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What Do You Do If Your Toilet Overflows?

What Do You Do If Your Toilet Overflows?

There is a certain sinking feeling of doom for anyone who peers into a toilet bowl and sees the water line slowly rising and rising. Don’t worry, here at Roto-Rooter, we know exactly what that’s like!

If your toilet is overflowing, there are several steps you can take to stop the flooding and assess the source of the problem.

If the toilet begins to overflow immediately after a flush, it’s likely that the toilet itself is clogged. First, stop the flow of water into the toilet to minimize flood damage. Remove the tank lid and press down on the flapper valve (don’t worry, the water inside the tank is clean). This will prevent any more water from getting into the bowl, stopping water from overflowing over the sides. Once you’ve secured the flapper valve, lift the float that operates the tank fill valve to stop the tank from filling. Hold these in place for about a minute to cut off the toilet bowl water supply and allow the water level to return to normal.

If the water level doesn’t start to drop, turn off the water valve behind the base of the toilet by turning it clockwise.

Time to Deal with the Clog

Use a flange plunger to try to remove the blockage. Fit the cup of the plunger tightly over the drain hole in the bottom of the bowl and start plunging. In most cases, a few pumps of the plunger will release the clog and allow the toilet to flush properly.

If plunging and clearing the drain doesn’t stop the overflowing problem, you’ll have to take a look inside the toilet tank. If your toilet overflows even without flushing, it’s possible that the clog is somewhere else in a drainpipe, possibly your main drain or sewer line. In this situation, running water from any other source in the house can’t escape and backflows to the lowest exit in the system--your toilet. If you have a private septic system, it’s possible that the septic tank is full. In these situations, call the professionals at Roto-Rooter as soon as possible. Many Roto-Rooter locations offer septic tank pumping services, but not all locations offer the service.

In most cases, you’ll need to call a plumber and a water cleanup company, but at Roto-Rooter we do both! Our licensed plumbing experts are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, when you need service most, to quickly repair any plumbing problem (if applicable) and prevent further damage. Our trained water damage restoration professionals receive the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and perform water restoration services in compliance with standards for professional water damage and flood damage restoration. Roto-Rooter’s vehicles are fully equipped with state-of-the art water extraction, drying and moisture testing equipment to handle everything including: