Flushable Wipes and Your Septic System
Flushable wipes have been readily available for a few years now. They provide a way to get extra clean in the nether regions so that you do not feel uncomfortable after using the bathroom. Flushable wipes claim to be safe for septic systems, but are they really? Here’s our professional take on flushable wipes and your septic system.
Please do not use flushable wipes and flush them down your toilet if your home is on a septic system. It is unfortunate that a well-marketed product does not live up to its hype, but the truth is that flushable wipes are not good for your septic system.
When standard toilet paper comes into contact with water, it immediately begins to pull apart and deteriorate. Toilet paper is designed with a specific “weave” that makes it easily degradable in sewer systems and septic tank systems. Wet wipes, however, are designed to remain moist. They come out of the package wet, and they stay wet when they are put into the toilet. When you flush a flushable wipe down your toilet, you are sending a solid, soggy mass into your septic system.
A septic system relies on bacteria to break down everything that is inside the septic tank. Toilet paper is designed to mostly break down on its own, and healthy bacteria within the septic tank will feed off some of the organic material that the toilet tissue is made with. However, wet wipes contain a mix of fibers, including cotton and rayon, as well as plastic resins. Bacteria cannot break down most un-organic materials; thus, the wipes that are flushed down your toilet will remain in your tank.
When flushable wipes are used and flushed into your septic tank, they will begin to gather together and form a mass of waste. This mass will add to the solid sludge layer at the bottom of your septic tank. Because it will not dissolve, your tank will need to be pumped out more often to avoid major issues. Septic tank pumping is the biggest recurring expense of maintaining a septic system. Therefore, if you are continually adding to the solid waste within your septic tank, you will be spending much more money to have your septic tank pumped.
At Septic Service Pro, our expertise is septic systems. We encourage you to use toilet paper only with your septic tank. If you need a routine inspection, septic tank pumping, or drain field repair, we are ready to assist you. Call today.
Posted on behalf of Septic Service Pro
