Most toilet clogs occur due to the negligence of users who send anything and everything down the drain.
Abuse of toilets is the most common reason for clogging that not only creates enough mess but results in costly repairs to pipes and property damaged by overflowing drains. The flooring and walls are damaged too, and this can hit homeowners hard because it entails expensive home repairs.
Any Kelowna plumber will tell you that toilets can only handle human waste and toilet paper and anything else that you send down the drain is detrimental for the plumbing system. However, this does not mean that you can overload toilets by random flushing of the prescribed items because too much of these would again clog the toilet.
Proper toilet care begins by knowing when to plunge toilets, what items you should not send down the drain and how to prevent undesired objects from doing into the toilet.
Know the flushable items
Being aware of the things you send down the toilet and knowing whether it is good or bad for proper flushing is the best way to prevent unwanted items from going into toilets. The list of prohibited items is quite long and consists of hair, wipes, facial tissues, paper towels, floss, napkins, feminine hygiene products, coffee grounds, fats, and oils as well as grease and even diapers, plastic, and medications. If some of these items find its way into the pipe, it sits tight in one place and obstructs the flow of water thereby impeding the flushing action. As the materials stay within the pipe, it starts accumulating debris and sludge thereby enhancing the size of clog that gradually stops water from flowing across it.
Sometimes it is hard to determine the flushable materials because the labels of some brands of feminine hygiene products, wipes and diapers declare these as flushable. To avoid confusion, test it by soaking the item in a bowl of water for about an hour, and if it does not disintegrate completely, it is not a flushable material.
Flush properly
Even if you are confident of sending only flushable materials down the drain, you must avoid the tendency of overdoing it. Like any other things, too much of flushable materials are even worse in some cases. Flush only as much toilet paper as necessary. Prevent flushing large wads in one go because only the outer layers of the large piece dissolve in water while the core remains solid and blocks the pipe. Prevent kids from sending toys down the toilet which happens in many homes.
Avoid having a shelf close to the toilet
While placing a shelf near the toilet might seem to be convenient in accessing many toilet products easily, the chances of some of the items falling into the bowl are also very high. This can be a potential danger that you must avoid to ensure clog free toilets. Keeping the area around the bowl clear ensures that there are no chances of unwanted items going into the toilet even accidentally.
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