As a homeowner you want to count on your toilet – it’s that the toilet should flush properly when you need it to. But unfortunately toilets get clogged, and to make matters worse – they can overflow.
Preventing raw sewage from spilling over onto your bathroom floor is possible, but only if you know what to do and have the proper tools handy. If your toilet is prone to clogs – or if you just want to be prepared for the worst – read on what to do in this critical situation.
Drain and pipe clogging is the most wide-spread cause for an overflowing toilet. This is caused by flushing anything that is not supposed to go down the toilet. Even though the toilet bowl seems big and wide, there are items that should never go down the drain, otherwise the toilet will become blocked. Sometimes if too much toilet paper has been flushed down the toilet, there is a certain risk it will get stuck there, especially if the toilet has a septic tank.
Another reason may be a malfunctioning float that causes the water to keep refilling the tank to the point of overflow.
No matter what caused this unpleasant condition of an overflowing toilet, the most urgent action is to stop the flow of water into the bowl. In most bathrooms, the best place to do this is at the toilet’s main shutoff valve.
There should be a water line leading from your bathroom wall to the toilet, as well as a hand-crank valve somewhere along that line. Closing the valve will stop the bowl from filling and give you time to try and get rid of the clog.
If you don’t see this device, it’s possible that your toilet’s valve is located behind the wall or floor tiles. In this case open the tank and rig the float to stay in its position and not let any more water fill the toilet tank.
If water has spilled over the bowl and onto the floor, remove it as soon as possible. Use towels to clean up, and soak water out of the carpet and other fabrics if there are any. Make sure that you wash and disinfect all the surfaces in the bathroom that were dampened by the toilet water.
Next, if you know there must be some foreign object preventing the toilet from flushing, get some rubber gloves and try to remove it. If a clog is the cause of the overflow, grab a toilet plunger and try plunging it free. A sink plunger could also work, but it won’t be as effective.
Lastly, if these steps do not fix the plumbing issue, contact a plumber from Orange County Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning. Toilet overflowing could turn into a larger plumbing issue if it is not properly dealt with. The clog may be stuck farther along your pipe and our professional plumber can diagnose and fix the problem right away.
No one desires to deal with a clogged toilet and instead of getting stuck with the problem yourself, do not hesitate and hire our team! Among other skills, we specialize in toilet and sewage system repairs. Our crew is fully licensed and insured and all team members are trained to use top-notch tools to ensure the job is done right the first time!
Orange County, Tustin, 92780 | (714) 400-2913
