Why Flushing Regular Wipes Will Clog Your Drains

Wet wipes are usually labeled as flushable. The flushable wipes are tested in the labs and branded as safe for flushing. Wipes are being cited in municipalities all over as the reason for many toilet repair and drain cleaning services.

While cities are focused on managing the impact of wet wipes on the sewer system, households are encountering plumbing problems as a result of the common practice.

What happens when a wipe is flushed?

Toilet paper can take over eight seconds to fully disintegrate once it has been flushed. The flushable wipe can take as long as half an hour to disintegrate. While the industry is working toward developing a wet wipe that is capable of disintegrating in approximately 15 seconds. While the new wet wipe has yet to be introduced, households are being encouraged to abandon the practice of flushing wet wipes.

Your Plumbing at a Glance

Some pipes are made from materials like PVC, which are more prone to snagging. Aging pipes can also make it increasingly difficult for wipes to successfully travel through the plumbing systems. This is why wet wipes should not be flushed. Doing so can lead to costly problems later. A drainage pipe is typically 10cm in diameter, so the relatively small area can easily become blocked if waste is allowed to accumulate.

How Cities are Responding to the Practice

The practice has caused its share of challenges for local municipalities. Some agencies have had to install shredding technologies to ensure the safe passage of wet wipes through the plumbing. Other cities have called on workers to manually remove and separate the synthetic material from other waste.

Managing the Sewer Problem

In some cases, the wipes can enter the filter of the outlet side of the sewage tank, which can cause sewer problems.

Blockages in drains and smaller sewers may also lead to pollution problems if rainy or inclement weather happens. The sewage treatment company must dedicate resources to handle the increased volume of solid matter prior to it reaching area landfills. Preventing it from entering the filters while treated is a major feat. If it reaches the system and isn’t detected, the machinery can break down.

City sewage treatment plants have had to get creative in an effort to tackle major clogging problems since wipes do not dissolve as easily as toilet paper.

What’s considered flushable?

The “flushable” wipe can only be labeled suitable for flushing if it passes a series of tests. A special protocol, the SNAP protocol, is used to test whether or not hygiene and sanitary products can be safely disposed of by flushing. The testing is voluntary.

The water industry does not permit manufacturers to label the product as flushable if it cannot successfully meet those standards. The voluntary protocol is still in its earliest stages of development. The term flushable actually means that the wipes won’t cause immediate clogging as it initially enters the pipes of your home after a toilet flushes. It doesn’t mean that later on during the traveling process that the wipe won’t hit a snag.

What should you actually flush?

Plumbing experts recommend that human waste and toilet paper be the only thing that should be flushed. Even Kleenex is being discouraged from being flushed. Drain cleaners and similar products can cause issues that could lead to toilet repair or issues that could require cleaning the drains.

How often should the drains be cleaned?

Plumbing experts recommend that the drainage system be cleaned every three to five years. While this is practical for most households, it may not be feasible for those who use flushable wipes. Cleaning the drains may actually be needed more often than not.

What are the advantages of professional drain cleaning?

Professional cleaning is recommended for all households. Cleaning the drains protects the pipes and plumbing of the home. This practice limits the amount of damage caused by routine wear and tear.

Using professional drain cleaner services lowers the likelihood of major plumbing repairs. Seen as a preventive maintenance service, periodic cleaning limits the amount of damage to the household plumbing that can accelerate system’s aging process.

What is required during the drainage pipe cleaning process?

The plumbing professional will access the internal septic system. This may require lots of digging. The professionals will then open up the system and use a vacuum system, which is often attached to the septic truck. The vacuum system will then manually suck out all of the wipes, which will remove the build from the tank. The sewage system will then be fully restored and begin functioning normally.

Flushable and biodegradable are common terms affixed to the flushable wipe products available on the market. Plumbers and municipalities alike are working to discourage the practice due to the increased number of resources taken to manage the problem.

While services like toilet repair or drain cleaning are needed on occasion, flushing wipes could increase the plumbing costs for a household. This is especially the case if a major plumbing disaster should occur.

If you have noticed changes in your plumbing, contact us for quality services in your Stuart, FL home, call Allore’s Plumbing Services LLC at (772) 288-0998.