At the street, stop 4 of 6

Sewage coming up a drain: the first hour

In a sewer backup, stop using water, stay out of the sewage, and keep away from any power near it¹. Then work out whether the blockage is on your line or the public one, and report sewage on the ground to the utility right away².

Go to the lowest drain in the house and look from the doorway, without stepping into anything wet.

Updated November 4, 2026, Midlands House Walk

Stay out of the room if the sewage has reached outlets, cords or appliances. Never touch power while standing in water¹. Leave a breaker alone if you would have to wade to reach it.

Short white pipe with a screw cap standing in mulch against a red brick wall — A capped cleanout beside a brick wall. In a backup this is often where the plumber starts, so know where yours is before anyone arrives. AI-generated picture.

Black cast-iron waste pipes seen through a gap in a wall beside a stud — Cast-iron drain pipes behind an opened wall. Branch lines from each room join pipes like these on their way out of the house.

One drain, or all of them?

Look for: Think back without running more water. One slow sink is usually a local clog. A tub or floor drain gurgling when a toilet flushes is a different story.
What it tells you: Trouble at every low drain points past the branch lines to the main sewer line, the one a plumber clears from the cleanout.

Sewer cleanout cap in a lawn, seen close up beside a bed of pine straw — A cleanout cap in a lawn. From a few steps back, check for wet ground around it, and leave the cap alone. AI-generated picture.

Is anything coming up outside?

Look for: From a distance, check around the cleanout and down the yard toward the street for wet ground or sewage.
What it tells you: Sewage on the ground is an overflow, and Columbia Water wants to hear about it right away, with your address or cross streets². Whose side the blockage is on decides who clears it.

Strip of taller wet grass with a little standing water across a paler lawn — A soggy, greener strip across a back lawn. On septic, ground this wet can mean the field has nowhere left to send water. AI-generated picture.

On septic, after heavy rain

Look for: Note how much rain fell in the past few days, and whether the ground over the field is soggy.
What it tells you: A saturated field can back up into the home³, and soggy areas are one of Clemson’s failure signs⁴. Ease off on water, and ask a licensed contractor before any pump-out, because pumping during or just after heavy rain can float a tank.

Bare room with exposed studs, a window frame and buckets on the floor — A room stripped to the studs after a flood in Belfry, Kentucky. Sewage-soaked walls and floors can end up the same way if they stay wet.

How far the wet has gone

Look for: From the doorway, note what it reached: floor, baseboard, rugs, walls. Take photos before anything moves.
What it tells you: EPA sends clean-up of sewage or contaminated water to a professional experienced with it⁵. CDC’s marks are drying within 24 to 48 hours and discarding porous items that can’t be dried¹.

What if it went under the house?

Don’t crawl in to look. Stay at the hatch and read water or sewage under the house. If the trouble is only a smell, start here.

Yours to do

Stop the washer and dishwasher, and flush nothing until the line is clear.
Keep children and pets out. If you have to go near it, CDC lists rubber boots, gloves and goggles¹, which do not protect you from electric shock.
Report sewage on the ground, and take dated photos of any damage. Columbia Water handles property-damage claims through its adjuster⁶.

For a licensed pro

Clearing the blockage, usually from the cleanout.
Cleaning up sewage-soaked rooms⁵.
Anything to do with the septic tank: licensed contractors do inspections, repairs and pump-outs⁷.
An electrician, if water has reached outlets, cords or the panel.

Where this comes from

Keep walkingBefore you dig near a line: SC811