How Can you Stop A Toilet from Overflowing?

An overflowing toilet is a problem almost everyone will deal with as some point. When water is flowing from the bowl, chances are the culprit is a clogged toilet drain, which can usually be fixed quickly and easily. With water spilling onto the floor, though, quick action is required. 

Your first step is to take the cover off of the tank.  Next, you’ll want to stop more water from entering the bowl and there are four ways to do this. You can lift the float that controls the intake valve, turn the water hose away from the intake tube and let it flow into the tank, close the flapper at the bottom of the tank, or shut off the water supply by closing the valve behind the toilet. The flapper is the rubber piece in the middle of the bowl. Water flows from the tank into the bowl through the large flapper drain hole. 

Once you’ve stopped the water flow, you should just watch to see if the bowl will empty on its own. If it does so in a minute or so, you can safely undo all four things that you just did. But if the water starts to rise again in the bowl, repeat any or all of those four steps. 

Now that you’ve stopped the overflowing, it’s time to determine if the toilet drain is clogged, or if you have a bigger problem.  

If it’s just a clogged toilet drain, you can usually clear it with a plunger. If you don’t already own one, invest in one that has a flange on the bottom that will extend into the toilet’s drain hole, creating a tight seal that will clear the clog most efficiently. Before you begin to plunge, though, scoop some of the water out of the toilet, to prevent any water from splashing out.  

If a plunger fails to do the trick, the next step would be to use a toilet snake. You can rent one of these from a hardware or home improvement store. You place the hook end of the snake into the bowl and begin turning the crank clockwise until it stops. That means you’ve reached the clog! Gently pull back on the snake and if you feel some resistance, you’ve hooked the clog and you can remove it by turning the snake counter clockwise. 

If you still can’t clear the clog, you can trust All Star Service and Repair to get the job done right and right on time. With over 60 years of experience, our highly trained, licensed, and insured technicians will diagnose your problem, explain every facet of the repair, and will follow through, backed by our 100% service guarantee and a ten year warranty. For more information visit our website or contact us at 801-792-2428.