Toilet Don't Flush FAQs

Toilet do not flush list questions & answers:

This article answers common questions about what's ok to flush or not flush down building drains.

This article series explains what items and chemicals are safe and what items are not safe to flush down the toilet and into a private septic system? What may damage the septic tank or leach fields? This document explains how to extend the life of the septic system by being careful about what goes into it.

Compare "Never Flush" list with "Better not to Flush" toilet list

These questions & answers about what should or should not be flushed down building drains or into toilets and septic systems were posted originally at

TOILETS, DON'T FLUSH LIST - be sure to review the list of items that should not be flushed down drains as given there.

Also see TOILET / SEPTIC NO FLUSH SUMMARY LIST FAQs for our index to all Q&A about what is or is not safe to flush down drains or into a septic tank.

What's the difference between "never flush" and "better not flush" categories of building drain and septic system care warnings?

Why are some of these items "never" and others "better not". I don't understand the distinction?

Also, why did deepesh ask about flushing toys down the toilet? Deepesh, do you really have no other way of disposing of them?

- Randy

Moderator's Reply: Definition of "never flush" and "better not flush" drain dumping and septic system protection categories

Randy: good question. Thanks for asking for this clarification on the difference between NEVER FLUSH and BETTER NOT FLUSH things into a septic tank.

What's in the "Never-Flush-into-Septic" category?

Having researched various expert sources on septic tank and system care as well as having investigated septic system failures, in my OPINION some materials are very harmful and likely to cause costly damage if flushed down drains and into septic tanks and drainfields, while others may also contaminate groundwater, nearby wells, and the environment.

Those items go into the NEVER FLUSH INTO SEPTICS category of things to keep out of drains and septic systems.

What's in the "Better-Not-to-Flush-into-Septic" category?

Other items, like cigarette butts, do not biodegrade in the septic tank, and can possibly contribute mass to a clog or blockage in a drain, but their individual size and anticipated plausible volume of occurrence in a septic tank is so small as unlikely to actually damage the tank. Rather they add non-biodegradable mass that has to be removed when the tank is pumped.

These are a bad idea - they risk remaining in the waste chain, even being spread in sludge on a field somewhere where they still don't biodegrade - but as their probability of causing rapid or expensive damage to the septic system is much less or even nil, I put these into

the BETTER NOT TO FLUSH category.

At TOILETS, DON'T FLUSH LIST our summary page for this topic, and among the links listed at

the ARTICLE INDEX the bottom of this article under that heading, you'll see a series of articles that explain the hazards of dumping or spilling various materials into drains and into septic systems.

Do we need to adjust septic tank pumping for our amount of bathroom use?

Is there a concern that frequent flushing, longer than normal baths, showers, frequency of clothing washer, and dishwasher usage cause increase need to Service / Flush Septic System?

For example, a four bedroom home occupied by two people have pumped out the Septic System Bi annually and sometimes longer spans, for decades.
Household occupancy increased to five adults in the four bedroom home for the last 30 months.

Main Question:
Septic System serviced / pumped out by tanker truck, in last twelve (12) months. Another Sceptic system service provider reported one tank filled to capacity, and sludge / effuse requires immediate pumping service (Friday, June 17, 2016)!
Increased Volume of water usage likely cause of need to shift from biannual pumping to annual service calls?

Other causes possible?
Incomplete pumping service?

Or input into system of chemicals sited?
Your advice on chemicals to avoid, suitable flushable toilet tissue, solids such as small toys and machine (select)chemical discharges from cloth washers, and some dishwasher chemicals may challenge bacterial management, and or aggregate environment pollutants into the soil.
And / Or?

Would excess water usage cause increased frequency flush cycles?

Can increased water usage by 3 adults from two occupants be cause attentuation and shorter need to pump cycles? On 2016-06-14 by JIMMIE C. DE VANE

by (mod) match septic service to wastewater volume?

Let's separate wastewater volume from wastewater solids, Jimmie.

An increase in solid waste, sewage, garbage grinder waste, would mean that a septic tank needs to be cleaned or pumped out more often. Search InspectgApedia for SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE to see details.

An increase in wastewater volume caused by long showers or running toilets would have two different effects from the above:

1. there is a serious risk of flooding the drainfield, preventing proper treatment of discharged effluent in the soil, and leading to a costly septic soakbed replacement. Pumping the septic tank more often will have absoltuely no effect on this problem.

2. there is a possible risk of abnormal levels of agitation of solids in the septic tank due to high wastewater flow volume compared with septic tank volume that could in turn give inadequate settling time to settle out solids and grease.

IF the septic tank baffles are damaged OR if there is significant agitation in a tank that is undersized for the daily wastewater flow, THEN there is increased risk of discharge of small waste particles out of the septic tank and into the absorption system - thus shortening its life by clogging the soil more rapidly than happens normally.

Search InspectApedia for SEPTIC TANK SIZE to read details.
also if you like

Search InspectApedia for SEPTIC TANK EFFLUENT RETENTION TIME to read details about that concern.

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Continue reading  at TOILETS, DON'T FLUSH LIST or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see TOILET / SEPTIC NO FLUSH SUMMARY LIST FAQs index to all Q&A about what is or is not safe to flush down drains or into a septic tank.

Or see these articles

Recommended Articles

• TOILET CLOG REPAIR, UN-BLOCK
• TOILETS, DON'T FLUSH LIST - home
  • NEVER FLUSH INTO SEPTICS
  • BETTER NOT TO FLUSH
  • CHEMICALS & CLEANERS into the SEPTIC TANK?
  • CHEMICALS to KEEP OUT OF SEPTICS
  • CHLORINE IN DRINKING WATER
  • CHLORINE IN SEPTIC WASTEWATER
  • DISHWASHERS vs SEPTICS
  • DRUGS INTO the SEPTIC TANK?
  • GARBAGE GRINDERS vs SEPTICS
  • GARBAGE GRINDERS on SEPTIC or SEWER
  • REVERSE OSMOSIS CONCENTRATE DISPOSAL
  • RV HOLDING TANK DUMP INTO SEPTIC TANK?
  • SEPTIC TREATMENTS & CHEMICALS
  • SEWAGE PUMP DAMAGE & REPAIR
  • TOILET TISSUE CHOICES
  • WASHING MACHINES & SEPTIC SYSTEMS
  • WATER SOFTENER IMPACT on SEPTIC
  • * NO FLUSH SUMMARY LIST
• TOILET CLOG REPAIR, UN-BLOCK

Suggested citation for this web page

TOILET DONT FLUSH FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to SEPTIC TANKS

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