Can flushable wipes clog my septic system if in-laws keep using them?

ShinyDusty

Alright fellas, the in‑laws with our septic have been here about a year. I discovered they’re using Cottonelle flushable wipes. We rely on a septic system. I already had the tank pumped last year. Now they say the toilet won’t flush. What do I do? They won’t admit the wipes are the clog.

daktragey

Get a plumber in to do an assessment...

In writing... Yes, it might cost you a few hundred dollars...

The PLUMBER will easily identify the cause...

They can't deny it then 😉

Chilli

Yep. Get a plumber. They're not taking your word. Explain the situation and have him state it plainly.

Better yet, ask him to set aside evidence that these flushable wipes don’t decompose.

Frostbyte90

I’ve decided to stop using wipes and switch to a bidet seat. I’ve found that a cheap model just $30‑40 can be bought at Walmart or on Amazon. As a master plumber with a septic license, I feel confident in this choice. My own house, which I built a few years ago, runs on septic, and I’ve already installed bidet seats on my toilets. It feels like an easy solution.

Jedixuino

“Flushable” label ≠ septic‑safe.
It will flush, but won’t break down in the septic.
Check other pipes (sink, shower) in that bathroom first.
The blockage may be in the toilet line or stuck inside the toilet.

fluxxcore

Find a plumber who can run a camera down the line and locate the clog. Identify the clog first; it’s often smarter than merely snaking the line. A broken pipe could exist, and you must avoid worsening it with a snake. The camera pinpoints the clog. First, pull the non‑flushing toilet and inspect it. Use a toilet auger to confirm the clog isn’t limited to the toilet.

cajogosworth

Tell them that if they want wipes, they must pay to have the tank pumped.

VelcroViking

Just tell them they can’t use the wipes. Your house, your rules. Doesn’t matter what they think. 🤷🏻

SkatePaddle

Plumber/drain tech here. Wipes are the devil in sewer systems 😅

DarkSideLASSO

DON’T FLUSH WIPES! Even if they say flushable, they still hang up in pipes and clog the inlet on septic tanks. Depending no whether it’s a baffled tank, they might make their way to your filter and clog it, also preventing drainage into the drain fields. The average cost for us to pump is $275, but I’d had them split payment and have a plumber run a jet snake through the pipes to be SURE to get it all.

son1knight75

The wipes are absolutely brutal for your septic system.

swampdoppeledrad

Get a plumber out and give them the bill

Kurokaze7

Aargh. Those wipes dont decompose. I think you need to use rid x, but that takes up to a year to dissolve the wipes; meamwhile the ridx fvks up the system in other ways (like destroys the good bacteria in tank). Smh, but this is an issue when you allow other ADULTS to live with you. Alot of times your rules will not be followed and you get screwed.

Stellafire9

Yo, I'm digging the Roebic gear would love to hear the septic crew’s take on their stuff.

SnekPlissken94

No wipes are flushable every plumber, septic and city‑water professional will tell you that.

Get someone out there to unclog the toilet, check the tank, and then have them pay for the repairs.

Your home, your rules, though I know how that can be with in‑laws.

ImperialBost77

Pump it up, record it, drop the proof, and hand over the bill. Flushable wipes? Nah, they ain’t really flushable especially in a septic. Once they stack up oils and debris they stop breaking down and just bulk up.

GalacticRamp

Get the plumber to tell you and them thats its completely the wipes nothing else

VikTravelBug

I had it pumped by a reputable company. I’d tell them what’s been going on so they can try to suck out all the wipes. Those wipes will plug up and ruin your leech bed or the distribution box.

Lostfound

I can’t shake the feeling that the inlet or outlet pipe in the tank is probably clogged. And if it’s an older tank without a filter before the water leaves, letting wipes slip into the leach field, then I’m basically done for. I’ve lived with a septic system for 12 years, and I know this from experience previous owners flushed wipes at my house, and my already‑old system began to fail.