What To Do When Your Toilet Overflows

Why does you toilet keep overflowing? Find out out to deal with a toilet flooded house.

An overflowing toilet situation is never pretty as it can be a nightmarish situation for homeowners to deal with.

In most cases, toilets overflow when drains are clogged. This makes the toilet difficult to function. An overflowing toilet situation results when water tends to accumulate after flushing.

There are instances when toilet overflowed and leaked through ceiling. It can be really that bad.

Toilet Overflowing But Not Clogged?

Here, the cause of overflow has to be identified and addressed to ensure continued usage of the toilet. This article shows you the likely causes of overflowing toilets and what to do when faced with such situations.

By reading the entire article, you’re able to figure out the likely causes and implement the right fixes.

An overflowing toilet situation needs to be addressed urgently and properly. Of course, this requires identifying what the problem is in order to determine the kind of response that’s needed.

Why Is My Toilet Overflowing?

A toilet can overflow due to a number of reasons that include obstruction in vent stack, and low flow toilets.

Other possible causes of overflowing toilets include filled septic tanks, clogging due to foreign bodies, and bad plumbing. Too much water in the reservoir tank could also lead to overflowing toilets.

Let’s discuss each of these points to provide you with a better idea of how toilet overflow happens.

• Obstruction in Vent Stack

When toilet overflow happens, it’s a clear sign that your sewer system is problematic.

However, pinpointing the problem will require close observations of the different components of the system. One of such sections is the vent stack. The vent stack helps with the proper channeling of gases and odors from the toilet.

Apart from venting out odors and gases, the venting stage also serves to balance air pressure within the drainage system.

Now, different situations could lead to clogging of the vent stack including accumulation of debris, rodent nesting, birds nesting, and objects getting in to prevent proper functioning.

The absence of proper balancing of air pressure within the drainage system, it may lead to a situation where water is sucked up, thus leading to an overflow of your toilet.

A professional is able to identify this problem faster than you would. Hence the need to call for expert assistance.

• Low Flow Toilets

Low-flow toilets are designed to boost water efficiency.

The objective of having them is to increase water conservation. While such toilets offer lots of benefits in that regard, they are likely to get clogged easily as enough water might not be available to flush waste away.

With time, the gradual buildup of waste may lead to clogging. With the drain line clogged, it becomes difficult to flush the toilet, thus leading to an eventual overflow.

With this situation, you may have to reconsider your use of low-flow toilets. Consult a professional plumber for advice on what to do.

• Filled Septic Tank

If your home’s waste treatment system is onsite, then an overflowing toilet may be due to a full septic tank. Different situations can lead to a filling of your septic system.

Under normal conditions, the septic tank may be due for emptying due to normal use.

In other cases, your septic tank may be full due to water excess water leaks due to rainfall or a burst pipe. These easily fill up the tank making it impossible for toilets to be flushed normally.

Here, there’s no way of water getting into the toilet. This results in overflow.

• Clogging due to Foreign Bodies

Toilet clogs are common causes of water overflow.

Different things can clog up your drain lines making it difficult for the free flow of wastewater. Disposal of non-flushable items down your toilet is one of the primary causes of clogs.

These might include diapers, tampons, cotton balls, dental floss, and paper.

Other examples of clogs due to the presence of foreign bodies include toys pens and other items dumped into the toilet by kids.

Whenever you allow waste to accumulate before flushing your toilets, you increase the likelihood of clogging issues developing. This ends up overflowing your toilet.

• Bad Plumbing

Bad plumbing is one of the possible reasons why you have an overflowing toilet problem. If your floater starts to malfunction, it might lead to continuous water flow that overwhelms your toilet.

There’s also a possibility of your flushing handle getting stuck.

Toilet Overflow Issues

Does your toilet overflow when flushed?

When overflowing toilet issues are noticed, you’ll have to address the problem as quickly as possible. There are multiple DIY approaches that could resolve the problem.

However, results from this procedure might not be far-reaching. The best approach is to have a professional plumber address the problem.

What To Do If Toilet Overflows

One of the first things to do is turn off the water supply to the toilet.

This should be followed by unclogging the toilet and cleaning up the area. Call a plumber when the problem seems more complex to fix.

Let’s take a brief look at each of these procedures for better understanding.

• Turn Off Water Supply

When a toilet is found to be overflowing, the first action to take is to shut off the water supply.

This temporary measure keeps water from flowing out. With the situation now stable, the right intervention will have to be taken to address the overflowing problem.

• Unclog the Toilet

If you have some plumbing skills or have fixed a similar problem in the past, then finding out the problem wouldn’t be difficult.

Here, the cause of clogging has to be identified in order to carry out the necessary fixes. When certain components like the floater or other parts are found to be faulty, a replacement may be needed.

Of course, you’ll need the right tools for the job. Examples of basic plumbing tools needed to fix toilet overflow include toilet plunger and toilet auger.

In cases where the vent stack is clogged, you’ll have to clear it to restore normal functioning.

• Cleanup the Area

If the problem was successfully resolved, a thorough cleanup of the area will have to follow. Such cleanup includes the toilet bowl and the areas around it.

To prevent the spread of bacteria and germs, disinfection of the area is needed. Most toilet cleaners should help get the job done.

• Call a Plumber

Ultimately, you’ll need the expertise of a plumber to address your overflowing toilet problem.

As stated earlier, DIY techniques have many limitations. The professional approach helps with better resolution of the problem than any other.

With the information provided, an overflowing toilet situation wouldn’t be as complex as it used to be. You only need to choose your preferred approach to resolving the problem.