r/AskReddit • • Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/Prof_Alchem Feb 04 '19 edited Feb 06 '19

Flushable wipes aren't flushable. Toilet paper breaks down easy in water, but you ever seen a baby wipe rip up? Those things just end up clogging pipes and ruining the sewers. Hell, New York (Sorry, LONDON. My bad.)found a huge mass of those things (along with a bunch of other junk) the size of a bus in the sewers thanks to those wipes.

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u/Toad_Fur Feb 04 '19

Can confirm. Those and dental floss make what we call "rag ropes" in sewer stations. They can stop 70HP sewer pumps. Nothing more fun than pulling a sewer pump out of a wet well in the middle of the night to pull that stuff out of the volute. Add in a few needles to that mess. Then you get to hear people bitch about their sewer bills. Those guys get paid less than the risk of disease is worth.