One of the most common phone calls we get here at Red Rock Mechanical is the call from the frantic homeowner panicking because the toilet has overflown. If this ever happens to you, don’t fear; there are steps you can take to fix the problem and keep the flooding under control. However, you may need to call a professional to get your toilet up and running like normal. In this guide, we’ll go over how to stop a toilet from overflowing, what to try first to fix it, and how to prevent this from happening in the first place.
How to Stop the Water
Of course, the most important step to protect your home is to find a way to shut off the water. Look for the shutoff valve which shuts off the water to the toilet, usually located by the bottom of the bowl. If you cannot locate this valve, try carefully removing the tank cover and lifting up the float until the water stops. Shutting off the water stops it from overflowing any longer but won’t correct the cause of the overflowing.
Fixing the Problem
To fix the problem, there are a couple of steps you should take. Your toilet is most likely affected by a drain clog that allows water or sewage to back up into the house. If the backup occurs right after you flush, the clog may be localized to the toilet, in which case you may be able to clean up the area a bit and use a plunger to move the clog into the sewer. If this won’t seem to work, the problem might be further along in the drain pipes or the sewer line. In this case, you need a professional to come in and use drain cleaning equipment like motorized drain snakes that will pull out the clog or send it into the sewer.
Preventing Overflowing
An overflowing toilet can be quite an ordeal for any homeowner, and cleanup may feel like a nightmare. Keep this from occurring again by scheduling plumbing maintenance once a year with a skilled contractor. During plumbing maintenance, many of the components of your plumbing system are cleaned and inspected, so you can learn about clogs before they become a disaster.
Call Red Rock Mechanical if you need quality plumbing repair in Burlington, VT.
