Wet Wipe Monster

Wet wipes are now equally on power with FOG in the creation of massive FATBERGS across the country.

Fat, Oil and Grease is no doubt the main the culprit in the creation of Fatbergs, however, all this FOG is held solid together with wet wipes that have been flushed down the toilet.

A wet wipe monster was found in Newtownabbey Northern Ireland in September this year.  This sewer monster was made entirely from wet wipes and was so heavy it had to be winched from the pipe it was blocking.  The mass of wipes discovered ‘weighed a massive 150kg’, said Northern Ireland Water.

Engineers found six blockages in the same sewer pipe when they found what the company called the “wet wipe monster”.  Northern Ireland Water is reminding people not to flush wet wipes and other larger items down the toilet.

Gavin McCready, wastewater manager for Belfast, said: “People are under the impression the wet wipes are ok to flush, whether it’s facial, baby or toilet. “The fact is they are not – even if they say flush-able.  “Unlike toilet paper, these wipes hold a certain amount of water and do not break down quick enough to avoid causing a blockage.”

In September, a giant fatberg – made of wet wipes, nappies and hardened cooking fat, and weighing more than 10 double-decker buses – was found in a Victorian sewer under London’s Whitechapel Road.

Grease Guardian along with NI Water and all water and government agencies have the same message on this matter:  “Don’t dump that FOG down your sink”.  FOG combines into solids in your plumbing system and downstream in the public sewer or septic system. Primary problems include: partial or total flow blockage, contamination of downstream water resources, repair costs, snapped sewer pipes and increases in sewer bill price due to an increase in operation and maintenance cost for the municipal sewer company.

Contact Grease Guardian today for more information on how to protect your drains.

You can view our range of Grease removal systems HERE

Supplying grease traps and wastewater equipment for 40 years