Coronavirus: toilet paper panic sees a new problem surface

The panic buying of toilet paper has seen a new problem surface — and plumbers aren’t happy.

21-year-old fourth year apprentice plumber (journeyman) Tom Jacobsen and 23-year-old tradesmen Jack Brooks dig up pipes to fix a water leak in Cammeray, Sydney. Picture: Joseph Lam

As panic buying continues to empty shelves across the country, the nation’s plumbers have found themselves in murky waters, battling blockages from non-flushable alternatives.

“Wet wipes are a massive concern,” says 23-year-old plumber Jack Brooks. “Even though they say they’re flushable, they still cause massive dramas.”

While fixing a water leak at an apartment block in Cammeray with his apprentice Tom Jacobsen, 21, on Monday, he expressed his concern for recent blockages surrounding panic buying.

“The main issue is when you get things like paper towels, they don’t break down as easy, it’s not designed to. Especially wet wipes,[which] don’t break down at all,” he told The Australian.

The pair, employed by 2014 Bachelor contestant Dave Billsborrow, who runs Billwick plumbing, say they have long had issues with sanitary items such as tampons and pads. However, the recent toilet paper rush appears to have driven those not lucky enough to secure enough loo roll to use some problematic alternatives.

The Sydney-based plumbing group is finding a number of substitutes for toilet paper have blocked drains in recent weeks. Old rags, cut up tea towels, wet wipes and paper towels are among the items the plumbers are finding in drains. “Things like that, just should never really be going down [there],” Mr Brooks said.

And the result is proving much more expensive than a bulk pack of premium three ply.

“Clearing those issues, especially wet wipes, can take two hours, especially if it’s really jammed in there which is never really cheap,” Mr Brooks said..

The rise in blocked drains has the young plumbers working longer than usual to keep the city flush.

“Everyone’s having time off work and we’re working later.

“Last week we finished every day at 6pm”

“It’s just added with all of our jobs plus all these emergency call out jobs.

“The important thing is don’t put wet wipes down, don’t put paper towels down and definitely don’t put rags or any tea towels down if you can avoid it.

“If it does come to an emergency, you’re probably better off going into the shower and cleaning off in there.”

Mr Jacobsen said: “A lot of these selfish people are overbuying which then causes these problems in the end.”