Can Rats Really Come Up the Toilet? (Yes, Sorry)
Found a rat in your toilet bowl? It's not a myth. Learn how rats swim up sewer pipes and how a 'Rat Flap' valve solves the problem forever.
It sounds like an urban legend. Or a scene from a horror movie. You lift the lid, and a pair of beady eyes is staring back at you from the bowl.
It happens. Especially in cities.
How is this possible?
Rats are incredible swimmers. They can tread water for days.
Your sewer line connects directly to the city main. A rat in the sewer smells the food from your kitchen drains, swims up the pipe, holds its breath through the P-trap water seal, and pops up for air in the bowl.
Don't Flush Poison!
If you see one, your first instinct is to pour bleach or poison down and flush. Don't.
If you flush a live rat, it might just swim back down and try again later. Or worse, it dies in the pipe and causes a clog that backs up sewage into your house.
The Solution: A Non-Return Valve
If this happened to you, you need a plumber, not just an exterminator.
Ask for a "Rat Flap" or "Non-Return Valve" to be installed in your main sewer drain. It's a one-way door. Waste goes out, but nothing can swim in. It's the only 100% guarantee.