5 Steps to Stop an Overflowing Toilet
We have all been there, you’ve flushed the handle on your toilet and it starts to overflow. Don’t let your panic rise along with the water. Here are the things you need to do when your toilet begins to overflow:
1. Stop The Rising Tide!
You have three options to immediately stop the flow of water:
- Look for the water supply valve near the bottom side of the bowl. Give it a counterclockwise turn to immediately stop the rising tide.
- If you can’t find the toilet valve, you can turn off the water supply to the house. The main water supply value is usually found in the basement near the water heater.
- If you can’t turn the toilet water supply valve, remove the toilet tank cover and lift the float ball until the water stops rising.
2. Bail Out
You’ll need to unclog the blockage to drain the water, but first, you’ll need to make some space to work. Grab a pair of disposable gloves and use a small cup or bucket to remove some of the excess water.
If the water is clean, you can pour it into the sink. Otherwise, put dirty water into a bucket and pour it back into the toilet after you have the situation under control.
3. Put The Pressure On
Using a toilet plunger, apply intermittent downward pressure to the center of the hole inside the toilet bowl. The suction pressure should break up any clog that has caused the water backup.
4. Foreign Find
If a foreign object caused your clog, use a toilet auger to retrieve the object being careful not to be too forceful to damage the bowl.
5. Reset
Inspect inside your toilet cover to ensure the chain attached to the float is not tangled and that the float mechanism sits low enough to prevent the tank portion of the toilet from overflowing.
Call Neffsville Plumbing for Toilet Repair
Toilet issues can cause immediate panic but are easy to flush out in most cases. If your toilet problems are chronic, your drain and sewer system might have deeper blockages that an expert plumber needs to address.
Call Neffsville Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Services at (717) 625-1000 or contact us online for plumbing services in Lancaster and York counties.