Sewer Backup Help: Myrtle Beach, Conway and Horry County

Call your sewer utility first

Your utility can tell you whether the blockage is in its main or lateral, which it fixes, or in your own pipe. GSWSA’s rule is “Call GSWSA before you call your plumber,” and it says staff are available at any hour, every day, to investigate sewer backups: “There is no charge to the customer for this service.”

Annexed lots and private systems can differ, so check whose name is on your water bill. Atlantic Beach does not run its own water or sewer, and most Briarcliffe Acres homes are on septic, with no sewer utility to call. In Murrells Inlet, GCWSD’s Service Line Protection Program terms add: “If a customer contacts a plumber prior to contacting GCWSD, the customer will be responsible for the repair bill.”

What to do during a sewer backup, in order

1. Stop using water: no flushing, showers, laundry or dishwasher. Tell guests or renters too.
2. Keep people and pets out of the affected rooms.
3. Make it electrically safe. If water is near outlets or appliances, turn off power at the main breaker only if you can reach it without standing in water; otherwise call an electrician (CDC).
4. Call your sewer utility, using the table above.
5. Photograph everything before cleanup, and keep receipts.
6. Call us if the problem is on your side. We clear the line, then find out why it happened.
7. Clean up only once the drains flow again, following the basics below.

What your sewer backup symptoms usually mean

Does insurance cover a sewer backup?

It depends on the cause and the policy. Flood insurance covers some storm-driven backups but not clogs, homeowners policies often need an added endorsement, and GSWSA offers an optional plan for the lines outside the house. Document the damage before cleanup starts.

• Flood insurance. FloodSmart, the NFIP’s site, says a policy “would cover water damage to your home from a sewer that backed up during a heavy rainstorm” but “would not cover damage from a sewer backup caused by clogged pipes.”
• Homeowners insurance. GCWSD warns that “Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover the cost of repairs” to an owner’s own lines. Damage inside the house often needs a water backup endorsement, so ask your agent.
• GSWSA’s Service Line Maintenance program covers water and sewer lines from the right-of-way to the outside of the building, including damage from “a sewer back-up in service lines beyond the perimeter of the customer’s building,” for $2.85 a month (water and sewer, first unit) or $2.60 for sewer only. A GSWSA-selected adjuster sets the payment “prior to any repairs being made,” so enrolled customers should call GSWSA first. No charge on your bill means you are not enrolled; sign up at (843) 443-8202.

More in our sewer line insurance guide.

How to prevent another sewer backup

• Backwater valve. South Carolina’s edition of the 2021 IRC (P3008.1) requires one where fixture flood-level rims “are below the elevation of the manhole cover of the next upstream manhole in the public sewer.” Surfside Beach’s flood guidance also tells residents to “Install check valves in sewer traps to prevent floodwater from backing up into the drains of your home.” More on backwater valve installation.
• Grease in the trash. Let cooking grease cool in a container and throw it away; it hardens in pipes.
• Only toilet paper in toilets. “Flushable” wipes, paper towels and feminine products do not break down like toilet paper.
• Roots under control with scheduled cleaning until the line is lined or replaced.
• A cap on every cleanout. A missing or broken cap can let rainwater, sand and debris into the line.