Have you heard about flushable wipes? They have been readily available for a few years and they allow you to get cleaner, so you don’t feel uncomfortable after you use the rest room. But while flushable wipes might be okay for certain systems, they can cause septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA to be necessary a lot faster if you have a septic system. Here’s a professional take on these products from people who know what septic systems can handle.
Do Not Flush Flushable Wipes
IF you have a septic system, it’s not a good idea to flush flushable wipes down the drain. It sounds like you should be able to, given their name, but the good marketing of the product does not mean that they are a good idea for everyone. Regular toilet paper, when it comes into contact with water, will immediately start to deteriorate and pull apart. The weave in that kind of paper makes it break down in sewers are well as in the septic tank. Wet wipes, on the other hand, stay wet and together. You are sending a solid substance into the septic system when you flush a wipe of this nature.
Septic systems rely on bacteria to break down the things that go into the tank. Toilet paper is able to break down all on its own, so the bacteria is not as needed for that substance. Wet wipes, however, have a mix of different fibers, some of which aren’t organic. The bacteria can’t break it down. Any wipes that go into the tank, stay there. That can fill the tank up a lot faster than you want, causing you to need pumping sooner than you should.
Flushable wipes can gather together and form a clump in the pipes or, if they make it to the tank, they can form a mass there. That mass can cause backups in your pipes or a sludge layer in the bottom of the tank. It won’t dissolve and the tank will have to be pumped out a lot more often, especially if you are using them regularly. You’re adding to the solid waste in your tank every time you use a wipe and flush it.
If you really appreciate the effects of the flushable wipes, by all means, use them. But dispose of them in a trash can instead of flushing them down the toilet and to your septic tank, no matter what the packages say.
No one wants to have to have septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA done more often than absolutely necessary. The professionals at American Sanitation Inc can give you more tips on what you should and shouldn’t do with your septic system to keep things in good shape so you can space the pumping sessions out as far as possible. Give us a call any time you have questions or if you need maintenance or repairs. We’re here to help you with any issues that arise over the years you own your home with a septic system.