Posted on 10/17/2018 6:33:25 PM PDT by RightGeek
AMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) - Workers at the Charleston Water System Plum Island Facility had their hands full over the weekend when the system was clogged by a massive amount of wipes.
"It took a few days for us to get divers in here to actually dive down about 80 feet into raw sewage with their bare hands and feel around in total darkness," said Mike Saia, Communications Manager, Charleston Water System.
Those divers found mounds and mounds of flushed wipes. They clogged the system and caused a huge backup. While the system is clear now, there are still wipes around the facility from the overflow.
"They might do a lot of damage inside your home to your plumbing. They definitely do a lot of damage when they make their way through our infrastructure," said Saia.
When a wipe disappears down a toilet, so does your money. Maintenance is tied into your water rate and it costs a lot to clean messes like this.
One of the divers says going down into the wells is a big task.
"When you get down to the bottom, you can't see anything, everything is done by feel," said diver John Lares.
It's a lot of trouble that can be prevented by just throwing your wipes away.
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(Excerpt) Read more at counton2.com ...
Bad system design. Blamed on customers. Typical.
They normally have to be pumped every four to seven years.
However if you do not flush wipes, feminine hygiene products or grease you can go over eleven years and your tank will be ok.
That is what the people who owned the house before us did.
We had the system pumped and the guy said that if they had just used the monthly enzymes treatment it would not have been necessary to pump it even then.
If you use one of those ‘flushable’ wipes, and then try to tear it apart, it is nigh on to impossible. If they dry out inadvertently, they are tough like thick cardboard.
‘Fatberg’ the size of a bus clogs London sewer - video
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2013/aug/06/fatberg-clogs-london-sewer-cctv-video
Sewage treatment plants are not generally known as water works. I hope this is a reporting error.
LOLOL. I guess on the bright side, there’s only one of Huma’s jobs available. Poor woman gets it from Hubby and her, um, “employer.”
The systems were designed LONG before 1.6 gallon per flush toilets were invented (not enough to flush junk down the slightly inclined waste pipes) or before wipes were invented. Hardly a system design problem - the requirements changed.
“Sewer Diver Trainee”
Some of the wipes claim to be flushable, but a plumber told me he is getting rich off of that fairy tale.
According to a friend with a plumbing business the ones that are supposed to be OK to flush are making him rich.
Just keep a sanitary lined trash receptacle near every toilet.
Most embarrassing moment: when your plumber comes back into your house from the outside sewer pipe carrying a gloveful of your tampons, saying “Your problem is all these White Mice you’ve been flushing...”.
I suspect the use of non-flushable wipes are growing in popularity.
They use what are called DRY SUITS, you are completely enclosed by the suit.
When the guy says they used their “bare hands to feel around” that was hyperbole, a dry suit encloses you completely, when you get out of the sh!t you are washed down just like when you get a HAZMAT washdown.
We also have another one;
It may be sh!t to you, but it’s my bread and butter.
Dry suit work pays extremely well.
Right — sewer diver, unpaid intern, 3rd shift
A couple of weeks ago, I had to clear my 4” drain line. Tried using both cleanouts with snake and waternozzle. Ended up having to dig it up (10 ft section between cleanouts). I am fortunate to have sandy soil here.
The stoppage happens before the waste water enters the treatment plant.
Usually at the confluence of several main or intermediate lines.
Usually in an area with older lines that has been built up with apartments, condos, or restaurants.
I can understand why people want to use these wipes, they’re definitely more sanitary than dry toilet paper. But they really are not flushable, as the plumber informed me after members of my household managed to clog the sewer line from my house with them. The solution I found was an electric toilet bidet, as is commonly used in Japan - doesn’t cost much to buy or install, sprays water after you use the toilet and then uses warm air to dry you off, and leaves you a lot cleaner than toilet paper ever has or will.
YUP; minimum charge for clearing a stoppage is at least 100 bucks, the more time spent and tools used, the cost just goes up.
Bought 4 pieces of property and two homes, put two kids through college and retired well off other peoples crap.
New Construction and Repair plumbing, most of the money comes from repair.
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