Clogged Toilets Lurk in the Shadows 
There is a growing problem happening across the Delaware Valley and the country.
It’s hiding in the shadows of COVID-19, waiting to pounce on its prey.
The prey? It’s your home or business.
At this time, schools remain closed and the number of people working remotely continues to rise amid the Coronavirus.
Not only are more residents being told to stay home, but there’s also been an uptick in clogged toilets.
Why you ask? Because homeowners are flushing Lysol and baby wipes down their toilets that are not actually flushable. Some of you need your hand slapped.
Now, you’re stuck calling a local plumber, which by-the-way is on the list of essential business defined by Governor Wolf.
Toilet Paper Shortage 2020
We’re now in the age of the #toiletpaperapocalypse (Jeez, never thought we’d be saying that).
With toilet paper in short supply at local stores such as Giant and Acme, many households in the area are resorting to the use of “flushable” wipes.
While the packaging on these items says “flushable”, they’re actually not. Furthermore, plumbers are warning against flushing these items. It could turn into an expensive headache for you.
Plumbers Say Don’t Flush These
Ryan Corbett, co-owner of Dream Team had this to say, “Flushing wipes, paper towels and other similar products down your toilets will eventually clog sewers and cause some nasty backups and overflows in your home.”
“Your home could be one flush away from disaster.”
The sewage system and your toilets in your home are backing up as you turn to paper towels, napkins and baby wipes to cope with the shortage of toilet paper.
Officials Have Warned You
Here’s a quick plumbing note – most urban sewage systems depend on gravity and water flow to move toilet paper and waste. Your sewage system was not designed to take on disinfectant wipes, paper towels and other household items that are typically flushed.
These household items do not break down as easily as typical toilet paper, eventually leading to a clog the system.
Prior to COVID-19 and the toilet paper crisis of 2020, officials at wastewater treatment centers across the country had been pleading with homeowners and businesses to not flush wipes and such down the toilet.
This is a problem. And a costly one for you at that.
Homeowners and businesses are backing up their sewer lines and overflowing toilets by flushing wipes. In addition, this problem is leading to further straining the pipes in and around your property.
Here’s What Happens After You Flush
What You Can Do Instead
Along with keeping “disposable” wipes, papers towels, and the such out of your plumbing system, our expert plumbers encourage homeowners out there to follow these tips:
- Please, please, PLEASE avoid flushing paper towels, wipes, and cotton rounds.
- These household items should be thrown in the trash.
- Contact lenses and medication also impact our environment and the wastewater treatment process.
- Throw used contact lenses in the trash.
- Take unused or expired medications to a prescription drug drop-off location to be disposed of properly.
- Place baskets or strainers in sink drains to catch food scraps and dispose of them in the trash.
- Never pour fat, grease, or oil down your garbage disposals. We don’t care how “innovative” or “effective” the garbage disposal was advertised as. This is a no-no as a homeowner.
- Allow the fat or grease to cool. Use a rubber scraper to remove items from cookware. Then place the fats and grease in a sealed container and dispose of it in the trash.
- Your drain pipes are usually about only 4 inches at their widest points, which makes it easy for things like hair, dental floss, and even cotton swabs to cause some nasty-looking clogs.
- Throw these household items in the trash and use a strainer in your tub drain to prevent hair clogs.
Use These Plumbing Tips
Take these tips and apply them to your home or business. You’ll help avoid the need for an emergency plumbing call.
We’re receiving quite a few backup calls during this abnormal time in our lives. Trust us, you do not want to deal with what happens when a backup occurs. It’s not pretty.
If clogged toilets and pipes have already begun to take your home as its prey, give us a call immediately. Our plumbers are on-call and we can stop the problem before it gets worse.
Schedule service today here or give us a call at (610)227-6364