When sewage backs up into your sink, your toilet bowl or your bathtub, you rightly assume it’s a health risk. Your instinct is to simply clean the mess up, and forget about it. But these backups are signs that there’s something seriously wrong with your sewer line. It may be sagging, clogged to the point where even a plumber’s snake is useless. It’s time to call a plumber for emergency service, because you don’t want a sewer line backup to last any longer than it must. Here’s why.
All Manner of Pathogens
A backed-up sewer line exposes you to all types of pathogens, some of which can cause truly dire illnesses. They include bacteria such as E. coli, which can cause terrible gastrointestinal upsets such as vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea. Viruses include Hepatitis A, which attacks your liver. You can also easily come down with a case of Norovirus, which is famous for attacking vacationers on cruise ships. This virus causes vomiting and a watery diarrhea that can last as long as three days and lead to dehydration. Parasites are also rampant in raw sewage. Giardia attacks your small intestine and can cause diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps and fatigue.
On top of this, mold and mildew can grow on floors and drywall made damp by wastewater. Exposure to mold and mildew can tire you out and make you cough all the time. They worsen the condition of people suffering from asthma. The polluted water also attracts pests, including ones that carry disease. If the water invades electrical outlets, it can set up fire and shock hazards.
Sewer Gases
Even if you avoid being infected by germs, you probably won’t be able to escape the stench of sewer gases. These gases are not only foul-smelling, but they’re actually dangerous to breathe. Keeping them out of the air of your home was the reason why S-traps were invented for your plumbing. They are why a layperson is never supposed to open a septic tank. The gas can knock you unconscious or even kill you.
The main types of gases that come from sewer line backups are methane and hydrogen sulfide. At high levels they can make you dizzy, cause shortness of breath, make your head hurt and cause infections to your skin and eyes. If they’re allowed to linger, sewer gas can damage your respiratory system and worsen the quality of your indoor air. As with dangerous microbes, exposure to sewer gas is harder on the elderly, babies and people with weak immune systems.
It’s important for your health and safety that sewer line backups are dealt with right away by a professional plumber. Don’t delay. Call PHD Plumbing in Yuma, AZ today for all of your sewer line needs.