Check out some similar questions!

palonzo · Nov 21, 2012, 02:11 PM

My father is primary caregiver for my mom; he's been in the habit of flushing disposable rubber gloves down the toilet, which we've been trying to tell him is not a good idea and causing periodic blockages. Would love verification from a professional source to try and convince him to discontinue this practice.

speedball1 · Nov 21, 2012, 04:13 PM

Good old Dad's dead wrong! You DO NOT flush ANYTHING down then toiilet except human waste. Rubber gloves are not biodegradable and should be disposed of in the trash. Regards, Tom

mygirlsdad77 · Nov 21, 2012, 04:39 PM

Got to agree with Tom here. Flushing disposable rubber gloves, or anything other than waste and toilet tissue is just asking for a problem. Im sure your local waste treatment department would tell you the same thing.

Alty · Nov 21, 2012, 04:47 PM

I'm not a professional, but I saw this thread and have to agree with the above two posters, who are professionals. Never put anything but human waste and toilet paper, and tampons (sorry for the possible tmi) down the toilet.

Dad lost this battle. You're 100% right.

mygirlsdad77 · Nov 21, 2012, 04:51 PM

Alty, Shame on you! Lol. Actually, tampons, or sewer rats as we call them, are one of the worst things to flush down a toilet, as they tend to adsorb liquids and expand. In my personal experience, next to tree roots, tampons are the most common item I pull back on my sewer cable. Big no no for sure. This may have something to do with your earlier toilet flushing issues for sure.

Alty · Nov 21, 2012, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by mygirlsdad77

Alty, Shame on you!! lol. Actually, tampons, or sewer rats as we call them, are one of the worst things to flush down a toilet, as they tend to adsorb liquids and expand. In my personal experience, next to tree roots, tampons are the most common item I pull back on my sewer cable. Big no no for sure. This may have something to do with your earlier toilet flushing issues for sure.

Not the tampon wrappers or casing, but the tampon itself. But... but... it says that it's flush-able!

Really? I shouldn't be flushing them? But then what? Putting them in the garbage is... well... gross! :(

Crap. They say that you can flush them, now I find out it's a no no? I've been doing it for... more years than I care to admit. ;)

Wondergirl · Nov 21, 2012, 05:01 PM

Don't flush those flushable handi-wipes either. Or kleenex tissues, especially the ones that don't fall apart when you use them to wipe your nose.

massplumber2008 · Nov 21, 2012, 05:01 PM

Definitely a no-no here, Alty! Here, many people get away with the practice of flushing tampons, but as soon as the main drain line gets compromised in some way... say root intrusion into the drain line, or a belly develops in the pipe, or say sediment begins to build up and accumulate these tampons get caught up and get intertwined with the problem area and turn things into a disaster quite quickly!

Further, then when the drain guy shows up and tries to auger the drain his/her machine can get caught up with all these tampons and it can actually break cables/machines just making things way worse, for sure!

Anyway, as a habit, it just isn't good practice. I know it sounds gross, but wrapping them up in multiple wraps and disposing of them in a container could save you a large bill/hassle down the road!

Have a great thanksgiving!

Mark

mygirlsdad77 · Nov 21, 2012, 05:01 PM

Yep, sorry, it may say its okay, but trust me, its no good at all. Hope some of the other plumbers in here will jump in on this with me.

You beat me again mark.

massplumber2008 · Nov 21, 2012, 05:04 PM

Posted while you were typing! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

mygirlsdad77 · Nov 21, 2012, 05:05 PM

And wondergirl. You are correct, don't flush the "flushable handi wipes either, or anything that claims to be flushable. Marks advice is spot on here.

mygirlsdad77 · Nov 21, 2012, 05:06 PM

And a happy Thanksgiving to you.

Wondergirl · Nov 21, 2012, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by mygirlsdad77

Yep, sorry, it may say its okay, but trust me, its no good at all. Hope some of the other plumbers in here will jump in on this with me.

I'm no plumber but when a public library toilet got stopped up, it was always because women had flushed tampons (although some teen girls once tried to flush a new roll of tp--the whole thing). .

Alty · Nov 21, 2012, 05:18 PM

Okay, I will no longer flush tampons down the toilet. I will change my ways. :)

Happy Thanksgiving my American friends. :)

speedball1 · Nov 22, 2012, 08:33 AM

Hey Alty! Are you beginning to feel "picked on with all these negative posts about your potty habits? Don't be. We still love you! We're just trying to save you a big plumbing bill in the future, I don't care what the ads say. ANYTHING that goes down the toilet that doesn't come from a human has the potential to cause a blockage. Good luck and happy flushing! Tom

Alty · Nov 22, 2012, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by speedball1

Hey Alty! Are you beginning to feel "picked on with all these negative posts about your potty habits? Don't be. We still love you! We're just trying to save you a big plumbing bill in the future, I don't care what the ads say. ANYTHING that goes down the toilet that doesn't come from a human has the potential to cause a blockage. Good luck and happy flushing! Tom

LOL! Not picked on, just thinking that I may be the cause of all our toilet issues, even though everything is flushing a lot better now. :)

I love you guys too. Feel free to pick any time. At least I'm learning something. :)

speedball1 · Nov 22, 2012, 03:57 PM

At least I'm learning something.

So am I Alty. I learn from theses guys as well. Every day is a learning experience for me. You'd think being "the senior plumbing expert" that means I'm the best plumber, NOT SO! I've been around for so long nobody wants to boot me out. The experts posting on The Plumbing Page are the real brains of this operation and I just add my two cents every once in a while.
And now you know the rest of then story. Tom
PS. Reading your profile about losing your dogs brought a tear to my eye. I lost my Toby eight years ago and I tear up just thinking about him. I believe dogs are in a special group all their own. They say you can't buy love, They're wrong! I paid a rescue 100$ to adopt Toby and got 11 years of love for my money. I lost Toby back in 04 and still mourn the loss, Every retired person living alone should have a dog to love and be loved. Regards. Tom

Alty · Nov 22, 2012, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by speedball1

So am I Alty. I learn from theses guys as well. Every day is a learning experience for me. You'd think being "the senior plumbing expert" that means I'm the best plumber, NOT SO! I've been around for so long nobody wants to boot me out. The experts posting on The Plumbing Page are the real brains of this operation and I just add my two cents every once in a while.
And now you know the rest of then story. Tom

Tom, that's the same for everyone. As the resident bunny expert I have to say that not many of the other pet experts know more than I do about bunnies. It's just not a pet most people specialize in. Most people have dogs or cats. If they have bunnies they usually don't know much about them, other than the fact that they're cute and poo a lot. ;)

But it never ceases to amaze me that no matter how much I learn, or know about these little cotton tails, there's someone that not only knows more than I do, but there's also more to learn.

Never stop learning. Every day is the chance to learn something new, and to help someone that doesn't know the things you do. It just goes to show that everyone has knowledge about something, and listening to those people will only boost your knowledge. There's no such thing as a know it all. :)

speedball1 · Nov 22, 2012, 04:42 PM

Amen!