blackwateralert

What do you do when your septic system backs up into your home?

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 19:21:44 GMT

Sewage backup and water damage in your home is a health hazard and something no homeowner should experience if problems with your septic system can be avoided.

As a homeowner, the possibility that you may experience a public sewer line backup into your home or a septic backup, for those on a private system, is a real threat. While we all hope and expect that our sewage systems are working properly, the fateful day when your home is damaged from solid waste and water is the moment you wish you had considered preventative measures.

Too late – sewage has backed up into your home

Once you have experienced a sewage or septic backup, the need to act quickly is paramount. There are a few key steps to consider when addressing this type of damage and cleanup. We offer these tips to guide you.

1. Shut Off the Water and Stop Using Toilets

Once you have a backup, using the toilets in your home will only create further issues and a bigger mess to clean up. Stop using your toilets immediately.

2. Contact a Licensed Plumber

You need an expert. A licensed plumber will know best how to determine both the cause of the backup and how to begin the process of cleaning up. The plumber will need to access your cleanout to drain the backup that is in the line that leads to your basement. This can be an extremely messy process without a Blackwater Alert with the convenient Port Release Valve.

3. Clean up the Area Impacted

Sewage carries various forms of bacteria and contaminants. Exposing yourself and your family could create a health hazard, so calling in an expert who understands how to clean up the damage and address the environmental concerns is critical. Keeping children and pets away from the area is advisable until a complete assessment and plan for cleanup is done. There may be items in your basement that are saturated with waste that will require you to dispose of them. Again, the health hazards associated with sewage backup is something that should be taken seriously and why hiring professionals who understand how to manage the issue is best for the health of your family and home.

4. Call Your Insurance Company

Many homeowner insurance policies do not cover sewage backup, but it is always smart to inquire. The costs related to cleaning up harmful blackwater can run into the thousands of dollars and that is not including the costs related to damaged property that may have been stored where the septic backup occurred in the home, normally in a basement.

5. Locate and Fix the Source of the Backup

Finding the source of the backup is important. If there is a pipe that is cracked, repairing the line is critical to avoiding another backup. Sewage pipes crack and break from things such as tree roots growing around your system and ultimately causing a break. You may also have experienced a clog that comes from things such as oils or fat hardening in the line. Finally, flushing anything, baby wipes for instance, other than toilet paper can also be the root cause of a backup.

6. Pump Your Septic Tank

Having your septic tank pumped regularly to ensure that future clogs can be avoided is advisable and good maintenance for your home.

While all of these tips are helpful, no one wants to experience the damage and expenses that accompany a septic or sewer line backup. Much of the damage can be avoided with a patented Blackwater Alert attached to your home’s cleanout. If you’ve experienced your first backup or want to help prevent damage from a potential future clog in your pipes, then consider the benefits of the Blackwater Alert today! Learn more at www.BlackwaterAlert.com

Contact: Cliff Harper

Email: info@blackwateralert.com

Phone: (215) 932-5508

How To Tell if Your Septic Tank Is Backing Up

Tue, 03 May 2022 20:57:05 GMT

If you're one of the 60 million Americans with a septic tank , you probably love it for being economical, low-maintenance and Eco-friendly. What you probably don't love, though, is when it backs up.

It's a smelly, potentially illness-inducing problem that will make you want to live in a hotel until it's cleaned up. Avoid that hassle by identifying the five most common signs of a septic tank backup.

1. Odor Around Drains

One of the first signs of septic tank backup is abnormally strong odors around your home or property’s drains. These won't be smells of decaying food — it'll smell like sewage. Trust your nose and act immediately if your property is emitting a foul stench.

2. Drain Clogs

If your septic tank is backing up, drains around your home will backup, as well. If pipe snakes and plungers only provide temporary relief, a backed up septic tank may be the cause.

Unfortunately, clogged drains are one of the most common plumbing issues and might indicate another problem entirely. Nevertheless, unattended clogs can lead to much greater problems and must be cleared to avoid future property damage.

3. Sewage Backup

When drain clogs turn into sewage actually backing up into your home, whether it's through the toilet, sink or other drains, you most likely have a septic system backup. The backup will be brown or black, smell much worse than normal and may contain toilet paper or other items that go into your septic system.

This is bad enough in small doses, but if you experience septic backup in your entire basement, the problem is a lot worse, and the damage can be extensive and costly. It can also cause health concerns because sewage backing up into your home or property creates mold and carries the potential for the spread of diseases.

4. Standing Water

If part of your property isn't draining (it remains wet consistently), it may be because your septic tank is backed up and leaking. Once again, you can distinguish this from other drainage problems because of the smell.

5. A Suspiciously Green Patch of Grass

You don't remember spilling fertilizer on your lawn, but for some reason, one spot is a whole lot greener than the rest. Unfortunately, your septic tank could be fertilizing for you. Thanks, but no thanks.

While you may save a bit on lawn care this year, you'll spend a lot on cleanup if your septic tank backs up into your basement or other areas inside your house. In fact, you might be shelling out $2,000 or more for septic tank backup repair and cleanup .

How Can I Know For Sure That My Septic Tank is Backing Up?

The problem with all of these signs of septic tank backup is that they could mean other things. You may need better drainage around your property or just a thorough pipe cleaning. How will you know for sure that it's your septic tank before the problem gets worse?

The Blackwater Alert™ system is a totally wireless septic tank backup alarm . Before waste backs up into your home, Blackwater Alert sounds an alarm that lets you know you should call a technician or take care of the problem yourself. Don't waste time and money wondering if your septic tank is backing up — get Blackwater Alert today .

Contact: Cliff Harper

Email: info@blackwateralert.com

Phone: (215) 932-5508

How to prevent sewer backup in your basement?

Mon, 02 May 2022 20:24:14 GMT

Sewer backups are unfortunately a disaster if your waste system is not properly maintained. Know what you flush into the toilet; be wary of kids' small toys that accidentally fall into a toilet or sink. Pouring grease into your drain may solidify later and cause a backup. The use of harsh chemicals in your drainpipe may kill the “good” bacteria that breaks down waste in your septic field and it is not healthy for the environment. Prevention of a backup may be include a backwater prevention valve or a Blackwater Alert device . The Blackwater Alert is the best protection because once installed, you will receive an alert in your home or on your mobile device enabling you time to react and to contact a plumber to address the cause of the backup. The backwater flow preventer valve needs annual maintenance and has its own concern.

In many parts of the country, old sewer infrastructures include clay, Orangeburg, cast iron and other types of pipe that break by shifting earth due to cold/hot changes in temperature. Specifically, Orangeburg pipe (manufactured 1945-1972) was used so steel could go to the war efforts. Many plumbers consider Orangeburg pipe a “ticking time bomb”. It is known to lose its shape and bubble on the interior of the pipe and caused pipe restrictions and sewer backups.

Purchase a Blackwater Alert to get an alert when your sewer or septic line backs up. Giving you time to take action and prevent your basement from flooding.

Contact: Cliff Harper

Email: info@blackwateralert.com

Phone: (215) 932-5508

How to tell if my septic system is backing up?

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 20:15:45 GMT

When a private septic system fails, the area around the septic tank/field may become soaking wet. This is an indication that your system may back up into the house. In a public system, the waste line becomes sluggish and does not drain properly. This may be an indication that the sewer pipe is restricted, likely by tree roots growing into the sewer line. Many home or business owners do not know that they own the lateral line that connects a building to a municipal sewer system. The lateral line is usually a 4” or larger diameter pipe that is buried under your front lawn and ties into the street sewer line. Plumbers recommend cleaning the lateral every other year or sooner.

The most obvious sign is water backing up in your basement, toilets, or shower pan. If that has not happened yet, but your house begins to smell like sewage, it may mean your septic system is backing up. If you know you have a clog or notice your sink or shower draining slowly, it is time to have a professional in to assess the clog and have your septic tank pumped. If you have new swales or indentations in your front lawn, your lateral may be partially collapsed and allowing tree roots and debris to enter your lateral. This will lead to a sewer backup.

Sometimes heavy rains will cause a backup in a municipal system because the treatment plant cannot keep up with the excessive flow of water in a combined sewer/storm system. When this occurs, the wastewater will back up into your home through no fault of your own. If a neighbor discharges large volumes of wastewater into the sewer system, this could affect the ability of the system to accept your waster and a backup may occur.

In private septic systems, any heavy equipment, trucks, tractors etc that cross your buried septic line may change the slope of the pipe sending waste back into the house. The discharge line may be crushed by traveling over the septic pipe, which again will send waste into your house. A Blackwater Alert would alarm you of the failure before virus and bacteria-laden waste enters your basement or living space.

Contact: Cliff Harper

Email: info@blackwateralert.com

Phone: (215) 932-5508

What is the difference between a Backwater Valve and a Blackwater Alert?

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 20:58:51 GMT

A backwater valve and a Blackwater Alert are entirely different. The backwater flow preventer valve, is located inside your sewer line. If it was not installed when the plumbing was installed, significant costs may be involved in retrofitting a preventer into your waste line (~$1,000). A backflow preventer also has movable parts, internal springs and seals that become worn over time. Recommendations direct the user to inspect the preventer every year. Additionally, if the backflow preventer may become stuck (let’s say in a vacation home that has not been frequently used), an open valve does not protect the home. A preventer stuck in a closed position will cause a significant and costly sewer backup into the home/business.

Testing and maintenance of the backflow preventer should be done by a certified technician. The costs associated with annual inspections of a backflow preventer far exceed the one-time cost of a Blackwater Alert, which is reusable even after the alarm warns of a backup, only requires battery replacement yearly, and is easily accessible on your clean-out line.

The Blackwater Alert is a wireless, patented sewer backup prevention system that gives a 95-decibal alarm to a property owner before wastewater enters the home. Blackwater Alert can also send an alert to your smart device through an app such as Alexa Guard if you are traveling iPhone or Android) to indicate that a backup is occurring. This will give you time to call a plumber or family member to assess and repair the cause of the backup before it enters your living space..

The plumber will simply drain the standing sewage in your waste line through our port valve and clear the sewer line into a 5-gallon bucket (no spraying of filthy water). He will then remove the device and snake the blockage in the sewer line. The Blackwater Alert can be easily re-installed without delay and begin protecting your home or business again. The PVC construction is strong and will last for years. Changing the battery through an easy access panel is the only “maintenance” you have to contend with, every 12-14 months. When have had units that last for 18 months on one 9 Volt battery. Simple and rugged offering peace of mind at a low cost.

Contact: Cliff Harper

Email: info@blackwateralert.com

Phone: (215) 932-5508

The Only U.S. Utility Patented Sewer and Septic Alert System is Now Available Direct to Consumers

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 18:10:31 GMT

Bridgewater Corners, VT, March 25, 2022 – Locally owned and operated Blackwater Alert launched its new ecommerce website enabling property owners to obtain the only United States Utility Patented sewer and septic backup alert system for their home or business.

“We built the Blackwater Alert to help people protect their homes and businesses from septic or sewer backup,” said, Cliff Harper, Founder and Owner Blackwater Alert. “We’ve seen too many homes damaged from blackwater backup. It seemed to me that if there was a way to alert the homeowner of a waste line blockage, they could get a plumber right away and avoid both damage to their home and the expense that goes along with cleaning it up,” Harper added. “I also wanted an easy way that Blackwater Alert could be programmed with your smart phone so that if you happen to be away from the property, you could still get an alert,” noted Harper.

Ten thousand times a week in the United States, a sewer waste line backs up. The Blackwater Alert is a 95-decibel alarm that notifies a property owner that a backup is occurring. “Wastewater flooding contains harmful bacteria and viruses like Covid, and it’s a time-consuming and expensive mess to clean up, maybe $20,000 or more for restoration. Blackwater Alert is easy to install and once you have it, it creates peace of mind that your property and wallet are better protected from sewer or septic backup,” Harper added.

Blackwater Alert is the only wireless utility-patented alarm system available that provides an audible alert and message to a smart device that potential septic or sewer damage to property is occurring. Blackwater Alert was first designed and manufactured in 2016, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted a Utility Patent for Blackwater Alert in 2018.

Blackwater Alert is made in New England and can be purchased at www.Blackwateralert.com .

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About Blackwater Alert

Founded in 2016, Blackwater Alert is the only US Utility Patented wireless sewer and septic alarm device that both alerts a property owner of backup as it begins to occur, but also sends a signal to a wireless mobile device so that costly damage and cleanup can be avoided. For more information, visit our website at www.blackwateralert.com

Contact: Cliff Harper

Email: info@blackwateralert.com

Phone: (215) 932-5508