The Sewer Backup Checklist is an interactive list of 24 steps in six stages: make it safe, stop the water, document, call, clean up safely, and after. Tick items as you finish them; ticks and their times are saved only in your browser. A progress meter shows how far along you are, and a button copies the ticked items with their times into a summary for your insurer.
- Safety comes first: electricity, gas and protective gear before anything else in the basement.
- Stopping all water use is the fastest way to stop a private-line backup from getting worse.
- Photos, video and times recorded before cleanup are the backbone of an insurance claim.
- Ticks are saved only in the browser you use; nothing is sent to an insurer, a contractor or this site.
- The copied summary lists what you ticked and when you ticked it, so tick items as you complete them.
Sewer Backup Checklist
01 /What does the Sewer Backup Checklist do?
The Sewer Backup Checklist turns the first hours and days of a sewer backup into 24 tickable steps, grouped into six stages in the order they usually matter: make it safe, stop the water, document, call, clean up safely, and after. It is built for a phone in one hand in a wet basement: short items, no forms, nothing to sign up for.
- Tick items as you go. Each tick is saved in your browser only, together with the time you ticked it.
- Watch the progress meter. It shows how many of the 24 items you have ticked, so you can see what is left at a glance.
- Copy a summary for your insurer. The “Copy summary for my insurer” button copies the ticked items, with their times, to your clipboard so you can paste them into an email, a note or a claim form.
- Start over when you need to. A “Start over” button clears every tick and time in this browser, for example after a test run or once a claim is closed.
That is the whole tool. It does not call anyone, file a claim, send your information anywhere or judge whether you are covered. It is a structured memory aid for a stressful day, based on the same sequence as the first hour of a sewer backup.
02 /How do you use the checklist during a backup?
- Open it before you go downstairs
Read the Make it safe stage first. If any of those items apply, deal with them before anything else.
- Tick each item when you actually complete it
The saved time is the moment you tick, so ticking as you go gives your insurer an accurate timeline.
- Leave items unticked if they do not apply
If you have no backwater valve, for example, that item stays open. The progress meter will not reach 100 percent, and that is fine.
- Copy the summary when you call your insurer
Paste it into an email to yourself or your broker, then add the claim number, names and anything the list does not cover.
- Come back over the following days
The later stages, cleanup and after, take days or weeks. Your ticks remain in the same browser on the same device.
03 /Stage 1: Make it safe
The first stage deals with the hazards that can hurt someone in minutes rather than days. Sewage is unpleasant, but electricity and gas are what make a flooded basement dangerous.
| Checklist item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Keep children and pets away from the water. | They are the most likely to touch contaminated water and the least able to recognize electrical or gas hazards. |
| If water is near outlets, cords, the furnace or the electrical panel, stay out and call your electric utility or an electrician to cut the power. | Water can make exposed wiring or equipment live. Never wade in to reach a panel that is near water. |
| Do not plug in fans or heaters in the wet area. | Plugging in near standing water creates a shock and fire risk. Drying equipment comes later, once the power is confirmed safe. |
| If you smell gas, leave and call the gas utility from outside. | A flooded furnace or water heater can be damaged. Switches and phones can spark, so make the call outside. |
| Put on rubber boots and waterproof gloves. | Most illness from sewage comes through skin contact, cuts and hand-to-mouth transfer. Add eye protection if you can. |
Health hazards in more depth, including sewer gas and who should stay out of the house, are in is sewer backup dangerous?.
04 /Stage 2: Stop the water
When your own line is blocked, every litre used anywhere in the building ends up at the lowest drain. Stopping water use is the single quickest way to stop the damage growing.
| Checklist item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Stop all water use in the house — no flushing, laundry or dishwasher. | Upstairs water drains down to the blockage and comes out in the basement. Appliances can start automatically, so check them. |
| Tell everyone in the building (in a condo, tell the property manager). | Other households on a shared line keep draining water into it. In a condo, the manager coordinates the building's contractor. |
| Do not open a cleanout cap while the line is under pressure. | A cap on a full line releases sewage under pressure onto the floor and onto you. Let the technician open it with a plan. |
| If you have a backwater valve, check it only if it is safe to reach. | The valve may be holding back a surcharged city sewer. Look without opening anything, and never open it while water is standing above it. |
If you are not sure where your valve is or what it looks like, see where is my backwater valve?.
05 /Stage 3: Document
Evidence has to be gathered before cleanup starts, because once the water is gone the extent of the damage cannot be shown.
| Checklist item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Take photos and video of the water and damage before cleaning up. | Wide shots of each room, close-ups of the water line on walls, the drain where water came up, and damaged contents. |
| Write down when it started and which drains backed up. | The time and the drains that overflowed help separate a private blockage from a municipal backup, and they matter to the claim. |
| Keep damaged items, or photos of them, until your insurer says otherwise. | Adjusters may want to see items or samples before they are discarded. Photos cover what has to go for health reasons. |
06 /Stage 4: Call
The call stage lists four people or organizations; the order depends on your situation. If sewage is still coming up, call the drain or sewer contractor first to get the line open, then your insurer. If the water has stopped, calling your insurer first lets them tell you which restoration companies they approve.
| Checklist item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Call your insurer or broker and write down the claim number. | Many policies expect prompt notice. The claim number ties every later call, invoice and email together. |
| Call a drain or sewer contractor to clear the line. | Someone has to open the line, confirm it flows to the city connection and, ideally, find the cause with a camera. |
| Call your municipality (for example 311) if the city main may be backed up or neighbours are affected. | A municipal problem needs the city's crew, and a report on record helps if responsibility is questioned later. |
| Call a restoration company if your insurer approves. | Some insurers require approval before cleanup work, and professional drying reduces mould risk in larger backups. |
Whether your policy is likely to respond, and how sewer backup differs from overland flooding, is covered in sewer backup insurance. To line up a sewer cleaner, you can request quotes.
07 /Stage 5: Clean up safely
Cleanup starts only after the line is flowing and the area is safe. These four items are the principles; the full procedure is in how to clean up after a sewer backup.
| Checklist item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Remove porous items soaked by sewage (carpet, underpad, drywall bottoms, insulation), following public-health guidance. | Contamination soaks into porous materials and cannot be reliably removed. Your provincial health authority's guidance takes precedence. |
| Clean and disinfect hard surfaces. | After cleaning off residue with detergent, disinfecting reduces the germs left on floors, walls and salvageable items. |
| Wash your hands and keep cuts covered. | Hands and cuts are the main routes of infection during cleanup. |
| Dry the area as quickly as possible to limit mould. | Mould can start on damp porous materials within a day or two. Dehumidifiers and fans come in once power is confirmed safe. |
08 /Stage 6: After
The last stage is what stops the next backup. Without it, the same cause is still in the pipe.
| Checklist item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Book a camera inspection to find the cause. | Roots, grease, a sag, a broken joint or a municipal problem each need a different fix, and only footage shows which. |
| Keep every invoice and the inspection video. | They support the claim, future repair quotes and any question about who was responsible. |
| Ask about a backwater valve if you do not have one. | If the backup came from the city side, a maintained valve is the main protection next time. |
| Set a maintenance schedule for the line. | A line with a recurring cause needs cleaning before it blocks again. |
The Sewer Maintenance Planner suggests a cleaning and camera interval from your house, pipes, trees and history. For the valve decision, see backwater valve installation.
09 /How are ticks, times and the insurer summary handled?
Everything stays on your device. When you tick an item, the checklist saves the tick and the current time in your browser's local storage. Nothing is sent to HAUSE Sewer, your insurer or any contractor. The copy button puts a plain-text list of the ticked items and their times on your clipboard; what you do with it from there is up to you.
- The time shown is when you ticked the item, not necessarily when you did the task. If you catch up later, note the real times when you paste the summary.
- Unticking an item removes its saved time; ticking it again records a new time. “Start over” clears everything.
- If your browser blocks clipboard access, the summary text appears on the page instead, so you can select and copy it by hand.
- Ticks are tied to one browser on one device. Open the checklist on a different phone or computer and it starts blank.
- Private or incognito browsing, clearing site data, or browser storage limits can erase your ticks. Copy the summary as you go if the record matters to you.
- Unticked items do not appear in the summary. If an item does not apply, say so in your own notes.
10 /What are the checklist's limits?
The checklist is a general sequence for a typical Canadian home. It cannot see your basement, read your policy or assess your pipe, and several things sit outside it.
- It is not an emergency service. For gas, electrical danger or anyone unwell, leave and call the utility or 911.
- It does not decide coverage or replace your insurer's instructions. If your insurer tells you to do something differently, follow them.
- It does not replace public-health guidance on what to discard and how to disinfect.
- It does not diagnose the cause. Only opening the line and a camera inspection do that.
- It does not store photos or documents. Keep those in your phone's photo library or a folder of their own.
- The order within a stage is flexible; safety items are the exception and always come first.
Background on why backups happen is in what causes sewer backup, and prevention for next time is in how to prevent sewer backups.
FAQQuestions people ask
Does the checklist send anything to my insurer?
No. Ticks and times are saved only in your browser. The copy button places a plain-text summary on your clipboard, and you choose where to paste or send it.
What time does the summary show for each item?
The time you ticked the item. Tick items as you complete them for an accurate timeline, or add the real times in your own notes if you tick later.
Will my ticks still be there tomorrow?
Usually, in the same browser on the same device, unless you browse privately or clear site data. Copy the summary regularly if you need a lasting record.
Should I call my insurer or a sewer cleaner first?
If sewage is still coming up, call the sewer cleaner first to open the line, then your insurer. If the water has stopped, calling your insurer first lets them direct the cleanup.
Do I have to tick every item?
No. Some items will not apply, such as the backwater valve check if you have none. The progress meter is a guide, not a score.
Is the checklist the same as the first-hour guide?
It follows the same order and advice in a tickable form. The guide explains each step in more depth, including how to tell whether it is your line or the city's.
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