People are funny – common sense says that things like cell phones should not be flushed down the toilet, but we’ve seen some crazy things go down the drain! We’ve talked a lot about things that shouldn’t go down the garbage disposal – which can be some serious business. As a quick disclosure – if it’s not your normal toilet paper you should probably keep it out of the toilet! As much fun as it might seem to have your toilet overflow and have your favorite plumber pay us a visit – we’d much rather you save your money.
Stories of Alligators in the Sewers
We’ve all heard the urban legends about alligators in the sewers. Croc’s growing abnormally large from lurking around under cities, just waiting for an unsuspecting person to brave adventuring below. While it’s unlikely that you’re going to find an alligator in the sewer it’s actually not unheard of. In 1935, Teddy May (New York City’s Superintendent of Sewers) witnessed a large number of alligators that were living within the pipes that emptied into the trunk lines below major streets. In St. Petersburg, a 9 foot alligator was found in June 2006 and in Huston Texas a 600 pound alligator was found in May of 2006. Obviously these didn’t come from the little guy found above who was flushed down the drain, but it gives you something to think about.
Common Things That Are Accidentally Flushed Down the Toilet
As you can guess, we see quite a few toys flushed down the toilet. Sometimes it’s an accident – sometimes it’s an experiment. Another popular accident is the phone. Some people grab a magazine, other people just keep on texting. After the phone slips the brain might just be on auto pilot and that’s why they continue to flush before they panic and try to get it out. Maybe sometimes they hope that the flush will clean the phone up a bit before they go diving in hopes to pull it out.
Keys and watches are both an easy drop – and unlike your smart phone they are small enough to slip down the hole. Once these go down, you should probably pick up the phone if you don’t think you can get them yourself.
Doing home repairs in the bathroom can cause a few unintended things to fall down the drain. Flashlights, paint brushes, even hammers are likely to have a splash if you’re not careful. While it’s unlikely that you can flush a hammer – you could flush smaller objects like nails. Though they might go down the drain they can also cause serious clogs depending on what they come along.
Cutting hair can leave it’s own mess – and sometimes it’s beyond sweeping the floor. We’ve seen razors, scissors, and of course hair go down the drains. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – don’t flush hair down the drain! It might seem like a quick fix but all that hair is happy to clog up and clump together if there’s anything blocking the way.
We’ve seen and heard it all. Clothing, jewelry, and even miniature liquor bottles. Be careful when you flush!
While we’re serious about you being careful about your flushing habits – if you think something has slipped down your drain, give your local plumber a call. We operate in Oneida, NY and surrounding areas, but you can find a Mr. Rooter plumber in pretty much any area. Call or schedule an appointment online.