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Drain Backup Cleanup in Wichita, KS

Removing drain and sewer backup water, cleaning and drying the affected floors and walls across Wichita and Sedgwick County, around the clock.

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Drain Backup

Drain Backup Cleanup: what it covers

Quick answer

Drain backup cleanup removes water that has come back up a floor drain, toilet or sewer line into a building, and it treats that water as contaminated. In Wichita a crew extracts the water, cleans and dries the affected area and removes porous materials that cannot be cleaned. Calls are answered 24/7.

Drain Backup Cleanup illustration for Wichita, KS

A drain that backs up sends water into a house from the lowest point, usually a floor drain in a basement, a laundry area or a bathroom on the ground floor. Water that comes back up a drain is not the same as clean water from a pipe. It has been in a sewer or a drain line, and it has to be handled as contaminated from the moment it reaches the floor.

Backups in Wichita tend to follow heavy rain, when the drainage system is carrying more water than it can handle. Wichita's rain has been heavy in past years, including 4 to 6 inches across most of the area in October 2018 and 12.64 inches in May 2019. A drain that works on a normal day can fail on the night the rain is heaviest, and the water it returns can reach a finished basement before anyone is awake.

Call (833) 490-5225 at any hour. Tell the phone team which drain is backing up, whether water is still rising, and whether the water is grey, brown or smells of sewage. Keep people and pets out of the water, and do not run the drain or flush a toilet in the house while the water is up. A technician checks the drain and the water on arrival and explains how it will be cleared before drying starts.

Service area
Wichita & Sedgwick County
Availability
Phones answered 24/7, emergencies first
Warning signs

Signs you need drain backup cleanup

Treat all water from a drain backup as contaminated. Keep it away from skin, eyes, mouth, food and open cuts, and do not wade into it barefoot. Wear rubber gloves and boots if you must come near it, and wash thoroughly afterward. Do not run electrical equipment in the water, and do not use a household vacuum or fan on it. Keep children and pets out of the area until the crew has finished.

  • Water coming up through a basement floor drain or a shower drain
  • Toilets that gurgle or bubble when a sink or tub is used
  • Grey, brown or foul-smelling water pooled on a basement floor
  • Water backing up in a laundry tub or a utility sink
  • Wet, dark streaks at the base of walls in a finished basement
  • A sewage smell that is strongest near a floor drain or a clean-out
  • A sump or backwater valve that is not stopping the flow
Our process

How our drain backup cleanup visit works

  1. Stop the flow into the drain

    Nothing else is flushed or run into the drain. The crew confirms that no fixture is draining into the affected line, and that the water is not rising from a source still feeding it, before the clearing work begins.

  2. Protect the crew and the house

    Protective equipment is worn for handling the water and the materials it touched. The area is closed off from the rest of the house where that is possible, and the crew explains to you which rooms should stay closed until the job is finished.

  3. Extract the water and clear the line

    Standing water is pumped or vacuumed from the floor, and the drain is cleared from the nearest clean-out or access point. Where the blockage is in the main sewer line, the line is handled by a licensed plumber, and the crew says so at once.

  4. Remove what cannot be cleaned

    Porous materials such as carpet, carpet pad, unsealed wood and the base of drywall are taken out when the water has reached them, because they cannot be cleaned to a safe condition. Hard surfaces are cleaned and disinfected in the way the job calls for.

  5. Dry, read and record

    Once the area is clean, air movers and dehumidifiers dry the structure to readings. The log records what was removed, what was cleaned and what dried, with photographs for your insurer and for the plumber who checks the line.

Job stories

Typical jobs for drain backup cleanup

Typical job
Illustration: A floor drain backs up into a finished basement

A floor drain backs up into a finished basement

What homeowners notice
Grey water rises through the floor drain of a finished basement after a laundry load. The carpet is wet along the drain wall and the owner has already tried to mop it up with towels.
What we do
The drain is not used again until it is cleared, and the crew wears protective equipment for the water. The standing water is removed, and the carpet and pad that the water reached are taken out because they cannot be cleaned to a safe condition. The hard surfaces are cleaned, and the drain is cleared at its clean-out. A plumber is called to check the main line for the cause.
What to expect
The room is dried to readings over several visits, the removed material is photographed and listed, and the owner receives the plumber's note on the line along with the drying log.

about one day typical visit

Is water from a drain backup dangerous to people and pets?

Yes. Water that has come back up a drain can carry bacteria and other contaminants, so it should be kept away from skin, open cuts, food and children, and pets should be kept out of it. The crew handles it with protective equipment, and it treats the materials it touched with care.

Sewage-contaminated water is more hazardous than clean water. Keep people and animals out of the area until the crew has removed the water and cleaned the floor, and do not wade through it in bare feet or sandals.

Wash hands and any exposed skin with soap and clean water if they touch the water, and keep any cut covered. Do not try to clean the water up with household equipment, because a wet vacuum or a fan can spread it.

  • Keep children and pets out of the water and the rooms next to it
  • Do not run a drain, flush a toilet or run a washing machine until the line is clear
  • Wear gloves and wash hands if you touch the water
  • Do not use household fans or vacuums in the water

What gets thrown out after a drain backup in Wichita?

Porous materials that the water has reached, such as carpet, carpet pad, unsealed wood, the paper-faced base of drywall and soft flooring, are usually removed. Hard, non-porous surfaces are cleaned and can often be kept. The crew decides which is which by the material and by the readings.

Porous material holds the water and the contamination inside it, and cleaning it does not make it safe. A carpet that has been under backed-up water is almost always taken out, because the pad and the backing hold what the water carried. The decision is explained to you before anything is removed.

Cabinets, baseboards and built-in fittings are checked one by one. Some can be cleaned and dried, and others are removed where the water has soaked into the base. Photograph anything you plan to discard before it is moved.

Why do drains back up in heavy rain in Wichita?

A drain can back up when the sewer or the storm system carries more water than it can take, or when a blockage meets a surge of flow. In a storm the water has nowhere to go, and it returns through the lowest drain in the building.

Whether a house drain shares its line with storm runoff depends on the street and the building. That is a question for the plumber and the sewer records, and the crew will not claim to know the cause of a backup on your street.

Ask the plumber to check the backwater valve and the sump, if you have them. A valve that is stuck open or a sump that has stopped can let water in during a storm even when the sewer is clear.

Does a backup always need the sewer line cleared?

Not always. A blockage in a single fixture's branch line can be cleared at the nearest access point. A backup from several fixtures at once suggests a problem further down, and that needs the main or the sewer line checked by a licensed plumber.

The crew looks at which fixtures are backing up. If a shower, a toilet and a floor drain are all affected together, the cause is likely further along the line, and the plumber needs to find it with a camera or a rod.

Clearing the drain is only part of the job. The water already in the building has to come out, and the area has to be dried, whatever the cause of the backup.

What should a homeowner do about a drain that keeps backing up?

Have a licensed plumber find the cause, check any backwater valve and sump, and keep a record of when the backups happen. A backup that repeats after a clean-out points to a fault in the line, not to bad luck in one storm.

Ask the plumber to show you the blockage or the damage on a camera, if one is used, and to explain the repair in writing. Ask whether a backwater valve is appropriate for your building and what it would need to keep working.

Keep the water-damage log with the plumber's report. Insurers and plumbers both use the dates and the readings to see whether the problem is new or has been happening for some time.

Options

Types and options for drain backup cleanup

Floor drain backup in a basement

A floor drain in a basement is the most common entry point for backed-up water. The water rises from the drain and spreads across the floor, under carpet and into the base of walls. The crew clears the drain, cleans the floor and removes what the water has soaked.

Toilet or tub backup on a ground floor

A toilet or tub that backs up on a ground floor usually means a blockage in the branch line or the main. The water is limited to the bathroom if it is stopped quickly, but it can run under the floor covering into the rooms next to it. The crew reads the floor beyond the bathroom door.

Sewer main or combined line backup

A backup that affects several drains at once can come from the main sewer line, which can be blocked or overloaded. Clearing that line is plumbing and sewer work, and it is done by a licensed plumber. The crew handles the water inside the building and tells you what the plumber needs to do.

Sump and backwater valve failure

A sump pump that stops, or a backwater valve that does not close, lets sewer or drain water into a basement. These are checked at the start of the job, because they can keep bringing water in until they are fixed. The crew notes the state of each one in its log.

Sedgwick County

Why drain backup cleanup is different in Wichita and south-central Kansas

Backups in Wichita are often noticed after storms. Heavy rain in October 2018 and May 2019 is the kind of event that tests a drain, and a basement floor drain can return water quickly when the flow outside is high.

The Wichita-Valley Center Floodway, built in 1959 and known as the Big Ditch, moves large volumes of water around the city during floods. It does not clear a drain in a single house, and water can still come back through a house drain when the local system is full. The crew treats a backup as a local event in the house, whatever the flow in the river.

The Arkansas River flooded to record levels in October 1998, and an undated regional news report about a floodway gate closure described the river rising about seven feet above normal. Basements near the drainage paths are the first to notice a backup when the rain is heavy, so the drains in those basements are a common focus for a check after a storm.

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Where we work

Drain Backup Cleanup across Sedgwick County

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Related

Standing Water Extraction

Pumping and vacuuming standing water off floors, out of basements and from low rooms across Wichita and Sedgwick County, around the clock.

Crawl Space and Slab Moisture

Pumping water out of crawl spaces, and reading and drying moisture under slabs and floors, across Wichita and Sedgwick County.

Structural Drying and Dehumidification

Setting air movers and dehumidifiers for wet framing, subfloor and wall cavities, run to moisture readings across Wichita and Sedgwick County.

Insurance Claim Documentation

Dated drying logs, moisture readings, photographs and written scopes that support a water damage insurance claim across Wichita and Sedgwick County.

FAQ

Drain Backup Cleanup FAQs

How quickly can a crew come out to a drain backup in Wichita?

Calls are answered 24/7, and a crew is sent as soon as one is free. No arrival time is promised on the phone. Stop using the affected drain, keep people out of the water, and say on the phone which drain is backing up.

Can you clear the sewer line?

The crew clears the drain at the nearest access point and handles the water in the building. Clearing the sewer main or a line outside the house is plumbing and sewer work, done by a licensed plumber. The crew tells you when that is needed.

Will I have to replace the carpet?

In most backup cases the carpet and its pad are removed, because they cannot be cleaned to a safe condition once backed-up water has reached them. The crew explains the decision and photographs the carpet before it is removed.

Is the drain backup covered by insurance?

That depends on your policy, including whether it has a sewer or water backup endorsement, and the insurer decides the claim. Keep the photographs, the drying log and the plumber's invoice, and ask your insurer what it needs. The Kansas Insurance Department is the state insurance regulator, and its Consumer Assistance Division is the place to take a claim complaint.

Can I use bleach on the floor after the water is gone?

Do not mix cleaning products, and do not use bleach on a surface until the crew has finished the cleaning and the drying. Some products give off fumes in a closed room, and the crew chooses the cleaning method for each material.

What if the water comes back after the crew leaves?

Call again at once, keep the area closed off, and let the phone team know that the water has returned. A return of water after a clearing usually means the blockage or the cause is still there, and the plumber needs to look at the line.

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