Pour melted soy wax down the drain?

[Tizimarezie]

I read a forum last night (not here...another site) where a soy wax tart maker was telling her potential customer that when she was finished with the tart, she could just pour it down the drain as long as she ran hot water to flush it.

*faint* <-----yes, that was my reaction.

I would never do that for fear it would eventually clog the drain. This lady claims to have been making soy tarts for over 6 years. She says it has never clogged her drain.

So...CAN you pour soy wax down the drain??? I agree that a very small amount can easily be cleaned up with soap and water but I've never considered pouring an entire tart down the drain. In fact, my warning stickers instruct not to.

I normally wipe everything clean with paper towels and then clean up with soap and water the leftover residue. Am I being overly cautious?

TIA

[TxSioux]

Ummm, sure you CAN pour any wax down the drain .... ROFL. In my 6 yrs of candlemaking, we've had to snake our kitchen drain once & that's a colorful memory I don't want to revisit. I tell customers that soy wax spills can be cleaned w/ hot water & a mild cleanser, but I'd NEVER recommend pouring that much wax down a drain. That's really stupid. I agree w/ you -- pour the wax out & wipe up w/ a paper towel, then you can wash the container w/ hot soapy water. Keep doing things the right way & know her bad choices will eventually come back to bite her squarely on the ass!! <still laughing at how crazy she must be!>

Susan.

[Judy, USMC]

Is right. I also have the "Do not pour down a sink drain" warning. Pouring it directly down the drain will probably clog it at the trap directly under the sink. Even if it were followed with a very hot water flush, I think it would have to solidify somewhere along the line...if not in the house plumbing itself then at some point in the outdoor run to the main sewer.

But it does bring up an interesting possibility only regarding septic tanks. IF it were soy poured down the drain; IF it were followed immediately by tubs full of hot (not warm) water; IF the distribution box of a septic system were very close to the house main drain and IF enzymes of the septic tank were replenished frequently...??? Like I said interesting possibility.

Any plumbers or septic specialists here?

[Candybee]

I presume the tart maker hasn't had enough buildup in her drain for a clog... yet. And telling her customers to pour wax down the drain is just stupid. If she has been using soy wax for 6 years how come she hasn't read about the warnings?!! Goes to show you some people just don't bother to read up and learn about the wax they are using. I've seen it lots of times.

BTW-- what did other posters on that forum have to say to her?

[logcabinmomma]

I have septic and it would still be a bad idea. It's really no different than bacon grease and that's a huge no no. The oils will solidify by the septic tank no matter what and it will harden and be impossible to remove. Even when the tank gets pumped, they wash water in there while they suck with a huge vacuum tube- that wouldn't get a large quantity of wax up. The point of septic is that the broken down particles get washed down toward the leach field... they soy wax wouldn't break down because it's a hydrogenated oil. Which is bad for ANY plumbing- be it Crisco or candle wax.

I tell my customers to use an empty can and treat it like bacon grease- just toss the whole can out in the trash. They can wipe out residue with a sponge or damp paper towel, but the bulk of the wax should be thrown away.

-Kristi

[Luci]

Maybe that tart maker's husband is a plumbing contractor.

[Camay]

Ha! You must be right, Luci, cause that's a major problem just waiting to happen.

[Camay]

Not to mention that it is a waste of energy and good drinking water just to flush something down the drain when it should be tossed in the trash

[TxGirl]

LOL So many funny posts here this morning!

[southern.scents]

Maybe that tart maker's husband is a plumbing contractor.

LOL

So, did anyone on that forum say anything to her?

[Lorrie]

Maybe that tart maker's husband is a plumbing contractor.

Even if he was. I would still think that this would be the last thing he would want to be doing.

[Stella1952]

I started to write a reply, but just ended up sputtering about idiots...:rolleyes2 It's hard to imagine that someone with enough brains to make a tart would come up short on how to properly dispose of spent wax... I hope she doesn't have children to whom she is teaching her life's wisdom... *faint*

Common sense apparently is not very common in her home...:rolleyes2

[CareBear]

Jimminy Cricket! Not even supposed to pour LIQUID oils down the drain (besides mucking up your plumbing it mucks up your drainage areas, septic tanks, and water treatment plants)!

And someone actually recommends pouring SOLID oil! Um - do you LIKE having water flow through the pipes?

Just cause someone got lucky doesn't make it a good idea. Or even a bad idea. It's a HORRID idea.

[leenabug]

My hubby IS a plumbing contractor and if I poured it down the drain he would freak! He even gripes when he cleans out the shower drain and shows me all the hair. ( Mine is long) I told him I couldn't help any hair coming out while I was washing it! LOL! He says NEVER flush anything, not even tampax down the toilet. I told him they say they're flushable and he gives me a smoldering look and says " I don't care what they SAY, I'm constantly unstopping drains filled with them!" So the flushable/drainable options are very slim in my house! lol However............He WILL let me pour hot grease down the drain, if followed by scalding hot water and we've never had a stoppage! Go figure........Alot of it depends on how the house is plumbed....

[Stella1952]

He WILL let me pour hot grease down the drain, if followed by scalding hot water and we've never had a stoppage! Go figure........Alot of it depends on how the house is plumbed....

Which is why it's a good thing your husband is a plumber. :rolleyes2

I hope NO ONE pours hot grease down their drain followed by scalding water because of what you just said. That is plain foolish - ask some OTHER plumbers.:rolleyes2

[HOTPEPPERGAL]

Good Morning All

I'm a newbie to the site and to candle making.

If I have left over wax I pour it into a votive and the use it on my candle warmer. THen wipe the wax out wirh paper towel and then wash it with really hot water...I have 4 of them through out my house and my house always smells great.

HOTPEPPERGAL

[Tizimarezie]

BTW-- what did other posters on that forum have to say to her?

This woman appears to have been selling soy tarts online publicly for over a year and has gained many customers and sales. Many of the buyers at the site at which she sells have never heard of soy wax and since they tend to have respect for her sales genius, they tend to believe what she tells them. Sad. From the sales she gained from her posts that night, it appears that people swallowed that piece of info, too.

I'm proud of our newest candle maker here (posted above me) who has more common sense than this tart-making-sales-genius I wrote about. Kuddos to HOTPEPPERGAL!

Thanks for the responses!!

[CareBear]

oils and grease put a tremendous strain on water treatment plants. you like clean water? don't muck it up even if your husband, neighbor, friendly sales clerk or the pope tell you it's ok - cause it's not.

[kandlekrazy]

oils and grease put a tremendous strain on water treatment plants. you like clean water? don't muck it up even if your husband, neighbor, friendly sales clerk or the pope tell you it's ok - cause it's not.

Ditto here!! We can get fined if we're caught (not sure how they catch you??). All that stuff ends up in the ocean here and it's getting bad enough without "helping" by pouring grease down drains.

Besides that, you'd be wasting precious vege wax!! I try to pour mine either into tarts or into a big container where I mix a bunch and use it for fire starters.

[Luvcandletarts2]

I can't believe people would actually pour any type of wax down the drain. I remember years back a small sign that was in the bathroom by the toilet of my Mom's cottage, when she bought it and she left it there. It read:

Please only flush toilet paper down me,

I am just a little septic tank and unlike your city sewer

cigarettes and gum is what puts me on the bum,

so if you do your job complete and do it very neat,

I promise to be good to you and keep it very neat

I think I remembered most of it, hope this gives someone a laugh.

[CareBear]

that's funny - in our bathroom it said

If you sprinkle

When you tinkle

Please be neat

And wipe the seat

[punkflash54]

wow...i would never pour wax down the drain. i wash out my tart warmer and containers but if there are any chunks of wax i throw them in the trash

[logcabinmomma]

We redid my grandmother's bathroom several years ago and when we took down an old cabinet, there was a sign behind it that she had in there YEARS ago- she had 3 boys and it said

Be like Dad and not like me

Lift the seat before you pee.

:smiley2:

-Kristi

[HOTPEPPERGAL]

Thank you Tizimarezie

I say I am cheap but my fiancee says I'm frugal..*lol* I just like to get all I can from something and to me using the wax like that is a good thing.

HOTPRPPERGAL