Sewage in the basement is a genuine health hazard — raw sewage carries bacteria, viruses and parasites. Keep your family and pets out of the area and call London Restoration Pros. We handle it safely, 24/7.
Restoration pros class water by contamination. Rainwater is one thing; water from a backed-up sanitary sewer is "black water" — the most contaminated category there is. E. coli, salmonella, hepatitis A, and parasites are all realistic passengers. That changes everything about the cleanup:
Keep people and pets out, and don't run fans blowing air from the contaminated area into the rest of the house.
Intense storms push municipal systems past capacity and the overflow comes up the lowest drain in your house — the basement floor drain.
London's mature neighbourhoods (Old North, Old South, Old East) have big trees and old clay sewer laterals — a combination that clogs lines gradually until one flush too many.
Clay pipes from the mid-century era reaching end of life.
The everyday clog, in any-age home.
If backups are recurring, cleanup alone won't fix it — you likely need a camera inspection of the lateral and possibly a backwater valve. We'll tell you what the water pattern suggests and connect the plumbing work with licensed drain professionals.
In Ontario, sewer backup is not part of standard coverage — it's an add-on endorsement. If you carry it, this is exactly what it's for, and claims are usually straightforward when the cleanup is documented properly (source of water, affected area, disposal, disinfection steps). We produce all of it.
If you don't carry the endorsement, get a written scope from us anyway — and add the endorsement when you renew, because a first backup is the best predictor of a second. Many area municipalities, including London, have offered subsidy programs for backwater valve installation — worth a call after the dust settles.
The affected area is isolated before any work begins.
Standing sewage and solids removed with dedicated equipment.
Porous materials bagged inside containment and disposed of properly.
Every hard surface, twice — then verified.
Monitored equipment plus deodorization until the space reads dry and clean.
Repair and rebuild of the space if you want it turnkey.
A litre of toilet overflow on a tile floor — carefully, with gloves and disinfectant, yes. Anything that came up a floor drain, spread across a room, or touched carpet or drywall should be professionally handled. The risk isn't the mess you see; it's the contamination you don't.
Extraction and removal typically happen day one. Drying and disinfection verification usually take 3–5 days. Rebuild time depends on how much had to come out.
Sewer gas is unpleasant and in high concentrations can be harmful. Strong persistent smell means the area needs ventilation and the source needs addressing — another reason not to camp out next to it with a shop vac.
If the cause was a one-time storm surcharge, maybe not. If it's roots or a failing lateral, yes, eventually. A camera inspection after cleanup tells you which situation you're in — and a backwater valve is cheap insurance either way.
Crews with full protective equipment on call 24/7 across London and surrounding towns.
emergencyCall (519) 870-8391