Why Flushing Regular Wipes Will Clog Your Drains
Why are more people using disposable wipes?
Disposable wipes used to only be pegged for babies and no one else, but adults have learned the benefits of disposable wipes and are using them in record numbers. In fact, the companies that make these wipes are experiencing an upsurge in sales, which are expected to go up through the year 2019.
Since many are using wipes these days, including adults, the question is why? Disposable wipes are wet, unlike toilet paper. Since they are wet, they are easier to clean with, especially for a child’s bottom or even an adult’s bottom. Wet wipes can get any leftover residue that may be on a person’s private area, which makes them feel a lot cleaner.
Many choose to use these wipes because they feel they are flushable, but this is where the problem comes in. The adults who are using these wipes to clean their children will simply throw the wipes into the garbage along with the diaper that has just been changed, but this is not what they do when the adults use the wipes on themselves. Who wants to sit on the toilet and use wipes on themselves and then throw the mess into the garbage? If an adult cannot use the toilet to flush their wipes, they are less likely to use them.
Why are wipes unflushable?
The problem is that many of the wipes have been misrepresented as being flushable, and they can flush, but even a sock can possibly flush down the toilet, but this doesn’t mean the sock should go in the toilet in the first place.
The problem is the fact that the flushable wipe is hard to biodegrade, especially in the short period of time when it goes down the toilet. Toilet paper can easily tear apart when it’s being flushed down the toilet, and this is why they flush away a lot easier as long as they are not wadded up into a ball, which can also cause clogs of its own.
Many of the wipes that are being created today are so sturdy that they stay whole when they're flushed down the toilet, and it eventually gets stuck in the sewer system. There are municipal systems, which are only for items that are easy to break down, and these types of systems absolutely cannot handle wet wipes, and they can easily be clogged by these wipes.
Another problem is the fact that the wet wipes can cause a lot of headaches for cities that have to dislodge them, such as London with the fatberg incident of 2013. The fatberg weighed 15 tons and took about three weeks to fully dismantle, and it was filled with wet wipes as well as grease and other types of things that clung to the massive ball.
Major cities that have sewage systems may experience these clogs all the time, and not only is it costly to the city, it creates sewage problems for those who want to use their toilets regularly and cannot because of backed up sewage.
A lot of people blame the companies making these wipes because they do not tell people not to flush them or the dangers of flushing them, which has sparked a lot of lawsuits against these companies by the cities that must deal with these clogs as well as by private homeowners.
What to Do When Wipes Clog Your Drains
If you have noticed that your toilet is not draining the way it should or is clogged, then many people will simply do what they know how to do to try to get the clog out. If you have a clog from all the wipes that have been flushed, then there is no way for you to get the clog out without calling a plumber.
A plumber can use an electric snake, which can go deep down the drains to catch the clog, and it can help to remove the clog. The only thing is if the clog has gotten too big, then it may be necessary to dig up the pipes as opposed to simply snaking, hydro jetting, or cleaning the drains.
In some cases, toilet repair may be necessary after a problem like this, and drain cleaning is always recommended because it can help to get rid of clogs as well as helping to prevent any future clogs from coming into play.
The best thing to do if you suspect that wet wipes have clogged your toilet is to call a plumber to figure out the problem as well as to get an estimate of the cost because it’s possible that fixing the problem may cost a lot of money.
Although many can avoid the problem by simply throwing their wipes away as opposed to flushing them, it’s unlikely that this is going to be something that people do, even if they fork out hundreds of dollars to fix a clog that they caused by flushing wet wipes.
Don’t Wait to Call a Plumber
A plumber has ways of finding what’s wrong with your drainage system, and if they end up having to snake the pipes, then they can also send a camera down through the pipes to see exactly where the clog is as well as what the clog is. If they determine that it’s necessary to do a lot more than drain cleaning or toilet repair to get the clog out, then be prepared to do what it takes because it may be necessary to dig up the septic system, which can be extremely costly.
Once you know you have a problem with a clog that’s caused by wet wipes, get your plumber out on the job as soon as possible because the clog will only get worse with time. Depending on how the drainage system is created, you may experience draining problems throughout the house as opposed to only with the toilet.
Call Shamrock Plumbing & Drain Cleaning, Inc. at (407) 305-6183 to do drain cleaning or toilet repair in your home in Orlando, FL.
In some cases, toilet repair may be necessary after a problem like this, and drain cleaning is always recommended because it can help to get rid of clogs as well as helping to prevent any future clogs from coming into play.
The best thing to do if you suspect that wet wipes have clogged your toilet is to call a plumber to figure out the problem as well as to get an estimate of the cost because it’s possible that fixing the problem may cost a lot of money.
Although many can avoid the problem by simply throwing their wipes away as opposed to flushing them, it’s unlikely that this is going to be something that people do, even if they fork out hundreds of dollars to fix a clog that they caused by flushing wet wipes.
Don’t Wait to Call a Plumber
A plumber has ways of finding what’s wrong with your drainage system, and if they end up having to snake the pipes, then they can also send a camera down through the pipes to see exactly where the clog is as well as what the clog is. If they determine that it’s necessary to do a lot more than drain cleaning or toilet repair to get the clog out, then be prepared to do what it takes because it may be necessary to dig up the septic system, which can be extremely costly.
Once you know you have a problem with a clog that’s caused by wet wipes, get your plumber out on the job as soon as possible because the clog will only get worse with time. Depending on how the drainage system is created, you may experience draining problems throughout the house as opposed to only with the toilet.
Call Shamrock Plumbing & Drain Cleaning, Inc. at (407) 305-6183 to do drain cleaning or toilet repair in your home in Orlando, FL.
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We Used Shamrock Plumbing for a commercial bathroom repipe. We were very pleased with the results. Great customer service, on time , fair prices and a fast high quality job. We will use them again and would highly recommend !
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