Macerator and wet wipe problem. Can anything dissolve them?

[Mottie]

As above, my son inadvertently chucked a baby's wet wipe in our macerator yesterday. It’s built in and well hidden so it’s a pain to strip out and remove. It’s still working fine but you can hear the rattle of the wet wipe on the blades. Is there anything I can chuck in there that will dissolve the wet wipe such as bleach, descaler, drain unblocker etc if I disconnect the power, introduce it through the hand basin and leave it for a day or two? It’s an alleged bio-degradable one.

 

[DAZB]

You could try a test bed with another wipe or a few seperately and submerge them in bleach / descaler / drain unblocker etc and see what the effect is because putting high doses of chemicals into a macerator may have an effect on the gaskets or seals and that would be far worse than the problem you have now.

 

[Mottie]

I’ve started of with descaer. That is supposed to be left in for at least two hours but I normally leave that in overnight so I know that won’t do any damage.

 

[Mottie]

It’s these ones:

 

[just pumps]

There is nothing that I know off that wont damage other parts. If it is a high blade muncher then a pair of long nosed pliars for extraction of the wipe once the pan is removed saves dismantling.

 

[Mottie]

There is nothing that I know off that wont damage other parts. If it is a high blade muncher then a pair of long nosed pliars for extraction of the wipe once the pan is removed saves dismantling.

Thanks again to @just pumps. This is the second time you’ve helped me out on this macerator. I turned off the water and electric, removed two pan screws and slid the whole thing out. I took a peek down the hole and saw the wipe wrapped around the blade holder.

I hooked it out with a piece of wire.

Refitted everything back together and it was back to its old whisper quiet self.

In the boxed in section I found my original invoice for it from 2012 - £300. They are now £650+ I also found the receipt for the capacitor that I replaced in 2016 when I last blocked it up - £8.67.

Although it was relatively clean compared to some I’ve seen on YouTube, I had to jump in the shower straight after as I felt a bit kacky, what with shoving my gloved hand up that wastepipe.

 

[mattylad]

Congratulations Mottie, you are now a macerator wet wipe removal expert.
A skill that will come in handy as time goes on.

May I suggest a sign that says:
"If it didn't go through you then it cannot go through this toilet!"

 

[Mottie]

A skill that will come in handy as time goes on.

It won’t from now on. I’m going to lock the door when the family come round!

Actually, our 5 year old grandson asked to use the toilet, we thought it was just a wee. We heard a small voice call out - "I might need some help in here" as he’d done a poo and made a bit of a mess wiping himself. Our son went in, taking the baby wipes out of their baby's bag to clean him up and thinking he was at home, he just threw it down the pan and flushed. He then heard the death rattle and realised what he had done. These wipes are 99.9% water and allegedly biodegradable. Probably in 5 years though!

I’m going to get a sign that says "Pee, poo and paper only" although Mrs Mottie has specifically banned pooing in it! Mind you, when she’s not here…..

 

[Munroast]

well done on getting them our. A bit of research comes up with
"the wipes themselves are made from a blend of polyester and viscose. Polyester is a synthetic fiber derived from petroleum and is classified as a type of plastic."
So really there is nothing that would have dissolved them that would not of also dissolved the macerator, your house and possibly yourselves. Polyesters are incredibly tough materials, strong solvents like phenol, chloroform, or concentrated sulphuric acid would do the job over time.

Completely mad allowing these wet wipes to be sold when so many of them just get flushed down the bog to persist for possibly ever in the environment.

 

[Diver Fred]

Think yourself lucky it wasn't a tampon. My mates worst nightmare - those thing's just unravel and the threads get caught everywhere around the bldaes.

Definite need to install 'Shataff's' alongside macerators - solves so many problems (just disgusts a few brit's, sadly).

 

[Mottie]

Think yourself lucky it wasn't a tampon. My mates worst nightmare - those thing's just unravel and the threads get caught everywhere around the bldaes.

The current macerator was fitted in 2012 and repaired (capacitor) in 2016. The original macerator was fitted in 2001. When that packed up I just replaced it. Our son 'fessed up on Sunday that a previous girlfriend of his caused it to stop working…..by chucking a tampon down there!

 

[dilalio]

May I suggest a sign that says:
"If it didn't go through you then it cannot go through this toilet!"

I reminded a customer of that once, after removing a dozen olive pits/stones from her Saniflo... She went bright red and said her son eats olives including the stones!

 

[Mottie]

May I suggest a sign that says:
"If it didn't go through you then it cannot go through this toilet!"

I’m going to get a sign that says "Pee, poo and paper only"

I reminded a customer of that once, after removing a dozen olive pits/stones from her Saniflo... She went bright red and said her son eats olives including the stones!

Hmm. Both our signs would have been no good in that case! Back to the drawing board….