If you already see the signs, your first thought when seeing the toilet water rise is to panic. However, panicking rarely helps anything. So how do you stop your toilet from overflowing?
Start by lifting the lid and rising the fill valve to stop the water from refilling. You can either choose to rig the toilet so the valve doesn’t fall or pull out the refill tube. This should give you enough time to turn off the valve behind the toilet.
Turning off the valve will prevent your water from overflowing, as that turns off the water to the unit. You can also go as far as to turn off your main water supply, which is typically located in the basement of your home.
If you want to know why your toilet might be overflowing, keep reading.
What Causes a Toilet To Overflow?
The most common reason a toilet overflows is due to a clog. This can come from a combination of things:
- Old pipes that have something building up inside of them
- Flushing something that should not be flushed down them
- An issue with the connected sewer system
The most common reason a toilet overflows is related to flushing unfortunate things down them. If you have a toddler, you might ask them about the issue.
Otherwise, putting too much toilet paper down the pipes can cause this.
What Should I Do If My Toilet is Overflowing?
After you’ve taken the initial steps to stop the overflow from reaching your floor, you’ve got a few options.
Ideally, your first step will be plunging. If you don’t own a plunger, pick one up at your nearest supermarket.
Once you plunge the toilet, it should release the clog. If the plunger doesn’t work, you might need to rent a drain snake.
You should test the toilet if the water level drops below the plunger. Do not attempt to flush the toilet until the water level has dropped.
Flushing the toilet before using the plunger is likely to force the toilet to overflow again.
What if My Toilet Keeps Overflowing?
If this is a regular occurrence for you, you might want to question what you are flushing down the toilet. If it isn’t anything above the obvious, you likely have a larger issue.
When a drain snake (plumber’s auger) doesn’t do the trick, you need to call the professionals. There is likely a deeper issue with your pipes if the regular fixes aren’t doing anything for you.
Final Thoughts
To stop an overflowing toilet, the key is to remove the refill hose inside of your tank. It prevents the toilet from overflowing, but will also prevent the toilet from regularly filling. When you are done, do not forget to put everything back where it belongs.
To ensure your clogging problems are solved permanently, contact our team of specialists at Reliable Drain & Plumbing. We will make sure that your toilet troubles are a thing of the past.
