What to Do When Your Toilet Is Overflowing

One of the most common plumbing problems you might come across is your toilet overflowing. While it is unfortunate and unpleasant, this issue doesn’t need to be a huge emergency. In only a few simple steps, you can likely solve the problem on your own!

The first thing you should do is stop the supply of water to your toilet so that it cannot continue to fill. There is most likely a water supply valve near the base of the toilet; turn it until the water stops. If you cannot locate the valve, don’t worry. Simply open the lid of the toilet and pull the float up. This should stop the water just as effectively.

Once water is no longer continuing to flood the toilet, you can try to tackle the source of the issue. First, you can try using a bell plunger, which should fix the issue if it is caused by a clog. If the basin is too full, however, you will need to manually remove enough water and waste to give yourself enough room to work. If the plunger is not effective, you can move on to using a toilet auger or drain snake to extract any foreign objects that could be causing the issue. Finally, you should reset the float mechanism, putting it in a lower position in the tank. This will help prevent the tank from overflowing in the future. 

After you have solved the issue, it is very important to fully sanitize your bathroom.

If your toilet overflows often, you should contact a plumber to check your system, as there could be more serious problems at the root of the issue. If you find yourself in over your head with a constantly-overflowing toilet or any other plumbing-related problems, the experts at Service Specialties can help! For more information or to schedule a repair, don’t hesitate to call us or schedule a service call online today.