It could be if you’re disposing of medication by flushing it down the toilet. The same is true of sharps (syringes and needles). You could also be passing it on to someone else.
Both are considered to be hazardous waste and sending them through the wastewater system means they won’t receive the necessary treatment to mitigate any impact on the environment and water quality.
It’s best to drop off unused medications and sharps at your local hazardous waste depot. There is no charge for residents to take their hazardous waste to the landfill or environmental centre.
Hazardous waste includes any substance that’s flammable, corrosive, toxic or poisonous, or explosive.
Beyond hazardous waste, there are more ways to abuse your plumbing. Plumbers find all kinds of things stuck in the drains, ranging from needles to car keys and even false teeth. The toilet is one of the most frequently used disposal receptacles whether it’s on purpose or accidental. Unfortunately the adage ‘out of sight; out of mind’ has a way of showing up again in a clogged drain.
Children may drop a toy in the toilet. Dogs can lose toys in a toilet too. The occasional cell phone has also landed in the toilet.
Sinks are not immune to items inadvertently going down the drain and being washed away with running tap water. If the sink stopper isn’t firmly closed, many items ranging from hair accessories, elastics, clips, and jewelry can be accidentally dropped. It doesn’t take much water to send it down the drain. While it is easier to retrieve if it hasn’t progressed past the trap, sometimes it’s still possible even if it travels further down the drain. Call Plumbtech Plumbing for more information.
Clogs can result from a cocktail mix of stir sticks and straws and everyday ingredients. Hair, toothpaste, and soap can collect and over time form a ball of gunk which will eventually clog the sink or shower drain.
Many think dental floss is an acceptable item to flush but it will eventually collect and clog in the drain too.
Other items that can clog drains range from antiseptic wet wipes to coffee grounds, kitchen fats, and tree roots that can grow into the pipe in search of water.
All drains lead to the main drain which extends outside the house to join the municipal sewer system, or a septic system if you live in the country.
Whatever the cause, the clog will need to come out and the pipe cleared of debris so that things can flow smoothly again.
Plumbtech Plumbing has a variety of tools to identify the location of the clog and unplug it. They have a variety of sizes of drain ‘snakes’ or augers that can either break up the plug or pull it out.
Once the drain is cleared, a mini camera and light are funneled down your drain. The camera transmits an image of the inside of the pipes to a monitor.
A camera won’t be able to ‘see’ until the drain is cleared and there is no water in it. As a result, a plumbing ‘snake’ is put through the drain first, if needed.
The process of snaking the drain pipe could clear the blockage at the same time but it won’t tell you why it became blocked or where it is located. Unless all these factors are known and the cause is corrected, the blockage will likely reoccur.
