What To Do About A Toilet Tank Overflowing

Having an overflowing toilet inside the house can be a nightmare for the entire family. This is because you will not be able to use water fixtures in the house. You will also have a hazmat situation at hand as you would have to clean the toilet floor and remove effluent. There are two main reasons why a toilet tank may overflow and flood the bowl, causing water to overflow. The first is a faulty tank float. It fails to stop water from getting into the tank when it is full. The second is blockage in the toilet drain. A blockage prevents effluent from draining away. The result is overflowing of effluent over the toilet bowl. Knowing what to do when you have an overflowing toilet is important as it can help to mitigate the problem.

What To Do When The Toilet Overflows

Most people normally flush the toilet the second time when they notice that water is draining away slowly. However, this is a big mistake as water will fill the bowl and overflow. The following are some steps to take when your toilet overflows:

i) Shut Off The Water Supply To The Toilet

Most toilets have a shutoff valve at the bottom of the bowl. When your toilet overflows for whatever reason, start by turning off the water supply before you start thinking about what the underling cause might be. If your toilet has no shutoff valve, and water continues to overflow, you should turn off the water supply from the main shutoff valve of the house. Once the flooding has stopped, you can start investigating the problem.

ii) Stop Using Water Features Around The House

If the blockage of drain pipes is what led to overflowing of the toilet, you should stop using any faucet, toilet, shower, bathtub, water heater, or any other water feature around the house . This may only exacerbate the problem. Ideally, you should call a competent plumber after turning off the water supply.

iii) Try To Find The Root Cause Of The Problem

Once the water supply has been stopped, you can move on to start checking what the main cause of the problem might be. Start by checking if the water in the bowl drains away. If it does not, or it drains away slowly, the problem must be blockage. In such a case, you can use a toilet plunger to try and clear the blockage. However, this is rarely an effective option. Ideally, you should call a licensed plumber to come and inspect your plumbing. They will offer an effective solution.

iv) Check The Float Ball

A damaged float mechanism might be to blame for the problem. If the float ball or float cup does not shut off the water supply to the tank, you should hire a competent plumber to carry out repairs. You can check the condition of the float by turning the water back on and lifting the float to see if the water stops flowing into the tank. If it does not, there is little you can do to fix the problem other than calling for professional repairs.

 

Toilet Repair Northampton PA

Robinson Plumbing offers high quality plumbing services in the entire Lehigh Valley. All of our plumbers are certified with years of experience in the plumbing industry. They have the knowledge and professionalism to address your plumbing needs properly. When you have a plumbing issue, such as an overflowing toilet, be sure to give us a call. We can diagnose why your toilet is overflowing and offer the best solutions for your home. For a list of our plumbing services, click here. We service Allentown PA 18101, Bath PA 18014, Catasauqua PA 18032, Cherryville PA 18035, Coplay PA 18037, Laurys Station PA 18059, Lehigh Valley PA 18001, Neffs PA 18065, Northampton PA 1806, Schnecksville PA 18078, Treichlers PA 18086, Whitehall PA 18052, and surrounding areas. Call us today at (610) 351-9889 or contact us for any questions that you might have!

The blog post What To Do About A Toilet Tank Overflowing was originally released on Robinson Plumbers