Here at The London Ontario Plumbing Company, we’ve been clearing drains and solving plumbing problems for a while now. But the same problems often pop up from house to house, and I’m convinced this is because people just don’t know enough about how their toilets should work. I guarantee every london general plumbing repair company deals with these on a regular basis.
Drop it in the water, flick the lever, and the problem disappears, right? That’s how it might seem on the surface, but there’s a lot more to it than that. In fact, the only things you SHOULD flush down the toilet are toilet paper and, well, your waste.
Here are some of the most common things that can clog a toilet.
Cat Litter
This one drives me nuts, because there are lots of brands of cat litter that the companies advertise as “flushable” as though it won’t cause tons of problems if you flush them!
The truth is, this stuff clogs up drains like crazy. Because it’s designed to clump up, it can stay stuck in the drain and build up, causing a clog. And if you’re using clay-based litter, it can be so tough and so solid you have to actually drill through it. No fun!
Just dump it in the garbage. I don’t care what the label says. Don’t flush this stuff down the toilet!
Baby Wipes
You might think you can flush baby wipes down the toilet because you can flush toilet paper down the toilet but it doesn’t work this way.
Toilet paper is thin and flimsy and designed to dissolve in water. Go ahead, soak a piece of toilet paper and a baby wipe. The baby wipe is much stronger! This is good for your baby, but it’s not good for your plumbing.
When you flush baby wipes, they have the tendency to get stuck in the drain. This gets even worse when you have tree roots growing through your pipes, since they get caught on it and stop other things from flowing through.
Instead of flushing baby wipes, wrap them up in your used diaper and toss them away.
Speaking of which…
Disposable Diapers
Now I know what you might be thinking. How does anyone think you can flush a diaper down the toilet? They’re too big to fit!
Yeah I know, but not everyone thinks like you and I do. Some people think you can flush anything.
Don’t flush diapers. Just don’t do it. It’s a terrible idea. I don’t care what the package says – they’re not going to fit down your drain, and even if they do they’re not going to make it to the sewer. They’re going to clog your toilet and cause all sorts of problems.
Feminine Hygiene Products
Similar to baby wipes, feminine hygiene products aren’t designed to dissolve the same way toilet paper is. So when you’re done using them, you can’t flush them.
Feminine hygiene products are one of the most common things that clog drains, so if you use them you can save yourself a lot of plumbing headaches by disposing of them in the garbage.
This is especially true for tampons – after all, they’re designed to expand when they’re wet. They’re practically designed to clog pipes!
Cotton Balls
Cotton balls or cotton wipes are horrible for your drains. Cotton is designed to absorb water, so if you flush a bunch of cotton down the drain it will expand and fill your drain.
It’s even worse if you flush cotton swabs because they’re on sticks. The smallest thing can stop them from flowing through the drain away from you – and they’re going to catch everything else after them too.
Do you want a plumbing nightmare from your cotton? No? Then throw them in the garbage.
Contact The London Ontario Plumbing Company
If your drain is clogged, even if it’s because of one of these reasons, give us a shout. We’ll be there to help clear out your drains and get everything working smoothly again.
