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@BandDmommy: ditto.
I realized I forgot to add in last night that I don't think you should be fully responsible. I don't think it would be unreasonable to split the costs (not 50/50!). As a landlord, I'd be irritated, but it doesn't sound like you caused these issues, and I'd more want to retain good, stable tenants.
That said, I'm totally adding a clause about this into our lease for next time. I like to have everything spelled out, and I'm pretty sure this is one situation I had not thought of!
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How big of a bill is it? Could you offer to split it? Say something like " we weren't informed the plumbing couldn't handle even flushable tampons. Would you be willing to accept x% as payment and amend our lease moving forward?"
In my experience, a bad landlord will just take it out of your deposit anyway. Most of my former landlords have used any excuse to screw me out of returning my deposit. (Like, "fingerprints on the cabinet" was their reason.) So if you want to see that money again, I would try to move forward amicably.
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Well you learn something new everyday. I thought most people flush their tampons. I do. I only don't if there is a sign specifically saying not to. But now I'm going to think twice! We live in a newer home but it's in the county with its own septic tank. I don't want to be responsible for damaging anything!
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This is kind of crazy to me. I've never flushed a tampon in my life. I was always under the impression that you weren't supposed to....I guess I assumed every one threw them away!
Anywho, I'm thinking you could win in small claims court, especially if they didn't tell you you couldn't.
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@Mamasig: actually it's a big no no if you have a septic tank.
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This is cracking me up! I grew up in a old house with a sceptic tank, so I've never ever flushed a tampon. But I know about the debate!! I worked in a women's jail with older plumbing and there were frequent, frequent plumbing issues, usually due to all the flushing of tampons!
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@Happygal: I think that's good advice. My sister is in property management, and when I had a conflict with my landlords last year, she emphasized over and over not to throw around the fact that I was an attorney because it only escalated any tension, and everyone has an uncle/friend/parent who is an attorney in those situations.
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@jedeve: we don't actually know what the bill is because the property manager merely texted me that we are responsible and to call the plumber. The plumber didn't call me back.
To be clear, I wrote the letter because the property manager is apparently out of town. He didn't bother to call me with the news that we are responsible for the bill nor did the landlord have the decency to call me. I don't have the landlords number even though I've asked for it. I don't feel like they are being respectful of fair, hence the letter. Of course it wasn't a jerky letter but it very clearly set forth my position and that I wished someone would call me.
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@Happygal: oops I tried to tag you in the prior post because you mentioned that I shouldn't have sent a letter.
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@winniebee: So I'm not a landlord, but my inlaws are. Tampons, wipes (including 'flushable' ones, paper towels, most stuff really, shouldn't be flushed down toilets. I can't tell you how much this has cost them because of tenants doing such things. Horrible messes and lots of money. BUT, they have learned to include this information in their leases to protect themselves. Between your old home and the absence of plumping coverage in your lease, I think they would have a problem winning a case against you.
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I always flush tampons. Never had an issue. Hmmm... Never heard anyone say otherwise before this thread.
In Central American countries with poor sewage systems they don't flush even toilet paper. Throwing away gross tampons and poopie toilet paper.... Ugh. -
@travellingbee: how would you dispose of a sanitary pad? What's different between that and tampon? Both are used?
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Hmmm. I flushed tampons until I was in high school and it clogged the toilet at a friend's house
then I learned it's VERY common for tampons to cause massive issues in older homes. So never did again. As others have said, baby wipes are definitely not flushable, and I've also heard of regular old toilet paper causing problems if you use too much.That being said - I wouldn't be surprised if they asked you to pitch in BUT since it was never in the lease, you probably aren't legally required to pay. I'd def as a lawyer!
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@travellingbee: Haha yes - I lived in south america for a year and never once put a shred of toilet paper down the toilet! That makes you learn quick how fickle pipes can be!
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As far as the sewer line work going on in front of your house, it's very unlikely that it had anything to do with your sewer service clogging. You could call your local public works/water department, whoever manages your sewer bill, and ask them about it just in case. I've managed water and sewer line replacements/repairs for 5+ years in a medium sized city and have never had a clogging issue caused by my contractors and don't know how it could happen, but I've also learned anything is possible.
Literally nothing but toilet paper is flushable. A company has to meet no qualifications/there is no kind of oversight for a product to use the term "flushable" like there is for organic, gluten-free, etc. In the context of flushable wipes it means they will likely fit down your toilet pipes, but they are 100% definitely settling somewhere and causing a problem in either your sewer service line or farther down the main sewer line, wherever they end up. There are no wet wipes that are suitable for your sewage pipes.
Tampons shouldn't be flushed either, but if they've cleared your pipes, they generally make it all the way to the sewage plants (ask me how I know) and cause fewer problems in the system than "flushable" wipes.
The only thing that is really terrible to put down your garbage disposal is grease, because that's definitely sticking to whatever you already have building up in your sewer line and also causing whatever passes afterwards to stick, causing big gross clogs.
Source: sewer pipe/treatment plant engineer
I hope you and your landlord can come to an agreement, because even after explaining all that, I feel like it is the property owner's responsibility to keep sewer lines clear and you didn't do anything I would consider out of the ordinary.
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Yep, happened to us twice in two weeks, but luckily the backup wasn't too bad. Tampons were blamed and I switched to a diva cup.
But, we found out a few years later that the sewer line needed $9k worth of repairs. Did the plumber do a sewer scope?
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@BandDmommy: I don't wear them for that reason. Yuck!
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@travellingbee: personally I'd rather deal with yucky then $$$ in plumbing bills.
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@kick641: thanks for the info! good to know!
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Call me clueless but I've always flushed tampons. I guess I have to be very grateful for my parents' pipes....there were 4 menstruating woman in that house for years...all flushing tampons and we never had a problem!
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I have always flushed tampons. If tampons aren't flushed, where are the "used" ones being put? If you throw them away in the little trash next to the toilet, doesn't a stench arise pretty darn fast?
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: When your friends ask you for a little bag to put their used tampons in, what kind of bag do you give them and what do they do with the bag until the time they leave your house?
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: You've had more than one guest ask for a bag to put their used feminine products in? That is so bizarre to me. I've never heard of anyone doing that ever. I've never thought twice about wrapping feminine products in toilet paper/the wrapper and throwing them away when I'm at someone else's house...I mean, it's a part of life, and if another woman lives there, I assume they're used to it and trash gets emptied. The only situation I can possibly think of is if someone tells me not to throw that type of thing away because their dog gets into the garbage. I am not wanting to keep a little baggie of my used products to cart home with me!
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@kick641: what about coffee grounds down the disposal? I thought this was fine b/c my family does this, but it caused a problem in one of the rentals I lived in awhile back.
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@kick641: Glad to see we have a resident expert to chime in!
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This is tough. It's pretty much common sense that you shouldn't be flushing tampons or wipes.. that is sure to cause a nasty clog. And lesser known is that garbage disposals are only for small leftover pieces of food, not for disposing of leftovers - otherwise they also cause major clogs/backups. You don't need an overflowing toilet to cause a sewage backup into a house, the pipes could be clogged far into the line from prior abuse. There might be nothing he can do legally if it wasn't in your lease.. but hopefully he has some recourse if you (or any tenant) continues to flush these items. It doesn't take a lot to cause a backup - and older pipes make the problem worse. I just look at it from his perspective.. if I were a landlord and my tenant was flushing these things and causing backups I would hope that I could be protected somehow!
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Sorry you are dealing with that mess! I lived in an in-law apartment in an older home after college and my landlady accused me of causing all kinds of problems with the plumbing by flushing tampons when I had only lived there a couple weeks and never even had a period the entire time. So frustrating and embarrassing because who really wants to discuss period habits with their landlord! Hope you get it straightened out soon.
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I've been using tampons for 10 years and have flushed every. Single. One of them down the toilet. It never occurred to me not to. The directions do not say to NOT flush them. I even went back to look at my tampon boxes today to see what they said. They are all clear NOT to flush the plastic part of course, but nothing about the actual used tampon. Closest I come to "don't do it" is Up and Up saying frequent flushing isn't recommended.
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Oh man I am sorry you are dealing with this.
I have always flushed tampons as well, but I used them along with pads so the # of them flushed down is way less for me.
It is NOT your fault if A) tampon companies TELL you to flush and B) they didn't specify in their lease.
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Attention everyone; You should also not put your entire Thanksgiving turkey carcass down the garbage disposal either. My husband's aunt found that out the hard way. "But no one ever told me not to do it!" she said. I swear.
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@T.H.O.U.: Aha sorry I went off on a tangent. I don't get to talk about my job in polite company very often.
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@kick641: I appreciated learning from your post!
@dagret: lol lol! Omg.
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@dagret: lol. Ok I would argue that is common sense?
A few tampons though.....people saying it's common sense to not flush. Yet 50% of the women on this thread say the flush them....I think it establishes it's not common sense.
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@winniebee: you would think...
I think the 50% number is kind of high, and probably reflects the mostly urban/suburban population on HB. Ask anyone who grew up with a septic tank (rural), or anyone who knows a plumber, and they'll have never flushed anything but TP.
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@kick641: I actually found it really interesting!
@dagret: Ok, I legit LOL'ed at that. The noise must have been horrid! -
edit
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@winniebee: I always thought I was being "good" by not flushing the applicator! So, you are not alone.
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@JoJoGirl: right... For Septic!! Doesn't say anything about non septic systems.
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@sunny: Oh right. Editing.
Although I still think frequent flushing is bad, end of sentence.
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Ok, here is what my tampax pearl says
then I learned it's VERY common for tampons to cause massive issues in older homes. So never did again. As others have said, baby wipes are definitely not flushable, and I've also heard of regular old toilet paper causing problems if you use too much.
Although I still think frequent flushing is bad, end of sentence.
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