What would you do
 

A few weeks ago TV hired a company to clean out or test the sanitary sewer drains on the street. A worker walked through our yard and I asked him if water was going to blow out of our toilet (this happened to me in the past) he said definitely not, I thanked him and explained my past experience. Well, you can guess what happened, I went in the house an hour or so later and toilet trap water was all over the floors and walls of the bathrooms. I let him know in no uncertain terms that I was not pleased as I now have two bathrooms to clean and disinfect and a bunch of bacteria laden wet rugs to get cleaned. I called TV and they called the company who stopped over and offered to mop up the floors with their truck mop as it would only be water out of the toilet trap which I did not accept, I told them that if it came out of the toilet it has bacteria no matter what part it came out of and that I would do it myself but I could not clean the rugs as they would be too heavy for our washer. He told me to get them cleaned, send him a receipt, and he would re-imburse me. I did exactly that and here is what happened next. I received an e-mail stating that he would stop over for documentation, I already sent him the paid itemized receipt so I asked what else he needed. A week later I get a call from a lady at the company stating that she was going to stop over with a release of liability for any and all future claims of damage that I had to sign and she would notarize in exchange for a $85.00 gift card, she also stated that if I didn't accept the card I would have to give her my social and sign off on more papers to get my money back (it was $51.00 to clean 6 heavy rugs) I advised that I did not want the gift card and that I was not signing a release nor would I give her my social, etc. She said she would send a personal check that day, it's been two weeks and nothing.

My questions is since they wanted me to sign a release should I get in touch with TV and tell them I want my back flow device tested and also have the line scoped to look for damage? I don't know how far to go on this and even who to contact but there must be a good possibility of damage if they wanted that release signed and notarized. Look forward to some advice. Thank you.

Call an attorney. They need to sanitize your walls, cabinets and replace flooring as the sewer water could have found its was under the flooring and been absorbed into the sheetrock and cabinetry, rugs and furniture it came in contact with. I hope you took pictures. I worked for a utility company and we had to replace all those things and any furniture the sewage came in contact with. The Utility company who hired the contractors are ultimately responsible. DO NOT SIGN ANY RELEASE. THEY KNOW THEIR OBLIGATIONS AND WANT TO GET OUT OF HAVING TO DO THE RIGHT THING. Speak with an attorney, usually the consult is free and if its a decent attorney they will take a portion of the settlement.
Sewage water if it got into the walls, floors and cabinets or carpet will start to smell and can cause mold and mildew behind the walls and under the flooring. This might also negate your warrantee coverage on your new home with the Villages. Force the Utility company to clean this up, sanitize and replace.
Stand firm, don't let them push you around. Talk to several attorneys, as I said, usually the initial consultation is free. Good luck.

They were hired by The Villages not by the sewer company.

If you only asked them for $51, what do you expect to accomplish? If you take them to court, you would need to show a lot more damage than that. In my opinion, it is not worth pursuing, unless you can show that there was significantly more damage to your house than $51.

I didn't say I wanted to take them to court, that was a reply to my post, I've never been to court and don't feel like starting now. See my last sentence, my question is should I tell The Villages that I want the line and back flow device tested? And/or who should I call?

As far as I know, there is no backflow prevention device on a sanitary drain line.

Why in the world would she need your SS #? Do not see any reason to give that out.

Even stopped giving it to Drs

Do the same thing happen to any of your neighbors? Knowing if was everyone or only you would be a good indication whether or not more testing would be useful at your place.

No, only my home, they could not find my outside trap which was clearly visible and they assumed I was tied in with the neighbors. With nowhere for the pressure to go with the trap closed tight it all went into the house and up through the toilets.

I would contact TV and tell them what happened. This was done by a contractor working for TV and therefore TV is just as responsible as if it were done by TV employees.

I would insist that everything be cleaned properly and any direct expenses that you incurred by reimbursed in full. I would not sign any release papers. If TV says that they won't do that, THEN I would consult an attorney... preferably one that is not owned by TV.

I don't know what you mean by an "outside trap". The only thing visible outside your house is a cleanout plug. That is an access connection for a plumber to unclog your drain line. Your sewer line is not connected to your neighbors. It drains directly into the main sewer line in the street. There is no plumbing trap or backflow prevention device outside of your house. You just have an open drain pipe that runs from your house to the sewer line that runs down the middle of the street.

I didn't say the line was connected to my neighbors, the employee stated that. There is a trap outside as well as a clean out, the employees boss explained that to me. If there is a sewage backup from the street what prevents it from entering your home if there is no back flow device?

I think the boss was wrong. Your toilet is a trap in itself. Adding a second trap in series to a drain would violate the plumbing code and would impede the proper function of the drain. Raw sewage, toilet paper, etc. would not flow very well through a drain pipe that had a trap in it. And, normally, there is nothing installed in a sanitary sewer line to prevent backflow. That is why insurance companies offer optional sewer backup coverage for your homeowners policy. I am just trying to explain the system as I understand it.

Nothing prevents the sewage from entering your house if the sewer is clogged. The backflow is for drinking water, not sewer water. If sewage actually did come into your bathroom and spray all over the walls and floor you cant just suck it up and clean it with wet rags, but you do as you like, you will be living with the bacteria in your bathrooms. You say the Villages hired them, the Villages is then responsible for proper cleanup. When Fenny was built the City of Wildwood serviced the water and sewer, they still do water, not sure about sewer, but you should check. There is E colei in sewage which can make you quite sick.

You may want to read your homeowners policy to see if you have sewer backup coverage. The coverage is usually optional, but I have always bought it.

Nothing. No backflow on sewer lines.

Ok obviously there was a problem or is a problem with the sewer line. If they blew it out it’s because something wrong I think that’s where you should go with this. The company that gave you the gift card was more than generous and I would have thanked them. But the problem still may exist

Small Claims Court
 

[A small claims case is a legal action filed in county court to settle minor legal disputes among parties where, as of January 1, 2020, the dollar amount involved is $8,000 or less, excluding costs, interest, and attorneys' fees. few weeks ago TV hired a company to clean out or test the sanitary sewer drains on the street. A worker walked through our yard and I asked him if water was going to blow out of our toilet (this happened to me in the past) he said definitely not, I thanked him and explained my past experience. Well, you can guess what happened, I went in the house an hour or so later and toilet trap water was all over the floors and walls of the bathrooms. I let him know in no uncertain terms that I was not pleased as I now have two bathrooms to clean and disinfect and a bunch of bacteria laden wet rugs to get cleaned. I called TV and they called the company who stopped over and offered to mop up the floors with their truck mop as it would only be water out of the toilet trap which I did not accept, I told them that if it came out of the toilet it has bacteria no matter what part it came out of and that I would do it myself but I could not clean the rugs as they would be too heavy for our washer. He told me to get them cleaned, send him a receipt, and he would re-imburse me. I did exactly that and here is what happened next. I received an e-mail stating that he would stop over for documentation, I already sent him the paid itemized receipt so I asked what else he needed. A week later I get a call from a lady at the company stating that she was going to stop over with a release of liability for any and all future claims of damage that I had to sign and she would notarize in exchange for a $85.00 gift card, she also stated that if I didn't accept the card I would have to give her my social and sign off on more papers to get my money back (it was $51.00 to clean 6 heavy rugs) I advised that I did not want the gift card and that I was not signing a release nor would I give her my social, etc. She said she would send a personal check that day, it's been two weeks and nothing.

My questions is since they wanted me to sign a release should I get in touch with TV and tell them I want my back flow device tested and also have the line scoped to look for damage? I don't know how far to go on this and even who to contact but there must be a good possibility of damage if they wanted that release signed and notarized. Look forward to some advice. Thank you.[/QUOTE]

A small claims case is a legal action filed in county court to settle minor legal disputes among parties where, as of January 1, 2020, the dollar amount involved is $8,000 or less, excluding costs, interest, and attorneys' fees.

You can easily fill out the form your self.
an attorney to file a claim. Forms to file a small claims case are available at the County Civil Department at the Clerk's Office and here on our website. Attorneys are not precluded from this court, but are not required.
This way you get an equitable settlement without inflicting undo financial damages.
1) order form above
2) Fill it out- if you can work a Crayon, and know the alphabet you don't need a lawyer.
3) Problem? Call the phone number on the form.
4) Be proud of yourself for being a good citizen and a kind person, that company will never cause anyone a problem like that again.
5) Put down the mop, get a couple estimates.
If you want to do the job yourself, go ahead, but save the estimate and bill the defendant the amount necessary to cover their work and any final cleanup you deem necessary and appropriate.
6) I have successfully sued people in small claims court.
If you send me pictures, your email, name and your address, I can take it from there, just tell me what you think is fair and I can advise you if it's realistic.
Bob Not a Lawyer.

C'mon, had they opened the clean out, pressure
would have vented.

True, but some houses either don't have cleanouts, or they are under a bush, buried, or just cannot be found. Often, when there is a clogged drain, the plumber needs to remove a toilet to clean out the system. It appears that the real problem was that they created too much backward pressure when cleaning the system.

Just contact TV and see what they say. If they cant help, they can point you in the right direction. $51. Isnt going to make anyone move fast

I would call them again and ask for your $51. They know you’re not going to sue, not enough in damages. Small claims would even cost more than you would collect.
If the Villages hired them then they should write the check with out
liability waiver.
The waiver is just a precaution and probably based on their past experiences.
I’d give the call one more time😊.

What did you do the last time this happened to you?

Let Mr. Morse know what happened if you can find a way to contact him.

Talk with your HO insurance carrier.

Insurance companies will do everything possible (including funding new roofs) to avoid mold mitigation expenses.

Nothing, it was the City of Cleveland, Ohio and it would have taken a year to even get a call back from them.

Regarding a sewage backflow device here is a quote from the company, Jacobs is their name. "Okay, lots of legalize to say you can't come back to us for this particular event that happened on the 29th. Should something else be discovered for that date that is other than a BACKFLOW PREVENTOR MALFUNCTION (which we hope hasn't happened and the guy double checked when they had the line opened) you can make a claim" This was a reply after I stated I would not sign a release.

Over 55?
 

Even if you took it to small claims & won, they will not collect the judgement for you therefore there you go again.

Again, I have no intention of going to court of this and it's not about the $51, my concern is if they did any other damage to the sewer line.

So.... in the future, if someone is working on my sewer line, is there any precautions I can take?
Cover the toilets with something? Toilet lid down?
What should I ask my agent about on my insurance policy...and what are they actually covering?
There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this thread... I appreciate all of your viewpoints.,

I asked them before it happened if there was any chance of this happening and they said no. Had they said yes I would have wrapped the bowls with cellophane to keep it from coming out.

Update, I called TV customer service and they said they do hire contractors to clean sewers that it would be Sumter county. I called Sumter county and you guessed it, they know nothing about it. This was an expensive undertaking for someone so it's hard to believe that two agencies do not know who hired them.

I don't think there is anything you can do to prevent a sewer backup issue. But, most homeowners insurance policies will offer optional sewer backup coverage. I always buy it because a sewer backup occurrence can cause at lot of damage to your house.

Contact your CDD supervisor for assistance. He/She should be able point you in the right direction or intervene on your behalf. Another option to contact Crimes Against Seniors, who will help you.

Contact your CDD supervisor for help or Crimes Against Seniors, both know who to contact.

it certainly can't hurt. i'd have already been on the line with someone if this happened to us. even if a team of people came in & cleaned it, i'd still go over it with a gallon of bleach, just for my own sanity, lol. how terrible for you, ughh. next time dont take their word for it, if you see them out there just assume it could/would happen again.

maybe put a towel in there before the plastic wrap. it sounds gross, but u can always run it through the wash on hot with clorox, or just save it for the next time you might need it for the same purpose.

The Villages should be able to tell you who takes care of their sewage and maintenance of in ground pipes in your area. It was the City of Wildwood, try calling their Utility dept, they may have done it or sent out a contractor. You are getting the run around because no one wants to take responsibility for potential damage/mold to your home. All your indoor plumbing is attached to the cleanout which then flows into the sewer including all sinks. A real sewage backup will come up your toilets, showers, bathtubs and all indoor sinks. Gross, but true, just look at the building plans of your home, or ask your plumber. Call the Utility billing dept for the Villages if that's who you pay your sewage billing to, they will know who sent that crew out, keep asking for a supervisor till you get the information you need. If they keep saying they don't know, then suggest to them they are forcing you to seek legal assistance, which you don't want to do, but see no other way in getting the information you need. Write down all names of people you speak with and their job titles.
Trust me, the Villages knows who is responsible for their infrastructure, their water and their sewage treatment in all areas of the Villages. Good luck.

I'm thinking that you have a health risk...I'd toss the rugs and call a company like SERVPRO and have them come in to totally clean the bathroom

if you can recover the cost on your insurance or from the company that caused it great....if not ask yourself, how much is your health and piece of mind worth

Outside trap or back flow device
 

There are no outside traps. Only inside the house. There are no backflow devices either.