Emergency Sewer Backup Repair — Delaware County, PA

A sewer backup is a plumbing emergency. When sewage surfaces through your basement floor drain, pushes back into a first-floor toilet, or pools in your lowest fixtures, the lateral under your property is blocked and the sewage has nowhere to go. Every flush makes it worse. The right response is to stop using all water immediately and call for same-day service.

Advanced Drains and Underground Solutions responds to emergency sewer backups throughout Delaware County — Upper Darby, Havertown, Drexel Hill, Media, Springfield, Chester, Ridley Park, Lansdowne, Glenolden, Swarthmore, and surrounding townships. We run a camera before we cable, so we clear the right problem the first time.

How to Recognize an Emergency Sewer Backup

A branch-line clog backs up one fixture. A main sewer line backup backs up the entire house. The difference matters because the fix is different.

Signs you have a main lateral blockage — a genuine emergency:

• Sewage surfaces in the basement floor drain when you flush an upstairs toilet
• Multiple drains — sink, tub, and toilet — all slow or backing up at the same time
• A gurgling sound in the toilet when the washing machine drains
• Sewage smell from floor drains even with no fixture running
• Visible sewage on the basement floor

One slow drain is usually a branch-line problem. All drains failing together means the main lateral — the underground pipe running from your foundation to the street connection — is blocked or collapsed.

What To Do Right Now

1. Stop using all water. Do not flush, run the washing machine, or use sinks. Every use adds more sewage to a system with no exit.
2. Keep people and pets out of the basement. Raw sewage contains E. coli, hepatitis A, and other pathogens. Standing water in the basement is a health hazard until the line is cleared and the area is disinfected.
3. Do not use drain cleaners or attempt to cable it yourself. Chemical drain cleaners do not clear main lateral blockages. A rented cable auger typically cannot reach or cut through an established root mass in a 4-inch clay tile lateral.
4. Call for same-day service. 1-855-DONT-DIG (1-855-366-8344).

Why Sewer Backups Are Common in Delaware County

Delaware County’s housing stock was built primarily between 1890 and 1960. The sewer laterals installed during that era were clay tile — four-foot segments joined with mortar. After sixty to a hundred years, the mortar joints loosen and tree roots find every gap. Oaks and sycamores common in older Delco neighborhoods are aggressive root growers. A partial root mass catches tissue and grease until the lateral is fully blocked. Cabling opens the pipe temporarily, but the root entry point remains. CIPP lining seals the joints permanently.

Homes built between 1945 and 1960 in some neighborhoods — parts of Upper Darby, Sharon Hill, Glenolden, and Folcroft — have Orangeburg laterals. Orangeburg is a bituminous fiber material that delaminates and collapses as it ages. A collapsed Orangeburg lateral cannot be cleared; it requires pipe bursting or excavation.

In Delaware County, the homeowner owns the lateral from the foundation to the curb connection at the public main. That includes the entire run under the yard and sidewalk. When the backup is on your property, the repair is your responsibility, and the scope of that repair depends on what the camera finds.

How We Clear a Sewer Backup

Every job starts with a camera run through the cleanout. The camera shows us what we are dealing with — roots, grease, a belly, a collapsed section — before we commit to an approach. Then:

• Hydro-jetting for root masses, grease, and debris: high-pressure water scours the full pipe interior, removing the obstruction and cleaning the walls
• CIPP pipe lining if the camera shows cracked joints or root entry points: a resin-saturated liner cures in place and seals the pipe permanently without digging
• Pipe bursting if the pipe is collapsed or misaligned: a new pipe is pulled through the old one, fracturing it outward — no trench required
• Excavation when a section is beyond liner or bursting access

Frequently Asked Questions

How quickly can you respond to a sewer backup in Delaware County?

We serve Delaware County seven days a week. Same-day camera inspection and clearing is our standard for active backups. Call 1-855-DONT-DIG and describe what you are seeing — we will tell you exactly when we can be there.

Will my homeowners insurance cover an emergency sewer backup?

Standard homeowners policies typically do not cover sewer backup damage unless you purchased a water backup rider. Your insurance company will want documentation: photos of the backup before cleanup, the camera inspection report showing cause, and itemized repair costs. We provide all of that in writing.

What is the difference between clearing a blockage and fixing the pipe permanently?

Clearing — hydro-jetting or cabling — removes the immediate obstruction and restores flow. It does not repair the defect that caused the backup (cracked joint, root entry point, collapsed section). If the camera shows a structural problem, clearing alone will not prevent the next backup. CIPP lining or pipe bursting fixes the underlying pipe defect. We discuss both options after the camera, so you know what you are getting when you pay for the service.

Schedule Emergency Sewer Backup Service

Advanced Drains and Underground Solutions clears sewer backups and repairs laterals throughout Delaware County, PA. Call 1-855-DONT-DIG (1-855-366-8344) for same-day service. We camera before we cable — no guesswork, no repeat visits for the same problem.

Already have a repair quote after a backup? Send us the camera video for a free second opinion. We beat any written estimate.

Call 1-855-DONT-DIG now