There is no plumbing emergency more alarming than seeing your toilet overflow. This isn’t a problem you can leave alone or procrastinate about fixing. Not only does the situation make the toilet unusable, but the overflow can damage your floors and carpets and may indicate other serious plumbing troubles that need attention.
At Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating, we don’t want you to panic because of an overflowing toilet. We have some advice on what you should do to limit the damage and possibly repair the problem. If the trouble is too major for you to handle on your own, give us a call.
Here are the steps you should take if your toilet overflows:
- Stop the flow of water. Locate the shut-off valve near the toilet’s base and turn it until the water stops. Not all toilets have a shut-off valve, and if this is the case, remove the top of the toilet and rig the float so it stays up high and won’t keep filling the tank.
- Clean up water that has spilled onto the floor. Do a thorough job and use disinfectant.
- If you know that a particular object, like a children’s toy, has gotten lodged in the drain, put on rubber gloves and reach down to attempt to remove it.
- Use the toilet plunger (you should always have one handy) to exert pressure on the drain and clear away a clog if that’s what has caused the overflow. If you only have a sink plunger, try that—although it won’t do the job as well.
- If nothing else has worked, call in professionals to deal with the problem.
Please don’t try other remedies while you’re waiting for the professionals, such as jamming more objects down the toilet to potentially remove any jam. You might damage the plumbing and get another object stuck down there. Keep in mind that a clog may not be the problem; blockage may be occurring elsewhere and will need an expert to diagnose it.
Make Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating the first company you call for professional plumbing in Gaithersburg, MD. We’re a trusted name for fixing problems fast and getting repairs done right the first time.