Since many families are practicing social distancing right now, our bathrooms at home are getting lots and lots of use. While finding rolls of toilet paper when you’re out shopping has been a bit of a challenge, the amount of toilet paper people use has definitely not decreased.
In fact, some of you may be using just a little bit too much toilet paper when you’re sitting on that porcelain throne and that can sometimes cause a problem.
Since Trinity Plumbing has been receiving quite a few calls lately about toilet issues, we want to discuss today what happens when you flush too much toilet paper down the drain and how you can prevent this from becoming an issue.
What is Toilet Paper Made from and Why It Can Cause Problems?
Obviously, toilet paper is made from, you guessed it – paper, but what we are really talking about here is that it is made from the wood from trees and occasionally hemp plants. In most cases, it is made from “virgin” paper, which is created by using a combination of hardwood and softwood. The wood is mixed with water, chemicals to remove the fiber, and a bleach like chlorine dioxide. But we digress…
The point is that it’s made from a soft type of paper that is made in such a way that it will easily break apart and dissolve once it is in water.
Or rather, that is what it is meant to do. When too much of it ends up in a small space all at the same time, however, it can’t break down the way it should and it forms a gummy clog. This is bad enough, but then when more toilet paper, waste and other items meet up with the gummy clog, it just becomes worse and worse until it finally causes a backup and your toilet will no longer flush.
How to Stop Clogs from Happening
The easiest answer is to simply tell you to use less toilet paper, or if you do need to use more than usual do what you need to do, then flush before you use more. If you’ve been doing that though and still having problems, take a look at the type of toilet paper you’ve been using.
You may prefer the ultra-plush toilet paper that is super soft and strong, but when you get a toilet paper that is too thick, it sometimes doesn’t dissolve very well and even smaller amounts of a thick toilet paper can get stuck in the pipes and cause a clog.
If you run out of toilet paper, DO not flush paper towels down the toilet. Throw paper towels in the trash.
Do You Have a Toilet that Won’t Flush?
We hope your problem is just a simple clog, but if you haven’t been able to solve the problem, you may have something else going on with your toilet. Contact Trinity Plumbing to unclog your drains.
