Flushing Wipes

dankoos

I wanted to get a plumber's opinion on this issue. Those "flushable wipes" that they sell to use instead of or in addition to toilet paper...can those clog up a house's drain pipes? I am asking about a house with a city sewer system. Thanks.

Javiles

cast iron pipes defiantly not, pvc if its true should be OK.. i recommend not putting anything in a toilet that wont break up in your hand under running water.

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jagans

I completely agree with Javiles on this one. Im fighting my wife right now on the flushable wipes, as my Grandson has accidents once in awhile. One thing for sure, the Swifter sheets will clog a septic system in a NY minute.

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ben's plumbing

DON'T FLUSH WIPES DOWN DRAIN.....ben sr

dankoos

These are not your standard wet wipes. These are the ones marketed to be "flushable". Does your opinion still stand?

Out of curiosity...what happens down the line, do they just build up and then someone needs to come snake the drain?

ben's plumbing

they also say tampons and kotex can be flushed... along with wipes they don't break up as easy to flush through sewer.....yes you will need it snaked out if that happens...ben sr

TheBobmanNH

Been flushing "flushable" wipes for years, both in septic and sewer-hooked houses, with no problems.

Honestly, tryign to avoid TMI or being disgusting, but those things are amazing and they could cause my house to fill with feces and they'd still be almost worth it.

stephen9666

I'm no plumber, but Consumer Reports tested 3 brands of "flushable" wipes and found they don't break down. They recommend not flushing them.

Here's a video that talks about it and shows that the 3 brands they tested didn't break down.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/v...1/22783507001/

DidIDoThat

Roots, Red Nose Mice and Flushable Wipes are a plumbers best friend.

dankoos

think I am gonna stop flushing them and use the waste basket as the lady in consumer reports suggests

Alan

Go ahead and flush them, and i'll call my buddy in your neighborhood and tell him to get his drain cleaner ready to go.

(plz do not flush wipes)

I had a lady with plastic pipes that was clogged up, and the problem ended up being only about 6" upstream from her 2 way cleanout.

Here's a test for you. Get a big bowl of water. Put the wipe in and see how long it floats. Once it stops floating, try to dump the water at a medium pace (simulating water flowing out of a pipe) and see how easily the wipe comes out of the bowl. My guess is it will stick to the bowl. Once one sticks, the second one hangs up on the first one, and the third one hangs up on the second one. Again, and again and again.

By the time I was done with her drain, I had probably two boxes worth of wipes. I couldn't even get the snake to go through the mess, it would just snag 2 or 3 at a time off the wad, and pull them back. Worst clog i've seen yet in terms of amount of foreign material.

I almost blew an o-ring when I found out my wife was flushing tampons and wipes down our septic system at the new house. "well they say flushable!"

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paintdrying

That is no joke about the mice.

burnt03

I work for a municipality and there's one main sewer lift station where there is ALWAYS problems with the pumps clogging up, probably at least once a month. They always seem to be clogged up with what looks like the end of a mop.

From what the sewer guys tell me, any wipes and tampons that get flushed down the toilet seem to break up just enough to get wrapped around the impeller on the pumps. So please, for the guys that have to pull the pump from the wet well, stop flushing that stuff down the toilet.

Just like javilies said, it's best if it'll break down in your hand under running water.

TheEplumber

You can add condoms to the list too- I had a customer say he didn't use condoms-as he shot his wife a look that could kill

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ben's plumbing

yep condoms too....had a clogged drain for a customer a few yrs back....the end of snake was loaded with them...the mom,and dad were stumped.....they had teenage children...boys and girls....I said they could have come from main line.......:laughing : they lived in the middle of the block???ben sr