No, you shouldn’t flush “flushable” wipes or any of these other sewer clogging products.
Sewer camera inspection after sewer camera inspection we find that paper products continue to contribute to a large number of blockages. What we have found is that all paper products are not built the same.
Many toilet papers are designed to quickly dissolve in water. This process is critical to help keep our aging sewer systems flowing. However, the overuse of toilet paper along with paper products that are not designed for sewer systems continues to cause expensive blockages.
At SewerCam Services we routinely find sewers clogged with “flushable” wipes, paper towels and tissue paper. None of these products are built the same and the term “flushable” doesn’t have the same definition per brand, product or even country. In fact, its quite the debate about how exactly one arrives at the definition of “disposable”, “dissolves” and “flushable” as it relates to our aging sewers and water treatment plants.
We are not experts at definitions but we do have a lot of experience in finding strange things in sewers.
Adding to the woos of paper products causing clogged sewer pipes, we routinely find additional products that help cause a sewer blockage such as Q-tips, dental floss, hair, dog poop bags, grease, and fat. None of these products dissolve in water. Instead, they end up clogging your sewer pipes and that can lead to costly damage and repairs.
As a rule, the only thing you should flush is a reasonable amount of toilet paper and human waste. When in doubt, throw it in the trash can and save yourself the headache of a sewer back up.
