You might just be your plumbing’s worst nightmare. Bad habits that you might not think of, like flushing a wipe down the toilet, can actually cause major damage to the drains and pipes in your home. Not only will this worsen the condition of your pipes, but you can end up needing to pay thousands of dollars in repairs. If you want to avoid this happening to you and keep your plumbing working fine, then it is time to stop flushing things that are terrible for your plumbing down your toilet.
Here are some things that you should stop flushing down your toilet:
Flushable Wipes
Although they are labelled as “flushable,” they are definitely not flushable at all. Many plumbers will be able to tell you horror stories of huge clogs that flushable body wipes and baby wipes have caused. They will not disintegrate, they will just clump together, among other things, in the drainage and the septic, making a huge mess. If the flushable wipe does make it down through the pipes to the sewer pipes and eventually into the municipal sewage treatment center… those huge industrial-sized pipes at the plants will also become clogged.
But there are other reasons to avoid flushing down wipes. Besides items like wipes that won’t dissolve in water, it doesn’t help that residential water systems are not low-flow for the purpose of water conservation. One flush would use 3.5 gallons of water in the old days, but now toilets use half of that. Low-flow plumbing systems cannot push a huge pile of flushable wipes through the drainage systems.
Paper Towels
Think about how paper towels are constructed. Even after getting soaked in water, you will notice that paper towel won’t fall apart like toilet paper would. Manufacturers want paper towels to be used as a towel for cleaning up any messes. Paper towels are not designed like toilet paper. Therefore, they should not go into the toilet. These will just cause a huge clog.
Foreign Objects
Flushing down random items like trinkets and toys will result in a clog. If you have small children, there will always be a risk that they will flush something down eventually. Teach them that the toilet is only for solid waste and toilet paper only. If you accidentally drop something into the toilet that should not be in the toilet, then make sure to fish it out before you flush.
Feminine Hygiene Products
You might think it’s a good idea to toss a tampon or pad into the toilet, but this will clog your sewage system. Feminine hygiene products are terrible to flush because most of them are made from highly absorbent materials and are meant to hold up to moisture. Feminine hygiene products are absorbent and can swell up to twice their size.
Cat Litter
While dirty cat litter is technically waste, like human waste, this doesn’t mean you should pour it into your toilet to dispose of it. Cat litter is made from sand and clay, which are two things that absorb water.
Oliver Plumbing & Heating can help you with all of your plumbing needs. We are experts in this field and specialize in both commercial and residential plumbing services in Edmonton. For more information, contact us today!