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Sewage and Overflows quote

Stop using water first, everyone in the house. Then tell us the address, where it is coming up and whether it is one fixture or several, and we connect you with a licensed, insured plumber who covers your town.

Would you rather talk it through? Call (315) 640-3590.

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The emergency, the house, and how to reach you

Who should we ask for?

Your name

How can we reach you?

We call to confirm the details before anyone is sent out.

Phone

Email

Where is the property?

The contractor match is by property, not by person, so the street line matters.

Street address

City or town

State

ZIP code

Anything else we should know?

Details (optional)

Your $100 credit is attached to this request. Mention this offer when you book. See terms.

Your details are used only to respond to this request and arrange the service.

Once you press send

A person reads it. It is not sold to lead buyers and it is not an auto-reply: someone looks at whether the water has stopped, what is near power or gas, and whose home it is.
Your request goes to a licensed, insured plumber who works your town, who contacts you on the number you give. If it sounds like the utility's pipe rather than yours, you are told that instead.
There is no phone number on this site yet. We would rather say so than print one we cannot vouch for, so the form is the way in. While you wait, keep the main shutoff closed and photograph everything before it is moved.

Five entries are mandatory: name, phone number, email, the property's street address and its ZIP code. The questions and the message box can be skipped. The ZIP code picks the plumber who covers that town, the street line tells them which house, and the address never appears in our logs.

Overview

Why sewage coming up needs a different first move

Sewage coming up through a drain is the opposite of a burst pipe. It is not under pressure. It is what the house is sending down the drains, backing up because it has nowhere to go, so the first move is to stop sending it: no flushing, no showers, no laundry, no dishwasher, for everyone in the house. Then find out whether the blockage is yours or the public sewer's, because Onondaga County's sewer team checks the public side and calling costs nothing. Tonight is making it safe and getting the house draining again, with a record of what came up and where. Cleanup and any repair to the drain itself are separate jobs for daylight. Tell us what is coming up and where, and we connect you with a licensed, insured plumber.

A toilet that overflows when flushed, and one that runs over from the tank without being clogged
Sewage coming up through a basement floor drain, a shower or a tub
Water rising at the lowest drain whenever the washing machine empties
Finding where the blockage is before anything is forced through it
Clearing a blockage in the house drain so the house can use water again
Checking with the sewer authority whether the problem is on the public side before private work is booked
Replacing a stuck toilet fill valve or flush mechanism that will not stop running
A sump pump that has stopped with water rising in the pit
Recording where the water came up, and how high, before cleanup starts

Neatly opened basement wall exposing a repaired copper line and studs

Assessment

What decides the size of a sewage or overflow job

A single overflowing toilet and sewage rising at every basement drain are very different nights. These are what a plumber needs to know to tell which one you have.

One fixture or the whole house

One toilet overflowing is usually a blockage in that toilet. Water coming up at the lowest drain whenever anything upstairs runs points further down the house drain, which is a bigger job and one where the public sewer has to be ruled out first.

Whether the public sewer is the problem

Onondaga County WEP inspects the public side of the sewer, usually from the cleanout or vent pipe in the yard out to the road, and answers its sewer backup line, 315-435-3157, at any time, every day, for properties in the Consolidated Sanitary District. City of Syracuse properties call the Department of Public Works on 315-448-2489.

Whether a gas line could be in the way

National Grid asks customers to have a professional inspect a sewage blockage before anyone tries to clear it, because gas lines have been found accidentally bored through sewer pipes, and clearing the pipe can damage them. That is the reason not to rent a machine and push it through yourself.

Whether your policy has a water backup endorsement

The standard ISO HO-3 form excludes water that backs up through sewers or drains. The NY Department of Financial Services says some insurers sell an endorsement that removes that exclusion, for extra premium, up to a limit you choose. Whether yours has it decides what is worth recording and who to call first.

Whether it is sewage or clean water

Clean water from an overflowing toilet tank and sewage from a floor drain are handled very differently. The EPA advises that damage from sewage or other contaminated water calls for a professional experienced in cleaning buildings damaged by it.

Whether a sump or outside water is involved

DFS explains that homeowners policies exclude flooding from above the foundation, while a sewer or sump failure comes from below it, and warns that a sump failure caused by a flood is unlikely to be covered by either policy alone. Where the water is coming from changes the conversation with the insurer.

Next Step

Public sewer ruled out and it is still coming up?

Then the blockage is on your side. Send the details, and a licensed plumber can find it before anything is forced through.

Start Your Quote Call (315) 640-3590

Process

Sewage coming up: the order to do things in

Stop all water use in the house
No flushing, showers, laundry or dishwasher, and tell everyone else in the house. For a single overflowing toilet, close the small valve on the wall behind it by turning it clockwise, and the tank stops refilling.
Keep people away, and protect yourself
The CDC says to wear rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles around sewage and to keep children and pets away from the area. If water is near outlets or the panel, turn the power off at the main breaker only if you can reach it without standing in water.
Call the public sewer number before a plumber
In the Consolidated Sanitary District, Onondaga County WEP's sewer backup line is 315-435-3157, answered at any time, every day. City of Syracuse properties call DPW on 315-448-2489. Outside the district, it is your town or village public works department.
Do not force the blockage
National Grid asks for a professional inspection of any sewage blockage before it is cleared, because a gas line bored through the sewer pipe can be damaged by clearing it. Leave the rented drain machine in the store.
Photograph before the cleanup starts
Where the water came up, how high it reached and what it touched. New York's regulator says the insurer has the right to inspect the property in its damaged condition, and a cleanup crew removes the evidence fast.
Check for a backup endorsement, then call the insurer
Look on your declarations page for water backup or sewer backup coverage, then notify your insurer by phone and in writing, keeping copies. If you have no endorsement, it is still worth reporting, and still worth knowing before anyone quotes cleanup.
Tonight the drain, in daylight the rest
Tonight's job is finding the blockage and getting the house draining. Sewage cleanup and any repair to the pipe itself are separate jobs, quoted once the emergency is over and the insurer has seen it.

In The Field

What sewage and overflows looks like

Closed dry electrical panel with a wet floor patch several feet away

Gloved hand holding a smartphone photographing a split copper pipe with the screen dark and out of focus

Scope

What a sewage emergency covers, and what belongs to someone else

When you may not need this at all

If the backup is in the public sewer, the fix belongs to the sewer authority, not to a private plumber. WEP inspects the public side, and it invites your plumber to ask for that check too.
A toilet that overflowed once and then drains after a plunger is not an emergency. Close the valve behind it, clean up, and watch whether it happens again.
A toilet that keeps running into the bowl without overflowing is usually a fill valve or flapper, a daytime repair. Onondaga County does not require a permit to replace a fill valve or flushing mechanism in kind.
If you rent, the first call is your landlord. New York law implies into every residential lease a promise that the home is fit to live in, unless the tenant caused the problem.
If the house is not on public sewer, the county's own advice is to contact a licensed plumber or service expert rather than the sewer authority.

What is out of scope

Sewage cleanup, disinfection and removal of damaged materials, which is specialist work arranged separately.
Repairs to the pipe between the house and the street, and anything in the public sewer.
Planned drain maintenance and camera surveys once the emergency is over.
Water coming in from outside after heavy rain or snow melt, which is not a plumbing emergency.
Septic tank pumping and septic system repairs.
Any view on whether a claim will be paid. Only your insurer can answer that.

Coverage

Sewage and overflow emergencies across the Syracuse area

Questions

Sewage and overflow questions, answered plainly

Is sewage in the basement dangerous?

Treat it as if it is. The CDC says to wear rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles where sewage is involved, to keep children and pets away until cleanup is complete, and to wash any cut or sore that was exposed. The EPA advises a professional for damage caused by sewage or contaminated water.

Who do I call first, the county or a plumber?

The public line first, because it costs nothing and it can make the private visit unnecessary. Onondaga County WEP answers 315-435-3157 at any time, every day, for properties in the Consolidated Sanitary District, and City of Syracuse properties call DPW on 315-448-2489. If the public side is clear, the blockage is yours, and that is when a plumber is needed.

Does homeowners insurance cover a sewer backup?

Not under the standard form on its own. The ISO HO-3 form excludes water backing up through sewers or drains. DFS says some insurers offer a water backup endorsement for extra premium that removes the exclusion up to a limit you choose. Check your declarations page for it, then call your insurer.

Does flood insurance help with a backup?

Usually it is the wrong policy. DFS explains that flooding means water coming in above the foundation, while a sewer or sump backup comes from below it, and warns that a sump failure caused by a flood is not likely to be covered by either the flood or the homeowners policy alone.

Can I clear it myself with a drain snake?

National Grid asks customers not to. Gas lines have been found accidentally bored through sewer pipes, and clearing the pipe can damage them and cause a fire or explosion. It asks for a professional inspection of any sewage blockage before it is cleared.

The toilet is overflowing but it is not clogged. Why?

If the tank keeps filling after the flush, the fill valve or flapper may be stuck, and closing the valve behind the toilet stops it. If the bowl rises when something else in the house drains, the blockage is further down the house drain, and the toilet is only where it shows.

Next Step

Tell us where it is coming up

Floor drain, shower, one toilet or all of them. That points the plumber at the right part of the house drain.

Start Your Quote Call (315) 640-3590

Sewage or an Overflow: Stop Using Water, Then This