Tips for Stopping an Overflowing Toilet


An overflowing toilet is a plumbing emergency that everybody dreads. Well, maybe not your trusty, neighborhood plumber. They’re used to dealing with these problems. Everyone else usually goes into panic mode when a toilet starts to overflow after being flushed.

At Inglewood Pronto Plumbers, it’s our job to tell you there’s no need to panic. Stopping an overflowing toilet right away isn’t hard and doing so eases potential damage while you wait for a plumber to get to your home to make repairs. Take a moment and keep reading to learn the steps you need to take to handle this aggravating, but a fixable, situation.

Steps to Take with an Overflowing Toilet

The first thing you want to do is to locate that valve on the feed line. This is the plastic piping that attaches to the wall behind the toilet and connects to the tank. Every time the toilet fills up with fresh water it comes from this line.  Turn the valve counterclockwise and shut off the flow of water. In most cases, this works beautifully.

My Toilet Doesn’t Have a Valve on the Feed Line!

Don’t panic. This happens to older toilets. It’s still possible to stop the water. Here’s what you need to do. You need to remove the lid to the tank. Do this carefully so the lid doesn’t slip out of your hands and break. You don’t need that added expense. Now, once the lid is removed and safely out of the way, locate the chain in the tank. Pull up on it and put something under it to keep it up. This stops the water flow and protects your bathroom from additional water damage while you wait for help to arrive.

Clean Up the Water

At this point, you’ll want to clean up the mess using towels or newspapers. There are a couple of reasons for cleaning up before a plumber gets to your house. First, you don’t want bacteria to get into the flooring. You also don’t want it to spread and cleaning up prevents additional water damage.

Should I Plunge?

If you think you have a simple clog, go ahead and try plunging. It might get rid of the problem and you’re good to go.  However, when plunging doesn’t do the trick, give your 24-hour licensed plumbers in Inglewood a call.

At Inglewood Pronto Plumbers, we have a staff of talented plumbers who are waiting to help you today. Our plumbers are positioned waiting to get the call that you need help. When a plumbing emergency strikes and your toilet is overflowing, call the local drain cleaning contractors with the latest and greatest tools for affordable and fast drain cleaning service.

How can our expert plumbers in Inglewood, CA, help you today?

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