Single-use wipes have become the bane of municipal sewage systems, clogging pipes and causing millions of dollars in damage and clean-up costs every year. ~Calgary Herald
“Flushable wipes” are a nightmare on sewer lines and should never be flushed down your toilet.
The concept of flushable wipes is a marketing scheme and continues to cause significant issues in our sewer line systems. The ‘wet wipe’ industry includes baby wipes, hand wipes, makeup remover cloths and other pre-moistened towelettes meant for single use. This is a $2.2 billion-dollar industry that continues to grow while leading to a disgusting mess in your pipes.
In your homes’ plumbing, these wipes get caught in the pipes on their way out of your home and collect in the corners. Eventually, they can completely block your pipes and will cause a backup in your home. You’ll need to call a plumber to snake out the wad of wipes and be left with a large bill and potentially a large mess to deal with.
For municipal water systems, the wipes that make it into the main sewer lines accumulate with other debris and can slow the flow of drainage through the main sewer lines. For those that make it to the water treatment plant, they can get caught in the impellers inside the pump, contributing to pump burn out.
Flushable wipes do not dissolve. They end up blocking sewage lines.
ARE FLUSHABLE WIPES SAFE FOR SEPTIC TANKS?
We really don’t recommend flushing wipes or anything that’s not toilet paper or biological waste down the toilet, regardless of whether you’re on a septic tank or sewer line. We have been called to conduct video inspections for septic systems and have found wipes in the pipes that are causing issues with the septic system.
ARE WIPES BLOCKING MY PIPES?
If your pipes are slow to drain your you’re getting backups, flushable wipes might be the culprit. Due to the longevity of these wipes this could be an issue in your sewer lines from a previous owner before you even took possession of the house. One easy and affordable way to identify the cause of your sewer line troubles is to do a CCTV sewer line inspection so you can see what’s happening in your pipes.
