How to Train Your Techs to Spot and Treat
Sewer-Based Cockroach Infestations
Sewer-based pest infestations are one of the most overlooked but increasingly common challenges PMPs face today. American cockroaches (often called sewer roaches), drain flies, and even Norway rats thrive in sewer and septic systems—environmental conditions that are warm, damp, and nutrient-rich. As these pests use plumbing lines as hidden highways, techs must be trained not only in traditional methods, but in source-level control that reaches the heart of the infestation.
Below is a complete guide to training your technicians to properly identify, diagnose, and treat sewer-origin pests using the Sewer Assassin™ system.
Why Training Your Techs on Sewer Infestations Matters
American cockroaches live and breed in nearly every sewer system and septic network in the country. These subterranean environments often act as the true source of recurring pest issues inside homes, restaurants, and multi-unit housing.
Why Surface-Only Treatments Fail
Traditional control methods—sanitation, sealing, gels, liquids, dusts—work well inside a structure. However, when roaches originate below ground, interior treatments provide only temporary relief.
If roaches continually enter the building from a compromised sewer line, techs may mistakenly think their treatment failed despite doing everything right.
How Plumbing Systems Act as Pest Highways
Fractured lines, missing cleanout caps, abandoned pipes, and improperly installed plumbing create direct pathways into occupied spaces. Training techs to recognize this and perform true source-level diagnostics is essential for long-term control.
How to Recognize Sewer-Based Cockroach Activity Before It’s Too Late
Sewer-origin infestations follow predictable patterns that differ from typical surface-level pest problems. When techs learn to spot these early warning signs, they can quickly determine whether pests are entering through the plumbing system rather than from outdoors or neighboring units. Here are the key indicators that strongly suggest the infestation is coming from below ground:
Re-Infestation After Gel or Exclusion Work
If German roaches are eliminated but large American roaches appear again within days, the issue is often underground.
Activity Around Drains and Floor Areas
Sightings near floor drains, mop sinks, restrooms, or utility rooms indicate an origin inside the plumbing system.
Foul Sewer Odors in Infested Areas
Bad smells combined with roach, drain fly, or rodent sightings almost always point toward a cracked line or open pathway.
Complaints Across Multiple Units
In apartments or commercial complexes, multiple simultaneous complaints suggest a shared plumbing issue, not isolated interior activity.
Step-by-Step: Training Your Techs to Use the Sewer Assassin™ System
The Sewer Assassin™ gives PMPs the ability to treat inside sewer lines safely & effectively. Train techs to follow these steps:
Step 1 – Inspect the Cleanout Access
Techs should be trained to locate and evaluate:
- Accessible cleanouts in or near infested zones
- Signs of pest travel or debris buildup
- Evidence of moisture, foul odors, two or more sewer-based pests in the same location, or structural failures
Step 2 – Use FogTrace™ to Detect Breaches
FogTrace™ is an odorless, visible fog used to perform a controlled smoke test.
- Insert the FogTrace™ nozzle into the cleanout
- Apply fog and monitor interior spaces to find breaches or anomalies in the plumbing system.
- Any fog appearing inside a room, wall void, or drain confirms an entry point
This allows techs to identify exactly where pests are infiltrating the structure.
Step 3 – Install the Sewer Assassin™ for Targeted Baiting
Once breaches are found and mapped, the cleanout cap is swapped with the Sewer Assassin™:
- Remove the existing cleanout cap
- Install the Sewer Assassin™ bait station cap in its place
- Apply roach gel bait or dusts labeled for sewer and drain use through the available port for in-wall applications. This puts controls directly in the pathway roaches are traveling inside the plumbing—something impossible with standard tools.
Step 4 – Add the Pest Strip Holder™ for Vapor-Based Control
Some sewer lines are too large or complex for bait alone. The optional Pest Strip Holder™ allows techs to:
- Attach the pest strip holder for use with Nuvan ProStrips on the Sewer Assassin,™ deployed inside the plumbing clean out.
- Release a continuous vapor to reach deep into inaccessible plumbing & sewer areas. Allowing more effective and long lasting control by eliminating the pest at its source.
This adds a second mode of attack for maximum impact.
Ongoing Monitoring and Follow-Up
After installation, consistent monitoring is crucial to track activity levels and ensure the Sewer Assassin™ system is performing effectively. Use the steps below to guide your techs in proper follow-up, documentation, and client communication.Train techs to perform:
- 30–rechecks to assess activity levels
- Bait consumption monitoring to gauge pest pressure
- Documentation of findings in the client’s service log
- A new service to add to your contract generating new consistent revenue.
Adjustments to bait type, quantity, or placement should be made based on observed patterns.
Educating Your Clients on Sewer-Based Risks
Clients often assume roaches come from outdoors or adjacent units. Techs should be trained to:
- Explain how sewer breaches cause recurring issues
- Recommend cleanout plumbing-based treatment plans
- Emphasize long-term prevention, being pro active instead of reactive, attacking the issue before the pest emerges inside.
Clear communication builds trust—and helps secure recurring service contracts.
Why Use the Sewer Assassin™ System Over Traditional Methods?
The Sewer Assassin™ system offers advantages that traditional methods cannot:
- Scalable for residential, commercial, and multi-unit properties
- Creates new RMR opportunities with cleanout-based service plans
- Allows true source-level control instead of surface-only treatments
It’s the first system designed specifically for below-ground pest management.
Proven Results: How Sewer Assassin Performs in Real-World Pest Control Environments
The Sewer Assassin system is proving its effectiveness across a wide range of accounts:
- Restaurants and food facilities plagued by recurring rodent, roach, and drain fly issues.
- Municipal sewer departments addressing public health risks.
- Multi-unit residential buildings sharing plumbing and drain systems.
Across these environments, PMPs report fewer reinfestations, improved inspection outcomes, and increased client satisfaction thanks to below-ground control.
Ready to Go Underground? Train Your Team with Confidence
Prepare your technicians to tackle sewer-origin infestations with:
- In-house ride-along training
- Digital or video-based learning modules
- Updated SOPs that include Sewer Assassin™ integration
- Product training available directly from our team
Upgrade Your Team’s Roach Control Performance—Start With Sewer Assassin Ssytem
Want to upgrade your team’s roach control capabilities? Contact us today to get started with the Sewer Assassin™ system and step into the future of below-ground pest control.