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Drain Pros TNWoman-owned · TN LLP #5045

Urgent · call first · TN LLP #5045

Sewage Backing Up

Waste coming up through a floor drain, tub, or toilet.

Plumbing emergency? Call (423) 413-6876Call (423) 413-6876

Quick answer

Urgent, and a genuine health issue. Stop running water anywhere in the house — every flush and every load of laundry adds to what is coming up. Sewage backing up usually means the main line is blocked, not the fixture you are looking at.

Do this right now

  1. 1Stop using water everywhere in the house, including toilets, showers, and the washing machine.
  2. 2Keep people and pets away from the affected area — this is a health hazard, not just a mess.
  3. 3Do not pour drain chemicals into it. They will not clear a main line and they make the cleanup dangerous for whoever opens the pipe.
  4. 4Call. This one is worth the phone rather than a form.

Waste coming up through a floor drain, a tub, or the lowest toilet in the house is the plumbing system telling you the main line out is blocked. Water takes the lowest exit it can find, which is why it shows up in the basement or the ground-floor tub rather than where the blockage actually is.

How you know this is it

  • Waste or dark water coming up through a floor drain, shower, or tub
  • The lowest toilet in the house overflowing when an upstairs fixture is used
  • Gurgling from a tub or floor drain when the washing machine drains
  • More than one fixture backing up at once

What usually causes it

  • A blockage in the main sewer line between the house and the city main or septic tank
  • Tree roots through a joint in an older clay or cast iron line
  • A collapsed or bellied section of pipe holding waste
  • Grease and solids accumulated over years in an older line
  • On septic properties, a tank that is full or a failing drain field

Common questions

Sewage Backing Up: your questions answered

Do you cover this after hours?
Yes. We run 24/7 emergency service, and a sewage backup is exactly the kind of call that does not wait for morning.
Will you have to dig?
Usually not to clear it. We cable or jet the line first and camera it to find the cause. Digging only comes into it if the line itself has failed, and you would see the footage before deciding.
My house is on septic. Is this different?
Sometimes. If the house line is blocked, that is ours. If the tank is full or the field is failing, that is separately licensed work in Tennessee and we will tell you plainly and point you to a septic contractor.
Are you licensed?
Yes. Tennessee Limited Licensed Plumber #5045, issued by the state Board for Licensing Contractors and verifiable at verify.tn.gov. Across eighteen local competitors, not one publishes their number.

Related problems

Sewage Smell in the HouseMain Line ClogA Drain That Keeps Backing UpKitchen Drain Keeps CloggingTree Roots in the Sewer Line

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TN Limited Licensed Plumber · #5045 · verify at verify.tn.gov

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