Demonstration shows what happens with flushable wipes
ATim Carter
few months ago (May 12), I wrote a column about how “flushable” wipes clog sewers. I received hundreds of responses from readers who shared their horror stories about how flushable wipes had caused clogs in their homes.
I also received a response was from a public-relations firm representing the Responsible Flushing Alliance. They took umbrage with my column, sending an email to “follow up with you to consider an update to your story.” (You can read the letter they sent to me with all their counterclaims, by visiting: go.askthebuilder. com/flushletter)
I responded to them that I would gladly update my original story but would do it with a video, not words.
I wanted readers to see in real-world conditions what name-brand flushable wipes look like after they have been flushed down the toilet. I wanted show what condition they were in just before they enter the septic tank or drop down into the city sewer system.
My original column was inspired by a man who lived in South Carolina. His sewage-ejection pump was ruined to the tune of more than $3,000 by “sewer and septic safe” flushable wipes. I have been a master plumber since age 29 and have seen the insides of decades-old building drainpipes under concrete slabs. I know how easy it is for drain lines to get clogged with things other than toilet paper.
I asked the Responsible Flushing Alliance for their 2 4 0 4 , /6 0 ) / / - / 2' input on the testing protocol methods, and they provided me with documents outlining how they test. But at least one thing in their method does not meet any plumbing code I know of. I ignored that part of their protocol and installed my drainpipe as is called for in the Uniform Plumbing Code.
I spent several days getting ready for the test. I purchased a special, crystalclear container so you could see what came out of the drainpipe after the toilet flushed. I erected my own pipe scaffolding with a platform 10 feet off the ground, simulating a normal toilet height above a basement building drain. I went to the local home center to buy all the plumbing pipe and fittings. A new 1.6-gallonsper-flush toilet was used for the test. Finally, I prepared a script to follow so the video would be as professional as possible.
You can view my flushable-wipes test video by going to: go.askthebuilder. com/flushvideo
I didn’t want to have any preconceived ideas about what the results might be, but my decades of experience told me that normal toilet paper would start to degrade quickly because the paper is jostled around by the turbulence of the flowing water inside the drain line. Because flushable wipes are made similar to paper towels, I was fairly confident they would not suffer too much from the flushing experience.
My local grocery store stocked three different brands of flushable wipes. I purchased a package of each one for the test. While there, I also bought a roll of cheap single-ply toilet paper.
The results of the video test were remarkable. One of the flushable wipes did start to degrade slightly after tumbling through 70 feet of drainpipe. This is an average length of piping that you might have at your home before your sewage makes it to your septic tank or the city sewer.
The other two flushable wipes suffered no visible damage in the test. You can see in the video that the water from the toilet was crystal-clear in the container at the end of the pipe.
The single-ply toilet paper turned to mush and broke apart into many small and medium-sized pieces. Surprisingly, the two-ply toilet paper didn’t fall apart too much. A large wad of it survived the journey through the piping.
I decided to flush a highquality paper towel down the toilet. It survived the experience with no damage and the water in the container at the end of the line was crystal clear. Trust me, never, ever flush a paper towel down your toilet!
I urge you to watch my video of the test. This simple video might save you thousands of dollars. This is a rare opportunity to show exactly what happens beneath your concrete basement floor or under your lawn.
Finally, if you must use flushable wipes, please don't flush them. Dispose of them in your home as you would a soiled baby’s diaper.
Tim Carter writes for the Tribune Content Agency. You can visit his website (www. askthebuilder.com) for videos and more information on home projects.