Plumber brother-in-law of mine told me that the only thing accomplished by building codes requiring low flow toilets: Turds that fight back.

Seems like shower/bath water would flush out the sewers despite the low flow toilets. Did they close all the bathhouses? Don’t San Fran hippies ever bathe?

Carrying particulates through pipes set at minimal slopes (that’s to maximize the use of elevation head while minimizing the long-term possibility of erosion inside the pipe) requires a certain amount of water. The systems designed and built years ago (decades ago in most cities) were intended to carry much greater amounts of fluid and particulates than “environmentally conscious” fixtures now generate. The result, unfortunately, is that the particulates fall out of suspension before they reach their intended destination.

Just when the greenies think they’ve done something wonderful for the environment they show everybody that they were good for nothing more than a foul-smelling screw-up.

An the bleach sitting in the system won’t be good for the pipe, either.

Oh, and if the stink hangs around I’m betting the hot dogs at the ballpark just won’t taste the same again.

Why don’t they do what everyone else afflicted with low-flow toilets does? Flush twice. Or maybe thrice.

Yes, Katharine, that’s what I do – flush many times. I’m pretty sure I use more water in the end.

Idiots.

…and 8,500,000 lbs. of bleach going into the bay each year is a good thing?

More environmental Nirvana brought to you by your ever-vigilant Enviro-Nannies!

Can we say “Civil Engineering 101,” boys & girls???

Yeah, really, WTF. At my house we have a septic system. I put beneficial bacteria into it to improve the breakdown of the waste. SF would be far better to put 8.5 million gallons of that stuff down the pipes. It would assist their strained treatment systems.

Christoper:

I’d like to thank the San Fransciscan neo-communist environmentalists for providing locals with unlimited business opportunities to clean up the mess. If I were a university researcher, I’d look at spinning off my research as a company.

xavier

Just in case someone didn’t know, the flush toilet was invented by Thomas Crapper. Thus the nick name.

Mr. Thomas did not invent the loo, he just out sold everyone else and hence was flush with lolly.

Once more, the environmental movement smacks itself in the face. When will they learn that lofty intentions do NOT excuse you from the need to do math?

Anybody know what effects the new non-phosphate-containing (maybe it’s just low) diswasher detergent are having on San Francisco?

The only place such a plan would work (low-flow toilets emptying into the sewerage system) is where the sewers are also carrying off a lot of waste water from rain.

And as we all know, “It never rains in Southern California”.

Because I have trees in my yard that
have roots that tend to invade sewer pipes, I use a root-kill product twice a year, to remove the roots.
And once a month in between I use a drain care product with enzymes that eat waste matter. One has to
flush it down the drain and then
not use the facilities for a couple of hours so the enzymes settle into whatever has accumulated in the pipes. It eats the sludge, liquefying it so gets flushed away and waste water flows freely.
Both products are better for the pipes than bleach. They can be bought at your local DIY store, and are much cheaper and more convenient than having Roto-Rooter
out twice a year.
I think SF needs to educate the people to properly care for their drains rather than spend money on bleach.

Since the use of the non-phosphate
dishwasher detergents cause one to have to wash dishes twice to get them clean, maybe that will increase water flow enough to will help.

Marie Blocher,
As someone who used to build and repair septic systems, it is a good idea to have your septic tank pumped every five years or so. Solid breakdown is not complete over time and if it gets into the field, it will plug it up.

The new non-phosphate dishwasher detergents have chlorine bleach in them, thereby requiring me to put more of the bacteria treatment into the septic system. Marie Blocher, I use the rinse and hold cycle and then the light wash cycle, and the dishes come out clean. Make sure the water is really hot before starting the dishwasher. I do have softened water, that might make a difference.

Fuinseoig, San Francisco is not in Southern California. You could be triggering a civil war with a comment like that.

Katherine, as you may see, my geographical knowledge is about as good as the SF City Fathers’ waste management skills.

A little ways north of Fresno along Highway 99 there’s a spot in the median right along the highway where a pine tree is planted next to a palm tree. The pine tree is intended to signify the gateway to Northern CA, while the palm tree is intended to signify the gateway to Southern CA. Actually the exact center of California is near North Fork.

“I left my (censored) in San Francisco,
beneath a street somewhere downtown…”

With sincere apologies to the great Tony Bennett

Dale:

Interesting fact! I’ll look for that spot in June when I head down to Fresno,