We just had to deal with a clogged pipe - the plumber found wads of cottons/tampons and wipes so plentiful, they had to push the clog 130ft out into the main.
Our landlord immediately accused me of flushing tampons - which I don't do exactly to avoid this problem. We have been living in this house for 4 months. The landlord now expects us to pay the plumbing bill, despite the fact that I'm being accused of something I did -not- do. Landlord claims there's never been an issue with plumbing before and that we lived in the house "too long" (4 months) for it to be the previous tenants (also female) fault.
Is it possible that the previous tenant flushed her tampons regularly and then they lodged into the pipe, building up and staying there? So that it wouldn't take much to cause a complete plug-up, like someone flushing too much paper at once?
I am puzzled and frustrated. We only flush TP and the occasional Kleenex down the toilet. I don't want to pay a steep bill for something that is not our fault.

Pay it... it happened while you were living there. You can't prove you never did it... he CAN prove it happened well after you moved in. You won't win. Besides its not like pouring hot grease down a pipe that builds up over time. A lot of things are possible under the right conditions...even the very unlikely. a Collapsed drain....landlords problem...drain plugged by stuff that should never be flushed....tenants problem. drain clogged by tree roots...landlords problem.....drain clogged by grease...tenants problem....see the trend here.

You only know if YOU did it....there is no way of knowing what any female visitors might have done since you moved in...

THat might appear a bit blunt....but its life....the landlord doesn't have to listen to theories and what MIGHT have caused it when its clear that it happened while you ..a female was residing there. It would be the same if it was rented by men...because its possible female visitors had done it. If it happened the week you moved in....you might have a case to argue.

Hi Kat...

As I see it, if you HONESTLY didn't flush tampons down the drain then you don't pay the bill. If you did flush tampons, then as much as that stinks, you pay the bill and apologize to the landlord...in the end standing up will gain respect and that is good if you plan to stick around that place for awhile...;)

Now, if you honestly didn't flush any tampons then you tell your landlord that you spoke to a very experienced plumber and he said that it is VERY possible for tampons to accumulate over time while still allowing sewage/waste to pass by...sometimes for years. Now, as an example, roots start to grow in the drain over time and there are tampons hung up AND then you flush one too many Kleenex (that is not good either) and it finally all accumulates and plugs up the main drain. Is that your fault? Unlikely...unlikely, right? I mean you said you didn't flush tampons so this MUST be an accumulation of factors (roots, bad pipe (maybe), tampons, grease, etc.) and that should NOT fall on you, for sure!

Glad to discuss more if you want...

Mark

In my area of operation - if Owner sees tampons inside sewer line, (s)he makes the tenant to pay the service call bill. Tampon are designed to "soak and keep in" becoming heavy object inside sewer pipe. They are hard to flush all the way to the street - and yes - eventually pile up and cause drain blockage. Hope that helps. Milo

massplumber2008:

I honestly wish it was my fault. It's a very uncomfortable situation to be 100% convinced you're right, but being accused to be lying or denying the truth. I would rather it had been me flushing the tampons, apologize profoundly and be forthcoming about taking care of the bill. The landlord did not handle it well though and as soon as they discovered tampons became very accusatory, without even asking me about it and calling me a liar for denying it.
I don't like playing the blame game, it won't make the bill disappear either. Of course it's impossible to prove who the tampons belong to. I know I don't have a case legally speaking there.

I did notice my husband occasionally flushing a Kleenex and interestingly enough warned him about that a few weeks back. My current theory is that the previous tenant flushed her sanitary stuff, it build up over time in this 130ft pipe and then perhaps a flushed Kleenex was the last straw, causing a full blockage.

I think the best course of action in this case is to talk to the landlord about it and at the very least try to get them to split the bill with us. It's just a very messy situation because the landlord said it is impossible that it can build up for so long without showing any problems - and I wondered if that is the case or just pure BS. Thank you for your detailed answer, it makes me feel a bit more sane about the whole situation.


In my area of operation - if Owner sees tampons inside sewer line, (s)he makes the tenant to pay the service call bill. Tampon are designed to "soak and keep in" becoming heavy object inside sewer pipe. They are hard to flush all the way to the street - and yes - eventually pile up and cause drain blockage. Hope that helps. Milo

It should be common sense in my opinion if you think about what they are designed to do. I figured they'd pile up, I was mainly wondering it it can take a long time for it to cause a serious problem. According to their findings it sounded like there was a lot of blockage, something that seems excessive even for 4 months of living there if I had actually been flushing mine, which i want to stress i did not! I now kind of wish i did so I can keep my sanity and handle this in a responsible way.

KatW88,

Regarding how long it takes for tampons to block sewer pipe - it depends. If you have ABS or PVC ( "plastic" sewer pipes ) with minimum number of turns and hillside slope - it may take very long time to create a blockage. However, if you have an old, barely sloped, deteriorated Cast Iron or Clay Pipe sewer pipe, with many turns and occasional low point - than tampons may block your sewer quite often. Hope that helps. Milo

This applies to all areas. Flush NOTHING down a toilet but human waste and toilet paper. No Tampons or Kotex, baby wipes or Kleenex.

toilet. I don't want to pay a steep bill for something that is not our fault. But since you can't prove it isn't your fault the bill is yours. Good luck, Tom

**** In China, you do not even flush toilet paper, it has to be put in trash can beside the toilet. Flushing paper of any kind is not an international thing. It is only in places where plumbing can handle it.