How To Stop a Toilet From Overflowing

There are few things grosser and more panic-inducing than a toilet overflowing. When you see that water endlessly rising, you need to act fast. The faster you stop the water, the less of a mess you have to clean up. To save yourself from a messy cleanup, here are some tips on how to stop a toilet from overflowing.

As soon as you notice the toilet overflowing, you’ll want to cut off the water supply to the toilet. With most toilets, there is a pipe near the base of the toilet that has a valve on it. Turn the valve until you’ve cut off the water supply coming into the toilet’s tank.

Once you’ve turned off the water supply, remove the lid from the toilet tank. Then, reach your hand into the tank and push and hold down on the rubber flap on the bottom of the tank. This will keep the water from filling up in the bowl.

Next, pull the plastic float up to stop the water from filling in the tank. If you do not see a float, pull up on the metal rod that connects to the rubber flap at the bottom of the tank. It usually has a chain that attaches to the flap. This should cut off the water supply and stop the toilet from overflowing. Once the water in the bowl goes down, you can let go of the float or metal rod.

Once you have stopped the toilet from overflowing, you can try to figure out what is clogging it or causing it to overflow. If plunging the toilet doesn’t resolve the clog, you can try using a toilet auger to unclog your toilet. 

However, if you continue to have issues with the toilet overflowing, this means there is something clogging the pipes or the toilet itself. This may be because something was flushed down the toilet that shouldn’t be flushed such as feminine products, baby wipes, or one of your kids’ toys. But, sometimes plumbing can get clogged simply from using too much toilet paper.

An overflowing toilet is a pain, but it’s not the end of the world. Follow the steps above to stop your toilet from overflowing. If you can’t stop your toilet from overflowing or can’t get it unclogged, give Sunrise Heating and Plumbing today at (616) 293-9326. We can help answer your questions or schedule a service call to get your toilet working properly again.