Toilet clogs are a common household plumbing problem. Many of the clogs that emergency plumbers have to resolve are caused by a few seemingly innocuous items. If you regularly flush any of these clog risks down your toilet at home, be sure to change your habits to avoid needing to call a plumber.
1. Wet Wipes
Wet wipes certainly have a diverse range of uses, from makeup removal to cleaning a sticky toddler's face. Some people even use wet wipes in place of toilet paper in an attempt to feel cleaner.
Even though many wipes claim to be flushable, they can still cause a blockage in your toilet or plumbing system. A study by the consumer organisation CHOICE found that even flushable wipes remain intact after being submerged in water for many hours, rather than breaking down as toilet paper does. As a result, wet wipes can combine with other debris in plumbing and sewage systems, leading to clogs. No matter how you use wet wipes in your home, they should always go in the trash, not the toilet.
2. Tampons
Designed to be small and discrete, tampons seem like something that you can flush away and forget about. However, tampons are incredibly absorbent, which means that they swell up to a very large size when submerged in water. As a result, they can clog the pipe that takes waste away from your toilet. Instead of flushing a used tampon, wrap it in a plastic bag or toilet paper and dispose of it with your solid household waste.
3. Condoms
Condoms are a problem for plumbing systems because they never break down. Designed to stretch and form a watertight barrier, condoms can block pipes inside your home if you flush them away. When you have finished using a condom, tie off the end, place the used condom inside the empty condom wrapper or in a plastic bag, and place it in the bathroom bin.
4. Oil
Many people know that pouring oil down the kitchen sink is a bad idea. However, that doesn't mean that you should dispose of unwanted oil by pouring it into the toilet. Although the pipe leading from the toilet is wider than that from the kitchen sink, it can still become blocked by congealing fat. Do not pour used cooking oil into any part of your plumbing system. Instead, allow it to it cool, pour it into a plastic bottle, and throw it out with your solid household waste.
