Sometimes, flushing something down the toilet can seem like the magical solution, I mean why not, right? Well … a number of reasons. But mainly because the toilet, or the drain isn’t designed for certain kinds of objects to pass through, just waste and water. Unfortunately, people persist to throw things down the drain that they shouldn’t and then the plumber discovers it, so it got us wondering what the weirdest things, that have “just fallen” down some pipes and we found them! So here are 5 things that surprised plumbers when they found what was causing the blockage.

1. A mobile phone

Not exactly the type of thing you’d willingly throw away right? Unfortunately, we believe this was no accident, the phone was likely already broken and they couldn’t be bothered to recycle it, or trade it in. We still don’t know what was going through this guy’s mind… surely even the bin would’ve been a better option?

2. A Fish

Whilst a Fish naturally lives in water, this isn’t a good idea. A lot of people have been told over the years to flush goldy when he unfortunately passes away and that is absolutely fine… if you have a tiny goldfish and not a huge Koi Karp from your garden pond.

3. Silicone

We don’t know why someone would flush silicone caulk down a urinal. Maybe it was the last plumber (DIYer) who was here, trying to get rid of waste? Honestly, we’re stuck, because every professional plumber knows that it acts as a basic sealant against water and air penetration, meaning it will fill the shape of wherever you put it in… That is one for the plumbing nightmares.

4. Toys

It’s okay, this one isn’t as silly because kids will be kids and they just can drop things… unfortunately the kid in question here had a toy dinosaur made of foam that expanded in the water found in the tubes under the toilet. This caused a massive blockage and when the plumber retrieved the toy it was around twice the size as it was originally.

5. Hygiene products

Okay, real talk time ladies and gentlemen… We all use certain products that need disposing of in a sanitary manner; cleaning sponges, packaging’s, toothbrushes disposable razors, let’s leave it there shall we? Well, all of these things can be disposed of in other ways and should NOT be flushed down the down the drain. The worst culprits are wet wipes! These are often not bio degradable, so they won’t break down in water (or at all in many cases) and have been known to cause incredible blockages that can wipe out sewage systems for entire streets.

So there we have it, a list of the five weirdest things that you plumbers have found down the drain. Here at McAlpine we make products that deal with everything from the waste down. So, get out your handy catalogue from the glovebox and give it a quick scan over. You can request a digital or paperback copy here.