What to do in the first few minutes of a sewer backup
Our 24/7 line is open for backups, and same-day appointments are available when the schedule allows. While you wait for a plumber, these four steps keep the problem from growing.
Stop using water
Do not flush, run the dishwasher, start the washing machine or take a shower. Every gallon you send down goes to the lowest open drain in the house, and that is where the sewage is coming up.
Keep people, pets and food away
Sewage is contaminated. Keep children and animals out of the room, avoid touching it with bare hands, and wash up after any contact.
Skip the chemical drain opener
EPA advises avoiding chemical drain openers for a clogged drain. In a backup the liquid can sit in standing sewage or splash back on you.
Note which drains are affected
Tell the dispatcher whether one fixture or several are backing up, and which is lowest. Take photos of the damage for your insurer before you clean anything.
Who to call, and which utility serves you
Ocoee runs its own water and sewer utility, but not every address in the area uses it. Orange County Utilities, known as OCU, serves other homes. Your utility bill tells you which, and that decides who gets the call after the plumber.
| Situation | If City of Ocoee Utilities serves you | If Orange County Utilities serves you |
|---|---|---|
| Sewage backing up inside your home | Call a licensed plumber to check your line. Then report it through the city's Report a Problem page or 407-905-3100 during business hours. We found no published overflow procedure from Ocoee | OCU says to call a certified plumber first. If the plumber finds the problem in the county right-of-way, call OCU dispatch at 407-836-2777 |
| Sewage overflowing from a manhole in the street | Use Report a Problem or 407-905-3100. The city's Utilities page lists 407-428-5766 as its After-Hours Emergency number, but it does not say that line is for sewer problems, so ask when you call | OCU says to call 407-836-2777 for manhole overflows |
| Backup after a storm or power loss | Treat it like the first row. We found no Ocoee storm guidance for sewer backups | OCU's storm page says pump stations may be down without power and backups can result |
| One toilet or sink slow, the rest fine | Usually a local clog. A plumber can clear it | Same. This is rarely a utility matter |
OCU phone numbers apply only to OCU customers. Check the city's pages for the latest contacts, as these can change.
Sewage coming up right now?
Stop the water, keep everyone back, and call so a plumber can find where the line is blocked.
Your private line or the main: how to tell which one failed
A plumber settles this, but a few clues help you describe the problem.
Points to your own sewer line
- Only your house is affected and neighbors are fine
- The lowest drain in your house backs up first
- The street looks normal and there is no overflow nearby
Points to the main in the street
- Neighbors report the same problem
- Sewage is surfacing at a manhole or in the road
- More than one home in the block lost drain function at once
We could not find an Ocoee page that states in plain words who maintains the lateral, the pipe between your home and the main. Ask Ocoee Utilities at 407-905-3159 before you assume the repair is yours or the city's. A camera look by a plumber shows where the blockage sits.
What the City of Ocoee says about backups
The city says pouring fats, oils and grease down the drain can clog pipes and cause sewer backups in the community. Its tips are to let grease cool and put it in the trash, scrape plates, and use a sink strainer. If grease was part of your backup, those habits are the cheapest prevention.
Wipes are a separate problem. EPA lists non-flushable and baby wipes among items to never flush, and UF/IFAS says flushable wipes can take longer to break down than toilet paper and may cause major sewer blockages. Ocoee has not published wipe guidance that we could find, so follow EPA's list.
Source type: City of Ocoee Fats, Oils and Grease page, EPA and UF/IFAS
What the plumber does, and what to save
A plumber looks for the blockage between the lowest affected drain and the main. Clearing a stoppage is covered by our sewer line cleaning work. If a camera shows a broken, collapsed or root-filled pipe, the fix becomes sewer line repair. We give a clear price before that work starts.
Keep every receipt and photo. OCU tells its customers to keep a receipt because reimbursement is possible if the cause relates to county activity on the county side. That applies to OCU customers only, so ask your own utility. Also ask your insurer how it treats sewer backup, because many policies handle it differently from other water damage.
Ocoee Express Plumbing dispatches licensed plumbers to Ocoee and to neighbors including Pine Hills and Apopka. We cannot say over the phone whether the blockage is on your line or in the main.
After a storm or power outage
OCU's storm guidance says that without power, pump stations may be down and sewer backups can result. It advises using less water, draining bathtub water slowly, and avoiding heavy water use right after power returns. It is county guidance, and we found no Ocoee equivalent, so ask Ocoee Utilities if you live on the city system.
So after an outage, hold off on laundry and long showers for a while. If a drain starts bubbling or sewage appears, follow the steps at the top and call.
Sewer backup questions we hear in Ocoee
Call a licensed plumber first for a backup inside your home. Then report the problem through Ocoee's Report a Problem page or 407-905-3100 during business hours. Ocoee has no published overflow procedure we could find, so ask when you call.
The City of Ocoee's Utilities page lists it as After-Hours Emergency. The page does not say it is for sewer problems, so ask the person who answers whether it fits your situation.
We could not find an Ocoee policy that says so. Orange County Utilities says reimbursement is possible only if the cause relates to its activity on the county side, and the county is not responsible for private sewer lines. Keep receipts either way.
We advise against it. EPA recommends avoiding chemical drain openers for a clogged drain, and in a backup the product can splash back or sit in standing sewage.
It can. Orange County Utilities says pump stations may be down without power and backups can result. We found no Ocoee-specific outage guidance, so use less water until service is back.