You won’t believe the things your plumber finds

It’s keeping plumbers in work and paying their kids’ school fees, but giving water authorities a headache. You won’t believe the things that have been found down our drains.

De Petro unblocks sewer pipes and drains from foreign objects. Picture: David Caird

We’ve been warned repeatedly, but Victorians are still flushing things they shouldn’t down the loo, and it’s keeping plumbers in work and causing water authorities headaches.

The most common offenders are sanitary items, nappies, cotton buds, oils and food scraps, but some plumbers have made discoveries that they will never forget.

Plumber Jon De Petro said that through his years on the job he has pretty much seen it all.

“I’ve seen wedding rings, undies, tampons,” he said.

“Once I found an adult toy in the drain - the people looked horrified. They thought it would make it all the way out.”

Plumber Jon De Petro has found wedding rings, undies, tampons in peoples blocked toilets. Picture: David Caird

Another plumber, Stuart Taylor, said that kids can often be the culprits behind clogged pipes.

“I had a drain once that kept getting blocked - I put a camera down and had a look, and when I looked at the screen I was shocked to see this big face smiling at me,” he said.

“I put a cable down and pulled it out, it turns out I had been looking at the face of a kids’ toy. It was actually pretty confronting.”

Barwon Water spokeswoman, Anna Murray, said the Geelong authority removed seven tonnes of rubbish from its largest water reclamation plant, Black Rock, every week.

“These blockages are very serious and can lead to raw sewage spilling out into streets or creeks, or even people’s properties,” she said.

“Not only do blockages wreak havoc with Barwon Water’s sewerage systems, residents and businesses are often left with expensive plumbing and repair bills.”

Plumbers says they have made a fortune off people who unwittingly flushing wet wipes. Picture: David Caird

Barwon Water has had to remove shoes, dog toys and even a cricket bat from its system.

Similar to Sydney Water’s educational campaign, “Are You Flushing Kidding Me?”, fronted by Kenny star Shane Jacobson, Barwon Water has launched “Don’t Flush It!”.

Yarra Valley Water has also introduced its own campaign, “Real Flushables”, which focuses around the impact wet wipes have on waterways and people’s wallets.

Plumber Ricky from ProRec Plumbing says that he has made a fortune off people who unwittingly flushing wet wipes, with a standard blockage costing individuals up to $1,000 to fix.

“I’ve made so much money off those wipes, they’re horrid. They are the most common cause of man-made blockages,” he said.

All campaigns are urging people to remember and repeat the mantra of The Three Ps: only pee, poo and toilet paper should be going down your drain.