So-Called “Flushable” Wipes Causing Pipe, Sewer Problems

CBS DFW ^ | October 4, 2013

[nickcarraway]

With each and every flush, some North Texans are doing something that could cost them and their respective cities a lot of money. We’re talking about those so-called “flushable” wipes.

At one time or another you’ve probably used a moistened wipe — maybe it was for your baby or to take off make-up. But as the wipes get more and more popular they’re wreaking havoc with plumbing systems.

North Texas mother Tiffany Sanchez admitted that she uses a lot of the wipes. “Every diaper change. If he [son] is sticky or dirty.”

Sanchez also said she uses the wipes religiously for herself. “Sometimes the toilet paper doesn’t do the job.”

Sanchez isn’t alone and the increased use of the wipes is causing problems. Ben Bravo, with Bravo’s Plumbing explained it in a unique way. “Think of it like paper towels on steroids!”

Despite what manufacturers claim, the wipes — even the ones that say flushable — do not dissolve. Plumbers say they can get tangled in pipes and completely clog them.

“It’s [the wipe] really strong and durable and when you flush it, it won’t dissolve 100-percent,”Bravo explained. “Over time all that knitting will accumulate in the sewer.”

The wipes are not biodegradable so they don’t break down in sewage systems. In east Fort Worth, the wipes that manage to get through end up at the wastewater treatment plant. The plant is where water is cleaned and recycled.

Speaking about the individual wipes Mary Gugliuzza, with the Fort Worth Water Department, said, “It can sometimes cause problems if it gets caught up in pumps, at lift stations, or here at the treatment plant.”

If the wipes make it to the plant the city then has to separate and discard them, sending big dumpsters to area landfills. The extra work costs city residents extra money.

“People could easily dispose of those things in their own trash instead of sending it to us and us paying for it,” Gugliuzza said.

While the clogs, tie-ups, and extra processing is costing the city and residents, the end result is the exact opposite for plumbers. “Money for me — gold,” Bravo said smiling.

City officials say the flushing of moist wipes does impact water bills, but the cost is not that significant.

For the city however — it does cost thousands of dollars to send the wipes to landfills.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Our home was built 15 years ago. The newer 1.6 gallon/flush toilets constantly clog.

Here's what HGTV has to say about low-flow toilets. Low flow toilets have a bad reputation.

[dfwgator]

AL: These babies are made in Maine, you know, at the little Ferguson factory. It's the Stradivarius of toilets and my dad could play it like a violin.

AL: Yup, I'll never forget the time my dad took me on a trip to Maine, to visit the factory. On the way up, I had to go to the bathroom. I begged my dad to pull into a truck stop. He said no. "Wait till we get there. It will be worth it." It was.

BUD: Excuse me here, dad, but a toilet is a toilet.

AL: Bud, today's toilets aren't worthy of the name. They come in designer colors, they're too low, and when you flush 'em they make this little weak almost apologetic sound. Not a Ferguson. It only comes in white and when you flush it... "BaahWhooosh."

AL: That's a man's flush, Bud. A Ferguson says, "I'm a toilet. Sit down and give me your best shot." Oh, if a Ferguson could talk, the stories it could tell. And now I've got one of my very own. (TEARING UP) Yeah. If only my dad could have lived to see this moment.

[nascarnation]

awesome post!

[ansel12]

Did you even read that article that you linked to?

Do you think that I would give a 1 year guarantee to not charge for a replacement toilet AND the installation, if modern toilets didn’t work?

If your toilets don’t work, buy some that do.

“”The Lowdown on Low-Flow Toilets:
No longer the bane of bathrooms, the modern low-flow toilet saves water and provides ample flushing power.””

“After much consumer grousing, toilet manufacturers stepped up to the porcelain throne and made some design modifications and outright changes to the traditional method of waste disposal to make low-flow toilets more efficient.”
(snip)
“So today’s gravity-assisted toilets often have design adjustments, such as wider flapper valves (the hole in the center bottom of the tank where the water flows down into the bowl) and trapways (the hole at the bottom of the toilet bowl). Glazing or finishing the trapway to cut down on friction and ease the way for waste is another design change.”

[ansel12]

The quotes are from the article you linked to, that you should have read before doing so.

“”The Lowdown on Low-Flow Toilets:
No longer the bane of bathrooms, the modern low-flow toilet saves water and provides ample flushing power.””

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Yeah, sure. The bigger hole was a breakthrough. No one thought of that before. They work fine.

So why did they invent the compressed-air versions?

Since gravity can only do so much with so little water, pressure-assisted flush toilets use pressurized air in the tank to push the water into the bowl more forcefully, which helps to make up for the lower water amount.

You can't defy the laws of physics.

[ansel12]

Live with your problems, your determination to remain ignorant shows that you deserve them, you work so hard to retain both, at least for the last 15 years.

In the meanwhile I will continue to offer a 1 year guarantee to replace my toilets free of charge if anyone has a problem with them.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

I want a turbo.

[B4Ranch]

>>This is bullcrap. The clogs are caused by all the low flow toilets.<<

I see that you are not a homeowner.

[Axenolith]

A Muffin Monster (tm) sewage grinding pump.

[Axenolith]

You should see what happens when you sheet-pile through a 24 inch high pressure one!

[Axenolith]

I have, in my possession, a hotel room sign that states

“DON’T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!

We’re kidding of course, but this is fair warning. Per building code, our toilets are low flow, designed to save water. So please flush often when using in order to eliminate the chance of congestion.

We’re more than happy to assist if you experience congestion, but frequent flushing will prevent the old plunger procedure.”

[Axenolith]

No, I worked with and around with bigger stuff, sewer force mains, confined spaces, fuel pumping, etc... Been there, done that.

[Axenolith]

Is there a government refund for all the lame ones that got placed in circulation in the scramble to meet the newer arbitrary usage limits?

I doubt it.

[ansel12]

Figured, it was pretty obvious that you don’t know toilets and residential sewer lines from the repair and service experience.

[Axenolith]

A) I am.

B) What the hell does that have to do with the fact that the low flow toilets provide to little water for the general SEWAGE TRANSFER SYSTEM to do it’s work?

Like was pointed out several times earlier, the line drop for all the sewage systems was calculated WAY in the past for toilets and other sources to provide a certain amount of water to move the waste. As soon as that starts to fall as newer toilets replace old, you begin to run into problems with sedimentation and clogging and it gets worse over time.

The whole toilet issue was bullshit anyway, in CA residential and office water usage amounts to something like 5% of overall demand. Forcing people to put bricks in their toilet tanks or buy 1.6 GPF toilets affects about .01% of that 5%. It may make people feel good (and we know how that runs the USA today) and it most assuredly sells a lot of new toilets (wonder who got lobbied for it???) but it does jack all for water demand, and between the extra flushes (our office ones need about 2-3, and it’s new) and the cost to jet out mains it probably not only costs more economically, it probably uses more water...

[ansel12]

You people that don’t know much about toilets should have asked your plumber to install the models that they guarantee.

Like my happy customers did.

[Axenolith]

Whatever. The thread wasn’t about the toilets themselves sucking (and our office ones do, and to add insult to injury the code also specified that the toilet paper rolls had these idiotic tabs that made it dispense 2 sheets at a time. We razor knifed them off). I know there’s air assist ones, etc...

I know enough to install my own, and repair them. I’ll probably even take my old ones with me when I sell. Hell, you can sell two new ones to whomever buys my place one day, you live in CA?

Do point us out the changes in UBC that modified the drop rates in residential lines to make up for the reduction in flush water volume. While it won’t make a difference for the mains, I’ll stand corrected in my knowledge of residential sewage lines if you can show that (and I’d wager since I oversee installation and backfill of multi unit residential line systems including sanitary, I’ve been involved in installing at least as much as you have).

[Axenolith]

Dude, you should chip in extra for advertising...

[ansel12]

Advertising by mentioning to someone who’s toilet isn’t working to replace it with one that will?

That is just common sense.