Cleanup after sewage or sewer backup, treated as contaminated water. Phones answered 24/7; a crew dispatched as fast as one is available.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
A sewage backup is water from the sanitary sewer that has come up through a floor drain, toilet or basement fixture. Because it carries human waste, the crew treats it as contaminated Category 3 water: it removes wet materials, cleans the surfaces, and dries the structure. Phones answered 24/7; a crew is dispatched as fast as one is available.
When sewage comes up through a basement floor drain or a low toilet, the water is not clean and cannot be handled like a broken supply line. In Columbus the common version is a sanitary sewer that backs up during heavy rain, when the system is overloaded and the water finds the lowest open fixture in the house. Columbus Water Damage Restoration connects you with a local restoration crew for the cleanup, with phones answered 24/7 and a crew dispatched as fast as one is available.
The city has a long history with this problem. Columbus entered two consent decrees with Ohio EPA, in 2002 and 2004, to eliminate sewage backups into homes and overflows into the rivers in wet weather. Part of the city's answer is Project Dry Basement, a program running since 2004 that pays for an approved backflow prevention device on a basement drain in eligible single- and two-family homes, rentals included. The Public Utilities annual report counted 1,814 devices installed as of 2024. Read the sewer backup guide for Columbus for how that program works.
This page covers what a technician does with sewage-contaminated materials, what moves the cost up or down, and where the cleanup stops and a plumber's work begins. Many basement backups also involve basement flooding cleanup once the sewage is out and the structure needs drying.
Do not wade into sewage-contaminated water, and do not use a household vacuum or a fan on it, because the splash and spray spread the contamination. If the panel and outlets are dry and you can reach them without standing in water, you may switch off power to the affected area; if not, call the utility or an electrician first. Keep children and pets out of the room and wash your hands thoroughly after any contact. Do not pull out wet drywall, insulation or carpet yourself, since the contamination is hard to judge by sight.
Once a sewage backup is found, nobody should walk through it, and the fixtures feeding the drain should not be used. The crew stops the flow where it can be done safely and keeps children and pets out of the affected rooms until the work is finished.
Sewage moves into walls, under flooring, and sometimes into insulation and the subfloor. The crew uses moisture meters and thermal imaging to find the wet areas beyond what is visible, because the water line on the wall rarely shows the full extent.
Porous materials that have taken in sewage, such as carpet, carpet pad, insulation, and drywall or paneling above the wet line, usually cannot be sanitized and come out. Cuts are made at a height that leaves dry material behind, so the structure can dry and the repair can be planned.
Hard surfaces that can be cleaned are cleaned and sanitized. The crew sets air movers and dehumidifiers and checks readings until the framing, subfloor and remaining materials are dry, because wet materials left in the basement are what let mold start. Drying speed matters, and EPA guidance is to dry water-damaged areas within 24 to 48 hours where possible.
The crew can provide photos and moisture readings to share with your insurer, and coverage is decided by your insurer. Pipe repair and sewer work go to a plumber, and the repair of the finished space is quoted separately after drying, once someone has seen the wet area.
Yes. Sewage is Category 3 water under the IICRC S500 water damage standard, the most contaminated class, so the work involves more removal and more careful handling than a clean supply-line leak.
A broken supply line is Category 1 and an overflowing washing machine is usually Category 2. A sewer backup is Category 3 because it carries human waste, and rising floodwater from a river or creek is also treated as Category 3. Porous materials that have taken in sewage are generally removed rather than dried in place.
Water also gets worse the longer it sits, so the sooner the source is stopped and the wet materials are pulled, the less the job grows. Sewage cleanup is not a homeowner task, because the contamination is hard to judge by sight and the materials it reaches are often the ones that were never meant to be cut.
Often not by default. The Ohio Department of Insurance lists water damage from a sewer backup or basement leak among the typical exclusions on HO-2 through HO-6 forms, so coverage usually depends on an added endorsement or rider.
A standard homeowners policy generally responds to sudden and accidental water damage, but sewer and drain backup is treated differently. Check your policy or ask your agent whether a backup endorsement is attached, because the answer decides how the claim is handled. Coverage is decided by your insurer under your own policy.
Take photos before anything is moved, stop the water if you safely can, and call your insurer early. If you have a dispute about how the insurer handled the claim, the Ohio Department of Insurance takes consumer complaints at 800-686-1526.
The size of the wet area, the number of floors it reached, the materials that must come out, how long the water sat, and whether mold is already present all move the price. The price is confirmed on site before any work begins, and nobody can price it honestly over the phone.
Access matters as well. A basement reached only by narrow stairs, a crawl space, or an upper-floor unit with the drain on another level all add labor. Whether a plumber must fix the source first is a separate cost and is not part of the cleanup quote.
The emergency stage, meaning extraction, removal and drying setup, is explained and approved before work starts. Repairs to drywall, trim and flooring are quoted separately after drying, when the actual damage is known. Ask for that breakdown before you sign anything.
A plumber fixes the pipe or sewer line. In Columbus that plumber must be registered with the city, and trade permits are pulled by the registered contractor, not by the homeowner for work a contractor will do.
Plumbing work in Ohio is licensed. The state board licenses commercial plumbing contractors, and city building departments handle residential registration. Ask any company which license it holds and check it with the issuing office. Columbus contractors are registered under Chapter 4114 of the city code, and a bond and registration are required; check the current schedule with Building and Zoning Services at 614-645-7433.
A property owner may pull a plumbing permit only for work they do themselves on a single-family home they live in. You may not buy a permit for work a contractor will do. Outside Franklin County, or in the county half of a city, the house is covered by its county or city building department instead.
It can be. Homes built before the 1980s may contain asbestos in joint compound, textured ceilings, old floor tile and pipe insulation, and pre-1978 homes fall under federal lead paint renovation rules. Check with Ohio EPA and your local health district before anything is cut or demolished.
Flood cuts and demolition disturb building materials, which is why the age of the house matters. Many Columbus homes in Clintonville, Franklinton, Bexley, Grandview Heights and Upper Arlington predate 1978, so the question should be asked before the wall is opened, not after.
Ask any crew whether it follows the EPA lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule and whether its staff are lead-safe certified. Ohio does not license mold remediation the way some states do, so also ask which industry standard the company works to.
This is the most common local call. Many older Columbus basements have a floor drain tied to the sanitary line, and during heavy rain the water rises through it. The contaminated water spreads across the slab and into the lowest walls, so removal and drying usually cover the whole basement floor, not just the drain.
When an upper-floor toilet or shower is the path, the water still runs down to the lowest point, which is the basement. The wet area can look small on the floor above and still reach the ceiling below, so the crew checks both levels before deciding what comes out.
Finished basements in newer suburban homes often have carpet, drywall, built-in cabinets and a bathroom. Sewage gets into all of it, and the materials behind the finish are the main reason the removal can be more involved than in an unfinished space.
In Columbus a large share of housing is rented, and a backup in a duplex or apartment building can affect the unit below, the common area and a neighboring unit. Tenants and landlords both need to know the source has been stopped before the space is reoccupied.
Columbus sits at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, with Alum Creek, Big Walnut Creek and Blacklick Creek on the east side. Heavy rain on the city's clay soils sheds quickly into storm drains, and when the sanitary system is overloaded, the water comes back up through basement fixtures. The National Weather Service measured 4 to 7 inches of rain in the heaviest areas of Franklin and Licking counties on 19 and 20 August 2026, and that storm is a useful reminder of how fast a backup can happen.
Much of the city's older housing, from German Village and Franklinton to the Hilltop and Clintonville, has original cast-iron waste stacks, clay sewer laterals cracked by street-tree roots, and no perimeter drain tile. Those lines are the usual routes for backups, and a clay lateral with root intrusion is typically a plumber's repair. Post-war houses in Whitehall, Northland and Linden often have block basements with floor drains that connect to the same sanitary line.
The city's Project Dry Basement program covers eligible single- and two-family homes inside the City of Columbus, and eligibility should be checked with the city rather than assumed. The city's Sewer Maintenance Operations Center takes reports at 614-645-7102, and 311 is the other route. In the outer communities, including Pickerington, Lithopolis, West Jefferson, Commercial Point, and the county parts of Reynoldsburg, Canal Winchester, New Albany, Westerville and Dublin, the local county or city building department is the one to contact.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent sewage backup cleanup, send the form and we'll call you back.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Extraction, drying and cleanup for Columbus homes and businesses, with phones answered 24/7 and a crew dispatched as fast as one is available.
Standing water comes out first, then the drying starts. How a crew handles emergency water removal in Columbus basements and ground floors.
Water removal, drying and moisture checks for flooded basements across Columbus and central Ohio, with phones answered 24/7.
Cleanup after a sump pump fails or loses power in a storm, covering the pit, the basement floor and the materials that stayed wet.
No honest dollar figure can be given before someone sees the wet area in Columbus.
Heavy rain can overload the sewer system, and sewage can then rise through a basement floor drain.
Basements flood in central Ohio for three main reasons: water that cannot drain through glacial till soil, a sump pump that fails or loses power, and sewer backup when the city system is overloaded in heavy rain.
A standard Ohio homeowners policy generally responds to sudden, accidental water damage, like a burst supply line.
Older houses in German Village, Clintonville, Bexley, Grandview Heights and Upper Arlington tend to fail in a few predictable places: cast-iron drain stacks, clay sewer laterals, stone cellar walls and old water service lines.
Yes. Sewage carries human waste, so it is treated as Category 3, the most contaminated class of water. Keep children and pets out of the affected rooms, avoid touching it, and wash hands after any contact. A crew can clean and dry the space once the source has been stopped.
Both, and the order matters less than making both calls. The city asks for a report of a sewer backup within 24 hours so it can determine whether rainwater caused it. Report to the Sewer Maintenance Operations Center at 614-645-7102 or through 311, and call the cleanup crew for the removal and drying.
No. The city's backflow prevention device only prevents sanitary sewer backups that come through a basement drain. It does nothing about seepage through walls or windows, which is a different problem that needs its own assessment and cleanup.
Small amounts on hard surfaces may be cleaned by a homeowner with care, but a basement backup is rarely small. Porous materials that have taken in sewage usually have to come out, and mold in sewage-affected areas calls for professional help. A crew will know what can be saved and what cannot.
No. Pipe repair, drain clearing that needs a plumber, and sewer lateral work belong to a plumber, and in Columbus that plumber must be registered with the city. The crew's job is the cleanup and drying, and any plumbing repair is handled and quoted separately.
Drying depends on how far the water reached and what materials it soaked, so no timeline can be promised over the phone. The crew checks moisture readings until the structure is dry, and repairs are scheduled only after drying is complete. Faster drying helps limit mold.
It depends on your policy. Many standard homeowners forms exclude sewer and basement backup unless an endorsement was added, so check your policy or ask your agent. The crew can give you photos and moisture readings for your claim, but coverage is decided by your insurer.