Sewer Backup Emergency in Nashville: Steps to Take Before the Plumber Arrives

1. Stop adding water. Every flush, shower, or load of laundry sends more water into a line that can’t carry it away. Hold off until the line is cleared.
2. Move people and pets out. The Tennessee Department of Health says to assume contamination, since flooded homes are likely to contain sewage, and says people who are pregnant, children, people with asthma, and those with weakened immune systems should avoid cleanup entirely.
3. Watch the electricity. TDH says to turn power off only from a dry spot. If you would have to stand in water to reach the panel or a switch, leave it and call a professional.
4. Photograph everything before you touch it. Take wide and close shots of the drain, the water line on walls, and damaged items. You will want them for your insurer.
5. Don’t use fans yet. TDH says not to use fans on sewage-contaminated water until you are sure the water is clean.
6. Clear access to the cleanout. If you know where it is, make it reachable. It is usually where the plumber starts.
7. Call. Prodigy answers 24 hours a day at (615) 914-7349. For general emergency steps beyond sewage, see Prodigy’s guide to what to do in a plumbing emergency.

Metro Water Services’ sewer line policy says the property owner owns, and is responsible for, the service line from the building to the sewer main. The public main in the street belongs to Metro Water. The table below shows which way each situation usually points.

To report an overflowing sewer or flooding, Metro Water Services runs a 24/7 emergency line at 615-862-4600, as listed on its request emergency service page. If a plumber’s attempt to clear your line fails, the policy says to call and ask for Emergency Service, and that Metro Water may be able to help with the part of the line inside the sewer easement.

What Metro Water’s help involves

• The owner signs a waiver asking Metro Water for help and allowing its crew to work on the line.
• If you have a cleanout inside the easement, Metro Water may use it to inspect and clean toward the main.
• If more is needed, the owner or their plumber digs to the line and cuts a 2-foot opening at the easement line, after calling Tennessee One-Call (1-800-351-1111) before any digging.
• Metro Water says it does not clean or televise toward the building, and that all cleanout caps must stay on except during inspection or cleaning.
• Under Metro Code 15.40.050, residential customers aren’t billed for Metro Water’s repair of the line inside the right of way or easement. Commercial customers are billed.

The policy also notes that the easement line commonly sits about 10 feet on each side of the public main, though it varies. Ask your plumber to help you work out where the line sits on your property.

A floor drain is the lowest opening in your plumbing, so when the main line blocks, it is often where sewage shows first. Prodigy’s Hillwood page calls the floor drain an early warning and says a camera inspection finds the cause before the next event does. If several fixtures are affected at once, that points to the main line, which Prodigy’s main line drain cleaning page describes as the pipe that carries waste from the whole home.

Sewage is a health hazard. The Tennessee Department of Health’s Healthy Homes guidance, including its advice on cleaning up after floods, sets out what to do:

A small, limited spill may be manageable with the right gear. Anything larger, or any spill that has soaked into porous materials such as carpet or drywall, is a job for a professional. TDH says porous materials such as carpet, padding, and drywall that get soaked usually need to be replaced.

Not every Davidson County home is on the city sewer. TDH lists sewage backing up in drains or toilets, slow drains throughout the house, and odors near the system as warning signs of a failing septic system, and says to contact a professional. Prodigy has a dedicated emergency septic service page for Nashville.

Prodigy is based in Franklin, about 20 miles from Nashville, and says it answers around the clock. Its Nashville neighborhood pages for Green Hills, Hillwood, and The Gulch say crews dispatch in roughly 20 to 25 minutes, which depends on traffic and isn’t a guarantee. Here is the process described on Prodigy’s emergency plumber page:

1. Phone triage. You get safety and shutoff guidance while a crew is dispatched.
2. Dispatch. The nearest available technician heads to you in a stocked truck.
3. On-site triage. The crew works to stop the active backup and protect your property.
4. Camera diagnosis. A sewer camera inspection finds the cause. It is free with any booked job.
5. Repair or a plan. Prodigy repairs on the spot when the scope allows. Otherwise it provides temporary restoration and a next-business-day follow-up.

Prodigy publishes a $29 standard dispatch fee and a $250 after-hours dispatch fee, plus standard service rates. The repair cost is confirmed after the camera inspection, before work begins. Prodigy also says it provides camera footage and a condition report you can use to support an insurance claim.

The dedicated emergency sewer backup page and the Nashville service page describe the service area.

• If it keeps coming back, get the line checked. Prodigy says that if the main line backs up again after cleaning, the pipe is likely structurally damaged, and a free camera inspection shows whether you need sewer line repair instead of another cleaning.
• Learn the causes. See Prodigy’s guides to sewer line backup causes and basement flooding in Nashville.
• Know the warning signs. Prodigy’s guide to emergency sewer repair in Nashville covers the early signs of a failing line.
• Call your insurer the same day. Ask whether your policy includes sewer or water backup coverage, and send your photos and the camera report.

A sewer backup is stressful, but a clear sequence helps: stop the water, protect people, document, and call. To reach Prodigy 24 hours a day, call (615) 914-7349 or request service online, and see the full list of sewer and drain services.