Comments on: Unclog A Toilet With Dishwasher Detergent http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/09/unclog-a-toilet-with-dishwasher-detergent/ tips and downloads to help you at work and play Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:28:59 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: krzystoff http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/09/unclog-a-toilet-with-dishwasher-detergent/comment-page-1/#comment-14183 krzystoff Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:28:57 +0000 http://www.lifehacker.com.au/?p=341802#comment-14183 I lived in the USA for a while -- my family found that every where you go, the toilets would block, it is so common a problem that most people we visited would tell us to put soiled toilet tissue in a waste basket, not in the toilet -- imagine the hygiene and vermin problems! the size of domestic sewer pipes used in the US varies from as little 3" (70mm) up to 6" (140mm) for multiunit developments, with 8-10" used in public pipes. in Australia and most of Europe 4-6" pipes are the norm in homes. the restricted size of American sewers is compounded by the large volume of water -- dual-flush / low-flow cisterns are still pretty uncommon; added to that is high water level in the bowl (it seems almost a half-bidet for the uninitiated) -- so there is a lot of water that has to be moved along with your crap down a narrow pipe, tiny pieces of paper are evidently too much for them. I lived in the USA for a while — my family found that every where you go, the toilets would block, it is so common a problem that most people we visited would tell us to put soiled toilet tissue in a waste basket, not in the toilet — imagine the hygiene and vermin problems!

the size of domestic sewer pipes used in the US varies from as little 3″ (70mm) up to 6″ (140mm) for multiunit developments, with 8-10″ used in public pipes.
in Australia and most of Europe 4-6″ pipes are the norm in homes.

the restricted size of American sewers is compounded by the large volume of water — dual-flush / low-flow cisterns are still pretty uncommon; added to that is high water level in the bowl (it seems almost a half-bidet for the uninitiated) — so there is a lot of water that has to be moved along with your crap down a narrow pipe, tiny pieces of paper are evidently too much for them.

]]> By: Adam http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/09/unclog-a-toilet-with-dishwasher-detergent/comment-page-1/#comment-14162 Adam Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:28:58 +0000 http://www.lifehacker.com.au/?p=341802#comment-14162 I have only ever had 1 actual blockage (where the water level would not go down) but this was because i decided to mop up some spilt water in the bathroom with toiler paper and then try and flush far too much of it away at once.. so i just went outside, unscrewed the cap on the pipe, made a hook from an old clothes hanger and then pulled the paper through. worked great. and yes, this was in australia. I have only ever had 1 actual blockage (where the water level would not go down) but this was because i decided to mop up some spilt water in the bathroom with toiler paper and then try and flush far too much of it away at once.. so i just went outside, unscrewed the cap on the pipe, made a hook from an old clothes hanger and then pulled the paper through. worked great. and yes, this was in australia.

]]> By: Tim http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/09/unclog-a-toilet-with-dishwasher-detergent/comment-page-1/#comment-14155 Tim Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:40:53 +0000 http://www.lifehacker.com.au/?p=341802#comment-14155 I have never experienced a blocked toilet in Australia, it is only in the USA with their stupid inefficient, water wasting and still ineffective flushing system that i manage to clog it once to twice a month. I have never experienced a blocked toilet in Australia, it is only in the USA with their stupid inefficient, water wasting and still ineffective flushing system that i manage to clog it once to twice a month.

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