Stop using all water
Tell everyone in the house: no toilets, sinks, showers, dishwasher, washer until cleared. Each use makes the backup worse.
Duration: 5 min
Find the cleanout
Locate your sewer cleanout — usually a 3-4" capped pipe in the basement floor, outside next to the foundation, or in a yard box. If you can't find one, you need a plumber.
Duration: 20 min
Suit up and prepare for sewage
Wear hazmat suit, gloves, goggles. Place buckets and rags around the cleanout. Open windows for ventilation.
Duration: 15 min
Open cleanout VERY slowly
Stand to the SIDE, not in front. Loosen the cap one half-turn at a time, ready to retighten if backed-up sewage starts spraying. Let pressure release. Catch any flow in buckets.
Duration: 15 min
Run the auger
Feed the snake cable into the cleanout, pointing toward the street. Crank slowly, feeling for resistance. When you hit the clog, work the auger back and forth, then advance through.
Duration: 1h
Flush
Once you push 20+ ft past the clog, slowly retract the auger. Run a hose into the cleanout for 5 min to flush debris.
Duration: 30 min
Reassemble and disinfect
Close cleanout cap snug. Disinfect every surface that touched sewage with bleach or commercial disinfectant. Bag waste in double contractor bags.
Duration: 1h
Document for insurance
Photograph everything — the backup, the cleanout, the disinfection process. Many insurance policies cover backups but only with documentation.
Duration: 15 min
Repeated backups within months mean a pipe is collapsed or has tree roots — call a plumber for a camera inspection. Backups in finished living space need professional restoration.