ask them. I'd also turn off the water to the toilet- don't know if that would do anything though.

[Anonymous]

Funny- this is what I think of when I think of McLean: There are either ugly rentals that have not been touched in decades; old houses where owners try to add piecemeal and it looks like it; or the new houses that everyone tries to rip on because they can't afford it (otherwise, they wouldn't try to rip on them).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depending on your financial situation, you can ask a lawyer for guidance. Or better yet, if you have proof that your landlord hasn't fixed the problem in a certain number of days, then hire someone to get it fixed and deduct it from your next rent payment, and send your landlord the receipt. If he takes you to court, you have evidence that wthout the work you paid for, the place was inhabitable.

I would get it fixed and deduct it from the rent (the sewer line back up). All you need is for a plumber to snake the main sewer line, which is maybe $300-$400. I would do that before living in sewage.

But you are in sewage now, so maybe at this point I would pack up and move out - but take photos first. Then send him a written notice that you are vacating immediately because the place is inhabitable due to sewage backing into the place and his failure to fix the problem. Send it certified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guys. This thread is from 2011. Hopefully the shit problem has been fixed by now? And WTF at bumping 2+ year old threads.

seriously! who is this troll who keeps reviving posts from years ago?

[Anonymous]

Condemned? Really?? The sewage should go back down the drain. Then bleach the floor. Is it carpet or tile?
There are probably roots blocking the pipes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Condemned? Really?? The sewage should go back down the drain. Then bleach the floor. Is it carpet or tile?
There are probably roots blocking the pipes.

The safest thing to do is call a remediation company to clean up the basement for you.

If you are going to DIY, you should NOT clean up your basement with chlorox. It will not kill every contaminant that can be in sewage and it doesn't remove dead E. coli from the environment. Do NOT put fans on the basement; fans can blow contaminant all over the house. Remove everything from the basement and toss it. If the basement is finished, you need to strip it down to the concrete walls. All the wallboard, drywall, cabinets, flooring, etc. has to come out. You need to clean the remaining surfaces with some type of biocide. Make sure you wear gloves and HEPA masks when you are working with the stuff in the basement.


To prevent it from happening in the future: you need to check to make sure that your lateral line is intact. A plumbing company can do that with a camera. If the lateral line is intact, you need to have a check valve or back-flow valve installed so that sewage can only flow out, not it. You could also have a gate valve installed, if you want to be doubly safe. A gate valve is turned with a wheel. You may also need to install a sump pump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guys. This thread is from 2011. Hopefully the shit problem has been fixed by now? And WTF at bumping 2+ year old threads.

seriously! who is this troll who keeps reviving posts from years ago?

It's not one troll...it's people who use Google to look for help about certain topics and Google drops them into an old thread. They respond and revive the thread. Jeff looked at this once and said frequently old threads are dug up by first time posters.

[Anonymous]

You likely have a main sewer line back up. That means the main sewer line leading to the street is where the backup is. You need a plumber to come into clear the back up. I've been through it, and it is awful. You may be able to get your insurance company to pay for the cost of the clean up. I don't know how bad of a mess it is. You shouldn't use any of your drains in your house until it is cleared, otherwise, the sewage will continue to back up into your house.

[Anonymous]

Are you on public sewer or septic? If it's septic, the tank probably needs to get pumped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guys. This thread is from 2011. Hopefully the shit problem has been fixed by now? And WTF at bumping 2+ year old threads.

seriously! who is this troll who keeps reviving posts from years ago?

It's not one troll...it's people who use Google to look for help about certain topics and Google drops them into an old thread. They respond and revive the thread. Jeff looked at this once and said frequently old threads are dug up by first time posters.

I wish he would lock threads once they become inactive for a certain amount of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, don't know about the landlord situation but I think you can and should call Fairfax County Public Works -- Sewage backup number.

I don't think "A little bit of chlorox" is a fix for this situation and neither should the handyman. At least the Public Works people should be able to tell you what needs to be done to fix the problem.

When a friend of mine had this happen in MoCo she called someone from the water dept I think and they sent a cleanup crew -- she said they came in hazmat suits. it was beyond disgusting, what her basement looked like.

Here's a story of someone in Fairfax County:

http://www.angryox.com/sewer.backup/

LOVED that link. That story is THE BEST!