Have you ever experienced the horror of seeing water slowly fill up the bowl after flushing a toilet? At best, an overflowing causes a minor inconvenience and probably a bad smell. At worst, you can be left with a flooded bathroom, water damage, and a toilet you can’t use. If you’re facing this problem or just want to be prepared in case it happens in the future, then read on to find out what to do.

Causes of an overflowing toilet

The most common cause of an overflowing toilet is a clog or blockage in the toilet’s u-bend or the pipes that flow away from your toilet, even as far as the sewage pipes. Alternatively, there could be a blockage in the vent pipe connected to your toilet, which is responsible for venting air into your pipes.

Overflowing toilets can also be caused by a problem in the tank behind your toilet. For example, if there is a fault with the filler float, then your toilet will continue to fill its tank, causing water to overflow from the tank itself rather than the bowl.

How to stop it

Water may still be flowing into the toilet, meaning it will continue filling and overflowing onto your bathroom floor. There are two things you should do to cut off this flow of water and stop your toilet from overflowing any more. Firstly, take the lid off the tank of your toilet. You should lift the float out of the water to make sure the fill valve closes. This will prevent the tank from refilling for now. You may also need to press down on the flapper valve inside the tank.

Then, to further ensure that more water doesn’t fill your toilet, look for a water valve behind your toilet and shut this off. Or you can shut off the main water supply to your home, instead.

What to do next

You’ll probably want to lay down towels first to mop up any standing water caused by the overflow. How to fix an overflowing toilet depends on what has caused it. If it’s a case of blocked pipes, you may be able to resolve the problem yourself using a plunger. If this doesn’t solve the problem or if your overflowing toilet isn’t caused by clogged pipes, then your best option is to call a plumber to fix the problem for you. This will prevent any further damage to your plumbing system.

If you have a clogged or overflowing toilet in your home, then contact Brandon Plumbing for an emergency plumber around Lewisville, Clemmons, and Winston Salem, NC.