What You Should and What You Should Never Flush Down The Toilet
When most people look at a toilet, they assume anything and everything can be flushed down it with no trouble whatsoever. However, we at Boss Plumbing know better. In fact, we know there are plenty of things you can’t flush down the toilet.
While some seem obvious, others may surprise you. Since our team has seen it all when it comes to stuff you should never flush down the toilet, we’re here to make sure your toilet stays clog-free. If you’re ready to find out what’s flushable and non-flushable, here’s what you should keep in mind.
What’s Safe to Flush
Pee
Since toilets are designed to handle liquid waste, pee is perfect to flush down your toilet. Already liquid, pee can easily travel through your sewer system and be trouble-free. Best of all, it’s easily treated at your local wastewater treatment plant.
Poop
Just like pee, your poop is also tailor-made to make the journey through your toilet with few if any problems. Although there are times when too much poop can clog your toilet and have you reaching for a plunger, poop eventually breaks down in water and creates few if any problems.
Paper
In this case, we’re actually talking about TP, toilet paper. Unlike paper towels and tissues, toilet paper is made specifically so that it easily breaks down in water, reducing the chances it will create any clogs in your sewer system.
Puke
Last but not least, the fourth “P” we’ll mention here is puke. Though not quite on the same level as pee or poop in terms of how easily it breaks down once it enters your sewer system, most vomit is mainly liquid and will head to its final destination easily and quickly.
Not Safe to Flush
Baby Wipes
Even though baby wipes claim they flush safely down your toilet, our team here at Boss Plumbing regularly gets calls from LA homes that have clogged toilets due to these products. Not made to disintegrate like toilet paper, baby wipes should always be tossed into a trash can.
Feminine Products
Initially, it would seem that tampons and pads must be made to be flushed down your toilet. Unfortunately, they are not. As for why, it’s because they are made to absorb water, meaning they expand when flushed.
Diapers
Even though diapers contain pee and poop and thus sound as if they won’t pose any problems if deposited into your toilet, that’s not how it usually works out in the end. Also made to soak up water, they can severely damage your sewage system. To avoid major plumbing problems, put used diapers in a diaper pail.
Paper Towels and Tissues
While TP is made for your toilet, PT is not. Neither are tissues, since both are thicker than toilet paper and not made to easily dissolve. In fact, paper towels of any quality are made to absorb liquid and stay intact, which explains why they can clog your toilet so easily.
Medications
Of all the things you can’t flush down the toilet, medications are surprisingly high on the list. Though the pills themselves are small, the toilet water won’t break them down the way those acids in your stomach do once they are swallowed. To make matters worse, most medications cause serious toxicity problems once they get into sewage systems, creating environmental issues.
How to Fix a Toilet that Won’t Flush
If you go to flush your toilet and it won’t flush as it should, our Boss Plumbing experts know there can be multiple causes.
First, the water level may be too low. If so, pour a gallon of water down the bowl to see if this helps. Next in the list of common toilet problems is your toilet’s flapper. If it is damaged, it won’t hold water and your toilet will probably be leaking.
Last but not least, your toilet may not flush because it’s blocked. Should the blockage be serious enough and you try to repeatedly flush your toilet, you may find yourself with an overflowing toilet or with sewage coming up through your shower drain at the most inopportune time.
While the flapper repair may be very inexpensive and easy to fix on your own, anything that looks as if your toilet is blocked should be checked out by one of our pros here at Boss Plumbing.
Do You Need a Professional Plumber to Fix or Repair Your Clogged Toilet?
While we know having a toilet that keeps clogging can be frustrating, we also know that trying to fix it yourself can turn what may be an easy problem for a professional plumber to rectify into one that will send your final repair bills going higher and higher.
Rather than grab that nearby plunger and do a series of plunges and flushes hoping that the problem will correct itself, you will save yourself plenty of time, headaches, and ultimately money by calling on us here at Boss Plumbing. With our many years of experience, you can count on us should you need to fix a leaky toilet, install a new one or need other bathroom plumbing repairs.
Contact Us For Toilet Repair
Since there are so many things that should never be flushed down a toilet, it’s always possible something may find its way into your sewer system by mistake and create a major problem you never expected. If it does, give us a call here at Boss Plumbing. By letting us tackle the problem right away, your toilet will soon be back to normal.
