Popular Bathroom Wipes Blamed for Sewer Clogs

[CaseyJones]

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/09/23/popular-bathroom-wipes-blamed-for-sewer-clogs/


Increasingly popular bathroom wipes — pre-moistened towelettes that are often advertised as flushable — are being blamed for creating clogs and backups in sewer systems around the nation.

Wastewater authorities say wipes may go down the toilet, but even many labeled flushable aren’t breaking down as they course through the sewer system. That’s costing some municipalities millions of dollars to dispatch crews to unclog pipes and pumps and to replace and upgrade machinery.

The problem got so bad in this western New York community this summer that sewer officials set up traps — basket strainers in sections of pipe leading to an oft-clogged pump — to figure out which households the wipes were coming from. They mailed letters and then pleaded in person for residents to stop flushing them.

“We could walk right up, knock on the door and say, ‘Listen, this problem is coming right from your house,’” said Tom Walsh, senior project coordinator at South & Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer Districts, which was dispatching crews at least once a week to clear a grinder pump that would seize up trying to shred the fibrous wipes.
...
The problem got worldwide attention in July when London sewer officials reported removing a 15-ton “bus-sized lump” of wrongly flushed grease and wet wipes, dubbed the “fatberg.”

[tod evans]

Let NY city go back to chamber pots for all I care..

[dannno]

That's a shame.

[specsaregood]

“We could walk right up, knock on the door and say, ‘Listen, this problem is coming right from your house,’


Can you imagine opening up your door and somebody telling you that your asswipes are clogging the sewer system? lol Yet another reason not to answer the door.

[fisharmor]

1) It wouldn't have anything to do with being mandated to use 1/3 as much water as perfectly functioning toilets used for most of their existence, would it?????

2) My house used a septic field in the DC suburbs from 1950 until it got converted to sewer in 2002. For 52 years my house was not part of the problem.
You all get ONE guess as to who it was who mandated getting off the septic.


Can you imagine opening up your door and somebody telling you that your asswipes are clogging the sewer system? lol Yet another reason not to answer the door.
Knowing what you know above, can you imagine what I'd tell them?
Let's play hangman:
_ _ _ _
_ _ _

[amy31416]

The gov't should subsidize bidets and this wouldn't be an issue.

[tod evans]

Can you imagine opening up your door and somebody telling you that your asswipes are clogging the sewer system? lol Yet another reason not to answer the door.

Yet another reason to never live in the city!

[Brian4Liberty]

Blowback.

The use of these wet-wipes by US military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq made them popular. Now sewers get clogged in the US...

[angelatc]

Yet another reason to never live in the city!

You can't even live close to the city, because the city will come for you. Happened to us in Indiana. We bought a house outside city limits that had septic and well...plus we could burn our sticks.

The city came and annexed us, because they wanted the tax money.

[surf]

i'm a guy on a condo board that has had to pay for roto-rooter to come out and clear baby ass-wipes out of neighbors' pipes. imo, the ass-wipe company should have paid this bill.

discuss....

[angelatc]

i'm a guy on a condo board that has had to pay for roto-rooter to come out and clear baby ass-wipes out of neighbors' pipes. imo, the ass-wipe company should have paid this bill.

discuss....

If you had to call roto-rooter to clear out condoms or underwear from the pipes, would you think those companies should pay the bills too? I haven't bought baby wipes for a few years, but I seem to recall they said they were not flushable. I think the wipes the story was talking about was the adult moist wet wipes, which do say they're flushable though - so....

depends on which type you're talking about. If the flushable wipes don't disintegrate properly, then yeah, I think there could be a lawsuit there.

[Brian4Liberty]

i'm a guy on a condo board that has had to pay for roto-rooter to come out and clear baby ass-wipes out of neighbors' pipes. imo, the ass-wipe company should have paid this bill.

discuss....

Fraudulent advertising? They clearly are not "flushable".

[Brian4Liberty]

Wet Wipe humor:

Several guys at work were talking about how great wet wipes were. Some genius hears this conversation, and finds some Clorox branded "wet wipes" in the bathroom. He uses them. Apparently it taught him a lesson about the differences between baby wipes and cleaning wipes...

[69360]

City people problems. :rolleyes:

My well is in the front yard and the septic is in the back.

[fisharmor]

Fraudulent advertising? They clearly are not "flushable".

As a result of not having septic in our house, which is on a slope with a walk-out basement, the sewer line goes into one of the basement walls about 1' off the floor. So the basement bathroom that used to work can't be done without ejecting sewage vertically to tie it into the sewer line.

So I'm reading up on macerating toilets. It's basically a toilet with a garbage disposal unit in it, that chops everything up and ejects it vertically through a 1" pipe. There are different grades of them, where if you want the bottom-line model you're looking at about $700. Advertising states that it will only grind up the occasional sanitary napkin or tampon, and that disposable diapers are right out. But for $1000 you can get a model that will handle sanitary napkins fairly regularly.

So it occurs to me, who the hell is flushing her maxi pads down the toilet?

And then I start reading reviews for these toilets to see if it's that big a deal. One reviewer says that his teenage girl had friends over and one flushed a tampon, and that did his $700 toilet in, and he wishes he spent an extra $250.... and I think crap, I have two girls, and if I want this toilet to be working 10 years from now I might have to spend more money.

So there you have it... the state causes problems and the market solves them. But if the state didn't cause them to begin with, I'd be able to keep the old bathroom.
Broken window fallacy happens at fisharmor's house, too.

[FindLiberty]

Will this kind of S#!T never end? THERE'S ANOTHER WAY... In Iran, well, let's just say it's best to avoid shaking hands.

[FindLiberty]

... that did his $700 toilet in, and he wishes he spent an extra $250.... and I think crap, I have two girls, and if I want this toilet to be working 10 years from now I might have to spend more money. No big deal. If it clogs again don't just think crap, ...get 'em fixed!

[69360]

Will this kind of S#!T never end? THERE'S ANOTHER WAY... In Iran, well, let's just say it's best to avoid shaking hands.

Isn't it don't touch the left hand, it's unclean? They use a cup of water and the left hand to clean up after crapping and the right hand to eat.

[seraphson]

IMO these wipes are bullshit anyways (See what I did there!)
They're basically super thick wet toilet paper. You want a clean ass without destroying your local or public plumbing? Follow these six quick and easy steps!

Step 1) Take roughly 3 squares of toilet paper and fold to your preference.
Step 2) Run sink water so a tiny stream of water is flowing
Step 3) Quickly run water over folded sheets of toilet paper from Step 1. Do not saturate completely but "dampen" the toilet paper
Step 4) Wipe your ass
Step 5) Repeat Step 1-4 until cleanliness level desired is achieved. You may reduce the amount of squares used in Step 1 as you approach a cleaner ass
Step 6) For the last wipe be sure to use a square or two without water to absorb any excess water.

Same effect (okay your ass won't smell like Mount Fiji or whatever artificial fragrances they add) and it'll cost a hell of a lot cheaper. Oh, and you won't screw up the plumbing.

[invisible]

As a result of not having septic in our house, which is on a slope with a walk-out basement, the sewer line goes into one of the basement walls about 1' off the floor. So the basement bathroom that used to work can't be done without ejecting sewage vertically to tie it into the sewer line.

So I'm reading up on macerating toilets. It's basically a toilet with a garbage disposal unit in it, that chops everything up and ejects it vertically through a 1" pipe. There are different grades of them, where if you want the bottom-line model you're looking at about $700. Advertising states that it will only grind up the occasional sanitary napkin or tampon, and that disposable diapers are right out. But for $1000 you can get a model that will handle sanitary napkins fairly regularly.

So it occurs to me, who the hell is flushing her maxi pads down the toilet?

And then I start reading reviews for these toilets to see if it's that big a deal. One reviewer says that his teenage girl had friends over and one flushed a tampon, and that did his $700 toilet in, and he wishes he spent an extra $250.... and I think crap, I have two girls, and if I want this toilet to be working 10 years from now I might have to spend more money.

So there you have it... the state causes problems and the market solves them. But if the state didn't cause them to begin with, I'd be able to keep the old bathroom.
Broken window fallacy happens at fisharmor's house, too.

If you have a walkout basement, it probably has an 8' ceiling. Why not build a small platform and a couple of steps, and raise the toilet up by about 1' 3"? You'll still end up with plenty of room to stand at the toilet, and you can make it actually work with the sewer line at relatively little cost.

[presence]

As a result of not having septic in our house,

look into a "submersible sewage ejector pump" ~$175
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ASewage%20Sump%20Pump

Will require a small accessible sump tank (ie 30 or 55 gallon plastic drum w/ removable lid) below your slab.


This way if someone flushes something bad you're out a cheap pump or a cheap toilet but not an expensive "TV/VCR combo"


http://www.plumbing911.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/sewage-ejector-pump.gif



Isn't it don't touch the left hand, it's unclean? They use a cup of water and the left hand to clean up after crapping and the right hand to eat.

I thought that was India not Iran

[phill4paul]

Of course towelettes will clog a sewer line. So will tampons. We used to call them "white mice" back when I did rooting. Many embarrassed teenage girls when I explained to their dad why he was shelling out a quarter of his paycheck to clear his line on the weekend. Not half as bad as the the explanation I gave to the parents of a 15 yr. old teenage daughter. Condoms. Use toilet paper. Or pay the price of rooting.

[Legend1104]

Honestly this is one thing that the Europeans have correct. I have children and I can tell you from using wipes how much is left behind with just using tp. I try not to think about how nasty most Americans walking around really are.

[green73]

I blame asswipes.

[Nirvikalpa]

Let NY city go back to chamber pots for all I care..

NY is quite large and goes beyond just NYC... just sayin'. Chautauqua County NY is extreme western NY... nowhere near "the city."

[amy31416]

What morons don't teach their kids to never put anything but pee, poo and toilet paper into the toilet? (And maybe the occasional goldfish...)

We have a septic field and I educated myself on it so I can extend it's life as much as possible. I had a septic backup when I was in the city, and I never, ever want that to happen again. :(

[Danke]

What morons don't teach their kids to never put anything but pee, poo and toilet paper into the toilet? (And maybe the occasional goldfish...)

We have a septic field and I educated myself on it so I can extend it's life as much as possible. I had a septic backup when I was in the city, and I never, ever want that to happen again. :(

I feel robbed. No one ever taught me what was appropriate to put in a toilet.

[Pericles]

Can you imagine opening up your door and somebody telling you that your asswipes are clogging the sewer system? lol Yet another reason not to answer the door.

Ever since I started answering the door while carrying an AR15, the number of visitors seems to have declined.

[juleswin]

IMO these wipes are bullshit anyways (See what I did there!)
They're basically super thick wet toilet paper. You want a clean ass without destroying your local or public plumbing? Follow these six quick and easy steps!

Step 1) Take roughly 3 squares of toilet paper and fold to your preference.
Step 2) Run sink water so a tiny stream of water is flowing
Step 3) Quickly run water over folded sheets of toilet paper from Step 1. Do not saturate completely but "dampen" the toilet paper
Step 4) Wipe your ass
Step 5) Repeat Step 1-4 until cleanliness level desired is achieved. You may reduce the amount of squares used in Step 1 as you approach a cleaner ass
Step 6) For the last wipe be sure to use a square or two without water to absorb any excess water.

Same effect (okay your ass won't smell like Mount Fiji or whatever artificial fragrances they add) and it'll a hell of a lot cheaper. Oh, and you won't screw up the plumbing.


That is very similar to what I do, I run the sink fosset for a few secs, and dab my ready to use toilet paper on the wet sink and then use it. Much easier to your pipes that those rubbery wet wipes

[kpitcher]

Grandfather was a master plumber and years ago fixed a problem with a drain line filled with condoms. He told the owner. Grandfather ended up having to testify to that during a divorce hearing as the husband never used them.... after that if things got plugged it was 'well it was plugged, not sure what. Just be careful what you flush'.

[Dr.3D]

Ever since I started answering the door while carrying an AR15, the number of visitors seems to have declined.
Have had that same problem since I started answering the door wearing a Glock 37 in a shoulder holster. Maybe people admire these items and have decided to save up to get one for themselves.

[Dr.3D]

I feel robbed. No one ever taught me what was appropriate to put in a toilet.
In the city it's not such a problem. When I was a kid, I used to have fun putting packing peanuts down the toilet.

[presence]

That is very similar to what I do, I run the sink fosset for a few secs, and dab my ready to use toilet paper on the wet sink and then use it. Much easier to your pipes that those rubbery wet wipes

I'm partial to a squirt of witch hazel since we're sharing

[angelatc]

In before Dannno.

[tod evans]

In before Dannno.

"In" where?:eek:

[angelatc]

What morons don't teach their kids to never put anything but pee, poo and toilet paper into the toilet? (And maybe the occasional goldfish...)

We have a septic field and I educated myself on it so I can extend it's life as much as possible. I had a septic backup when I was in the city, and I never, ever want that to happen again. :(

My first septic system was in Texas, so I had to educate myself about it. What sucked was educating our houseguests about it. I think girls that grow up with a septic know that nothing can go down there, but city girls have no clue. But even in the city, i agree with the the hell flushes their sanitary napkins?

[jbauer]

i'm a guy on a condo board that has had to pay for roto-rooter to come out and clear baby ass-wipes out of neighbors' pipes. imo, the ass-wipe company should have paid this bill.

discuss....

It is quite interesting that they city dug and put traps at each house. Then monitored them. Then went and asked people to stop.

If it was any other government department they'd just go and make the regulations on the companies producing the wipes to change their production to match the governments pumps.

[PaulConventionWV]

look into a "submersible sewage ejector pump" ~$175
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ASewage%20Sump%20Pump

Will require a small accessible sump tank (ie 30 or 55 gallon plastic drum w/ removable lid) below your slab.


This way if someone flushes something bad you're out a cheap pump or a cheap toilet but not an expensive "TV/VCR combo"


http://www.plumbing911.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/sewage-ejector-pump.gif




I thought that was India not Iran

I thought it was the right hand that did the dirty, not the left.

[TonySutton]

Blowback.

The use of these wet-wipes by US military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq made them popular. Now sewers get clogged in the US...

Actually they became popular during Desert Shield/Storm just more headcount involved in Iraq/Afghanistan.

[limequat]

Honestly this is one thing that the Europeans have correct. I have children and I can tell you from using wipes how much is left behind with just using tp. I try not to think about how nasty most Americans walking around really are.

It's funny how life changes after you've wiped someone else's ass.


And, forgive my ignorance, but what IS the European method?

[presence]

And, forgive my ignorance, but what IS the European method?



Bathe infrequently but wash your ass when it itches?