Sewage rising in a tub or floor drain is the one plumbing problem where the order of your phone calls matters. A drain company can clear whatever is blocking the pipe at your house. Only the county can tell you what is happening in the main under the street. You usually want both, and you want them fast.
The First Hour: Stop Adding Water
Every flush, shower and load of laundry puts more water into a pipe that is already full. That water has nowhere to go except out of the lowest opening in the house, which is typically a tub, a shower, a floor drain or a ground-floor toilet. So the first job is to stop feeding the line.
- Stop the washing machine and dishwasher, and hold off on showers and flushing.
- Keep children and pets out of the room and close the door.
- Photograph the water, each affected fixture and the time. You will want those later.
- Do not pour chemical drain cleaner into a fixture that is already full. The product just sits in the water and becomes a hazard for whoever opens the line next.
- Keep sewage off skin, and wash hands with soap if you touch anything wet.
Call 1: Hillsborough County Water Resources
Brandon is unincorporated, so Hillsborough County Water Resources runs the public sewer mains. For sewage backing up into a home, the county says to phone (813) 307-1000 and not to submit an online request for this kind of emergency. Tell them what you see and ask whether anyone else on your street has reported the same thing. A call also puts a time stamp on the problem, which helps if you need to explain it later.
The county call answers one question: is something wrong in the main? It does not replace a plumber or drain crew for the pipe between your house and the street. Who maintains which stretch of that pipe depends on your situation, so ask the county line or your HOA rather than assuming.
Call 2: A Drain Company, Right After
You do not need to wait for a county truck before calling a drain company. We take emergency calls around the clock at 813-733-7188. A technician finds the cleanout if the house has an accessible one, runs a cable or a jet hose toward the main, and puts a camera in to see what stopped the flow. Typical prices: a main line snake runs $225 to $450, sewer line hydro jetting with moderate roots runs $400 to $750, and a sewer camera inspection runs $150 to $300 and is often credited toward the work the same visit.
Is It the Main or Just One Fixture?
| What you see | What it usually points to |
|---|---|
| Only one sink, tub or toilet is backed up | A clog in that fixture's own branch line |
| The tub gurgles or fills when the toilet is flushed | A restriction downstream of both, in the main drain |
| Several fixtures back up together, lowest one first | A blockage in the lateral or the main |
| Neighbors on your street report the same thing | Something in the public main, which is why the county call matters |
What Jetting Can and Cannot Do Here
If the camera shows grease, wipes or roots, a cable or a jet clears the pipe and you get flow back, often the same visit. If it shows a cracked, collapsed or sagging section, or a foreign object stuck in a joint, clearing may only buy time. We tell you that on the spot and point you to a repair plumber, because we clean, jet and inspect lines but do not dig or replace them. We also do not promise a line will never clog again.
Low, flat neighborhoods such as Providence Lakes sit on ground only 32 to 35 feet above sea level. Flat ground like that gives a gravity sewer very little fall, which is one more reason to put a camera in the line after a repeat backup. The Brandon service page lists how we reach the rest of the neighborhoods.
Cleanup and Paperwork
Water that came up from a sewer line carries bacteria, so treat it as a health matter rather than a mop-up. Hard floors can be cleaned and disinfected. Wet carpet, padding and drywall that took in sewage are usually handled by restoration professionals. Ask your insurer whether your policy covers water backup, since coverage varies from policy to policy and some need a separate endorsement. Keep the photos, the county call time, our invoice and any camera footage together in one folder.
Once the line is open, a routine matters more than another emergency. The drain maintenance schedule for Brandon homes explains how often to look at kitchen lines and laterals, and our post on repeated backups in rentals and HOA communities covers what to do if it keeps happening.
Sewage coming up right now?
Stop the water, call the county number above, then call us. Emergency dispatch runs 24/7 and you get a written price before any work starts.
CALL 813-733-7188First-hour backup questions
Call both, county first only because it takes a minute. Hillsborough County asks residents to phone (813) 307-1000 for sewage backing up into a home. Then call a drain company without waiting. The county checks the main, while a drain crew clears and cameras the pipe leading to your house.
No. Each flush or shower adds water to a full pipe, and it will come out of the lowest fixture in the house. Stop the washer and dishwasher, hold off on flushing, and use a neighbor's facilities or a portable option until the line is open.
No. Chemical cleaner will not reach a blockage in the main, and it then sits in standing sewage water. That makes the job riskier for the person who opens the line. Tell the technician if you already used any product so they can take precautions.
It depends on the policy. Many standard policies exclude water backup unless you added an endorsement. Call your insurer or agent, ask whether sewer or drain backup is covered and what documentation they want, and keep your photos, call times and invoices.
We clear and camera the line. We do not do water-damage restoration, so for wet carpet, padding or drywall that took in sewage, ask a restoration company or your insurer which professionals they use. We can give you the camera footage and invoice to support a claim.