Is it okay to throw toilet paper down the toilet?

A trash can standing next to the toilet and filled with used toilet paper can unsettle even a non-esthete. Therefore, most people try to get rid of toilet paper by throwing it down the toilet after use and flushing it with feces. And here the question arises: won’t such actions lead to clogging of the sewer, because the pieces of paper, swollen with water and accumulated in the pipe, can completely block it?

Toilet paper has no place in the toilet

Many experts strongly advise against flushing toilet paper down the toilet, and the motivation for this is quite serious. Let's figure it out in order!

Toilet paper is used:

• in apartment buildings;
• in the private sector;
• in public places (cafes, restaurants, cinemas, gas stations, etc.).

The times when soft spots were wiped with pages from old books and magazines or newspapers have long since sunk into oblivion. Once they got into the sewer, they did not dissolve, and often accumulated and clogged the pipes, causing plumbers to suffer. It seems like this shouldn’t happen with toilet paper, but not everything is so simple.

If in an apartment building, instead of corrugation, pipes of a smaller diameter were installed in the sewer, and the slope was not maintained as expected, then pieces of cellulose will accumulate, and paper blockage is a matter of time.

The private sector has its own problems. If a pipe with a diameter of less than 100 mm is installed in the sewer, and its length exceeds 5 m, and there are also bends and turns in the structure, then under no circumstances should toilet paper be thrown into such a sewer! But even if all the required standards are met, during pumping out the drain pit, the accumulated swollen pieces can completely damage the pump.

You should not flush paper towels down the toilet, as they do not soak well and will certainly lead to a clog.

In cafe restrooms you can often see signs strictly prohibiting flushing used paper down the toilet. This is due to the fact that public places are usually visited by many more people than in a residential apartment or house, and if each visitor starts flushing used paper down the toilet, it will not have time to move through the pipe, a lump will accumulate, and a blockage will form very quickly.

Paper that can be washed off - is there such a thing?

Toilet paper manufacturers do not sit idly by and are constantly improving their product. While some rolls are dense and soak in half an hour, others produce products with a loose base that disintegrates in the sewer pipe in literally minutes. And still others went even further and came up with paper that completely dissolves in water. This is the kind of paper that can be thrown into the toilet without the threat of clogging. So read the label carefully before purchasing!

For residents of the private sector, there is also a way out not to accumulate toilet papers in a bucket, but to immediately dispose of them through the toilet. Just so that the paper dissolves completely in the storage tank, you will have to use an active septic tank (special bacteria that will process it).

What do plumbers say?

Plumbers, who most often have to break through blockages in sewer pipes, assure that toilet paper is not always the main cause of the blockage. There are things that should never be flushed down the drain:

• feminine sanitary pads or tampons;
• diapers;
• leftovers;
• hair and animal fur;
• pieces of rags;
• scourers for washing dishes;
• plastic bags;
• construction garbage;
• candy wrappers.

It is also undesirable to flush chlorine-containing detergents down the toilet, even those intended for cleaning the toilet.. They can kill beneficial bacteria that are designed to process feces and toilet paper.

What to do in case of blockage

Even if you do not throw foreign objects into the toilet and carefully put used toilet paper in a plastic bucket, this does not mean that you are insured against the “traffic jam” that forms in the sewer passages.

If this suddenly happens, grab a plunger. Place it in the hole of the toilet so that the rubber part is completely hidden in the water. After making 5-10 jerks, sharply pull out the plunger. If the blockage is not critical, this should be enough for the water to start draining.

But if “relief” does not occur, proceed to mechanical cleaning with a flexible cable with a special attachment at the end. After inserting it into the pipe, turn the handle until the cable “feels” the blockage. By sharply pulling the cable, you will destroy the paper plug, and part of the blockage will come out following the nozzle. Just don't try to push him back into the toilet!

Didn't work on the second try? Then you will have to call plumbers who will resort to hydrodynamic flushing of pipes.

Now you know the answer to the question of whether it is possible to flush toilet paper down the toilet, which means you are insured against unforeseen and very unpleasant situations - such as a clogged sewer.