Back in the day, before baby wipes were ever invented, changing your child’s diaper was a much bigger ordeal. When these miracle cleaning wipes became mainstream, there were some adults that decided to try them on themselves. It may have seemed questionable at first, but the more they were used the more hooked everyone became. The problem, baby wipes didn’t break down like toilet paper in septic tanks and sewer lines; insert flushable wipes here. Absolute P&M Services is here to talk about why you may want to think twice before flushing these ‘flushable wipes’ down your toilet.

What it Takes to Break Down Flushable Wipes

There are several flushable wipe brands that claim that they are not only safe for sewer systems, but that they are also safe for septic tanks. These pre-moistened wipes that many of us are completely hooked on may not be all that they are cracked up to be. While they eventually break down, that is true, it takes much longer than toilet paper to do so. In all reality, it takes over 35 minutes of constant agitation to break down a flushable wipe. Toilet paper is broken down in mere minutes.

Toilet Clogged with Flushable Wipes

Because it takes so much longer to break down a flushable wipe, they sit in your sewer line for longer. When they are mixed with other debris that is found in the sewer line, it can cause some serious clogging. Paper bits, grease and other debris that are often flushed down the toilet are all culprits causing this to happen. In fact in 2013, there was a report in London’s Kingston area that a 15 ton “fatberg” that debilitated their sewer lines. It was the size of a bus and over nine feet wide. While there was grease and oil as part of this clog, flushable wipes were the main culprit.

Do Flushable Wipes Always Clog Toilets?

There are several things that play into the fact that flushable wipes will likely eventually cause a clog to your plumbing system. Every sewer system is different. One of the main things is the length of your sewer line. Other factors like how often people in your household flushes the toilet and the condition of your pipes and the lateral bends in the line as well. It is safe to say, that because they don’t break down nearly as fast as toilet paper, they will eventually cause a clog in your sewer line if you continue to flush them down.

Drain & Sewer Cleaning, Unclogging & More in Santa Fe, Tomball, Sugar Land, Galveston & Greater Houston, Texas

If you have fallen victim to a clog in your sewer line and you use flushable wipes, it is possible that your problem could be the wipes. Absolute P&M Services has the experience and expertise to handle any clog you may have no matter the size of the problem. You can count on us to help you get to the bottom of it. Call us today!