You might not find anything wrong with going to the bathroom while getting roof repairs on your home. But one roofer is viral after sharing a PSA on the subject.
TikTok user Robert Brewster (@robertthebrewster), who lives in Alabama, might have saved a lot of homeowners from embarrassment. In short, he said that your roofers can tell if you go to the bathroom while you’re getting work done.
“Please, don’t [poop] while I’m on your roof,” Brewster said. “Don’t take a [expletive] while I’m on here.”
Should you avoid the bathroom during roof repairs?
Then he explained why—while on the roof of someone’s house, of course.
“Your [expletive] goes straight through this pipe, into my nose,” Brewster said, pointing to the affected pipe in question. The roofer then pretended to gag, signaling that the smell could be unbearable. But viewers appeared to appreciate the warning.
“I feel like this should be taught in school,” one woman wrote. “Because none of us knew this.”
As of Saturday, Brewster’s video had amassed more than 320,400 views.
What’s wrong with going to the bathroom at this time?
Houses are equipped with plumbing vent pipes. This is the pathway that air must follow when you flush your toilet—or brush your teeth or do laundry, for that matter.
When you poop, your fecal matter isn’t legitimately shooting directly up the pipe, as Brewster suggested. Rather, it’s the air that is needed for proper water flow in your drains. The pipe essentially lets air escape as water flows down.
But these pipes can get clogged. This might happen if there’s an accumulation of debris on the roof or a rust buildup in the pipe. Signs of a clogged pipe include a build-up of water in your drains, gurgling drains, or sewer smells. Typically, a roofer or plumber can help resolve these issues, but homeowners can fix minor clogs of their own with a garden hose.
Homeowners appreciate the heads-up
In the comments section of Brewster’s video, many users said they weren’t aware their bowel movement and roofing pipes were connected.
“I know nothing in life,” one user quipped.
“This would’ve [come] in handy when my husband was replacing our roof,” another added.
“Not many people know what is on top of their roof,” a third user said.
Other homeowners pointed out another important face: When you gotta go, you gotta go.
“I had a bad stomach bug the same day I was getting a new roof,” one viewer shared.
“Sir, I have IBS; I don’t control when I have to go,” another wrote. “It tells me.”
“Please don’t repair my roof when I need to [poop],” a third user commented.
Meanwhile, some users joked that they might’ve received Brewster’s advice too late.
“Wait, is that why my husband fell off our roof when he was putting shingles on it?” one woman asked.
“The poor Amish guys when I had that stomach bug,” another wrote.
“Not me trying to remember if I pooped 19 years ago when they were replacing our roof after [Hurricane] Katrina,” a third user said, clearly embarrassed.
@robertthebrewster ♬ original sound – RoberttheBrewster
The Daily Dot has reached out to Brewster via TikTok comment.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
