Most Common Sewer Myths Debunked

Ahh, the sewers. Common breeding ground for all sorts of myths and urban legends. As most people don’t tend to venture down into them, it’s easy to see why this sort of thing may occur.

On the other hand, there are certainly myths which need to be debunked, some much more mundane than you might think.

Here are four common myths associated with the sewer which you should not believe.

1. You Can Flush Hand Wipes

FALSE!

Never, ever flush hand wipes down the loo. Unlike toilet paper, they do not disintegrate and can cause seriously blockages.

This goes for anything that says on the packaging that it’s “flushable”. The only thing you can put down it is toilet paper, really.

2. The Sewer System Can Surge During Halftime

FALSE!

You may or may not have seen the loveable DreamWorks Studios animated film, Flushed Away, in which a rat version of London is almost destroyed by a tsunami of flushing toilets (spoilers!).

The cause of this flood is, supposedly, the sheer amount of people going to the toilet during half time of the FIFA World Cup final. Could such a thing happen?

Short answer: no. Systems are in place to prevent such things from occurring so it’s a complete myth.

3. The Sewerage Drain is Separate from Other House Drains

FALSE!

Your sink, washing machine, dishwasher, shower, and bathtub are all connected to the same sewer system. No exceptions.

It would be a massive inconvenience for plumbers everywhere that such a thing would be true. Make of this information what you will.

4. The Sewers Smell Awful

FALSE!

If you were to go down to the sewers, you’d expect such a place to smell horrendous. Actually, sewers don’t smell too bad.

At worst, all you will get is a damp, earthy smell that you might associate with being in an underground cave but nothing too unpleasant.

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