An overflowing toilet is as unsightly as it is frustrating. Sometimes, the water level reaches the top of the bowl before spilling out onto your floor. But in other instances, an overflow needs to be stopped before it causes any more water damage. Before you start panic flushing, consider these steps to prevent a flood in your bathroom and home.
Table of Contents
How to Fix An Overflowing Toilet In Your Bathroom
1. Do Not Flush Again
After your first flush, if water does not go down immediately, do not flush again. This is a sign that something is clogging the drainage system. Any more attempts to flush will just flood the bowl and possibly your floor with more water.
2. Find the Flapper
The flapper is the little rubber circle attached to the metal lever by a chain at the bottom of your tank.
3. Push the Flapper Closed
An easy way to fix an overflowing toilet is to close the flapper to seal off the bottom of the tank. This prevents more water from entering the bowl.
4. Locate the Water Shut-Off Valve
If your toilet has a water shut-off valve, it will be outside the tank where the toilet and the wall connect.
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5. Turn the Valve Off
Turning the valve clockwise will shut off the water supply, preventing any more water from entering the bowl.
6. Find the Float
With the water off, check inside the tank for the float. Not all floats look the same. You may have a cup-shaped one or a football-shaped one.
7. Tie the Float
Rig the float to stay stationary, stopping more water from filling the tank.
How a Toilet Overflow Can Damage Your Home
Water from an overflowing toilet can quickly reach various parts of your home that are vulnerable to water damage. Depending on where your toilet is located, flood water can damage all of the following:
- Drywall
- Wiring
- Baseboards and floors
- Lower level rooms
- Tiling
- Tubs
- Carpeting
- Cabinets
Do’s & Don’ts of Handling a Toilet Overflow
Once your toilet floods, you may instinctively go right into cleaning up the mess, but this can be extremely dangerous. Containing the flooding is fine, but attempting to clean up yourself can result in serious illness for you or your family.
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Overflowing toilet water can contain raw sewage and pathogens that should only be handled by professionals. Instead, call a qualified water damage restoration specialist right away to receive support with a toilet flood. A professional water restoration technician will help you contact your insurance company quickly to get your issues resolved.
Plumbing and Water Overflow Cleanup Services
No matter what is causing your toilet to overflow, you should act immediately. Follow the steps recommended to stop the water from continuing to flow out of the bowl. However, when it comes to cleaning up and restoring the damaged areas of your home, we recommend calling the professionals at Dry Force. Our technicians offer plumbing and water overflow restoration services for homes and businesses. Our professionals provide innovative water and flood damage restoration services in Houston, TX and other areas.
Dealing with insurance can be difficult, so we offer to help you file a claim. We are available 24/7 for emergency services. In addition, our technicians provide other types of restoration solutions such as flood damage restoration, burst pipe maintenance, slab leak detection, and storm damage repair. Give our restoration specialists a call by phone at (877) 589-7504 to receive assistance with an overflowing toilet or severe damage in your living space.
