Dangers Of Ignoring An Overflowing Toilet

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That feeling of sudden panic when the water in your toilet begins to rise dangerously high is a feeling no one wants to experience. Never mind the immediate inconvenience, an overflowing toilet can cause severe damage to your home or business, especially if it’s ignored. Let’s dive into some common causes, risks, how to handle this catastrophe, and preventative tips you can use to ensure everything stays safe and dry.

Common Causes of an Overflowing Toilet

It’s common to believe that a gushing toilet is caused by an immediate blockage. Perhaps a small toy was flushed by accident or something similar. While this can certainly be the cause (we’ve seen it before), it’s not always this simple. Unfortunately, common causes are often a bit deeper (literally).

1. Clogged Toilet Drain

If a small toy was flushed by accident, for example, then the cause for the overflowing toilet is a clogged toilet drain. It’s not always the kids, though. Common objects that cause clogged toilets range from cell phones accidentally falling to cooking grease. A clogged toilet drain is the most common culprit of clogged toilets and it’s often caused by a build-up of insoluble materials like too much toilet paper or unflushable products.

2. Blocked Sewer Line

When you know nothing has been flushed that shouldn’t have, but the toilet is still overflowing, it could be a sewer line problem. Blockages can occur further down the plumbing lines from trapped waste, tree roots that have grown into the line, flooding, or damaged pipes. Heavy rains and hurricanes can also damage pipes so it’s important to check for signs of a blocked sewer line after inclement weather.

3. Clogged Plumbing Vents

Every home has a network of pipes that make up the plumbing system and the lesser-known yet vital part of that working system is the vents. Sometimes called a vent stack, they’re designed to regulate the airflow and prevent a vacuum effect, but if there’s a clog at the vent, it can cause an overflowing toilet.

4. Broken or Damaged Toilet Parts

Unfortunately, broken toilet parts happen to everyone. It could be a damaged or cracked seal, a problem with the flapper, or something else related to the inner workings that is causing too much water to flow into the bowl.

Immediate Risks of an Overflowing Toilet

Well, maybe the water will go down if I leave it alone…
I can take care of it tomorrow…
I’ll call if it happens again…

These are all reasons we’ve heard for not taking immediate action with a flooding toilet. While it can be tempting to ignore the problem, especially if the water from the overflow isn’t pouring into the floor just yet, it’s one of the worst things you can do for the plumbing system.

Since there is no way to know what the cause of the overflow is simply by looking at the toilet, ignoring the problem can cause more issues. If the culprit is a clogged pipe and it’s left untreated, the pipe can burst or crack, turning a relatively easy fix into something bigger, for example.

Severe structural damage can occur from an ignored overflowing toilet as excess water seeps into cabinets, ceilings, tiles, showers, and baseboards.

Additionally, there are potential health hazards. Wastewater can quickly soak into the drywall, baseboards, carpet, cabinets, and ceilings or walls in lower-level rooms. Raw sewage contains bacteria, fungi, and other harmful components that pose an immediate risk to you and your family’s health.

What To Do If Your Toilet is Overflowing

Regardless of the cause, there are some simple steps to follow if your toilet is overflowing.

1.Don’t Flush

We know it’s tempting to attempt a second flush to see if the blockage will or has cleared but don’t do it. A second flush when the water is already backing up will only cause more water to fill the bowl and spill out. Adding more water from another flush won’t help anything.

2. Shut Off The Water

Even if you aren’t sure what’s causing the blockage, shutting off the water is an immediate step to take while you wait for the emergency plumbing team to arrive. There are several ways you can do this:

• Close the shut off valve. To do this, turn the knob located behind the toilet clockwise.
• Pull the float. Some toilets may not have the valve, especially in an older home or building and some valves may be too tight to turn. Another way to shut off the water is by pulling on the float.
• Shut off the main water supply. The water main should be in the garage, near the water heater, or outside near the front door.

3. Disinfect The Bathroom

When a toilet is flushed, airborne particles can reach up to nearly 5 feet above the toilet. So, not only does the water from the overflow cause potential health hazards, but so too does the flushing. The combination means that the surfaces in the bathroom are now covered in microscopic waste particles. The sooner you can disinfect and clean, the better.

4. Check For Water Damage

It’ll be much easier to see and locate water damage once the excess water is cleaned up. Water damage can quickly lead to mold and mildew growth, or floor, drywall, and ceiling rot.

5. Schedule a Plumbing Inspection

Once the overflowing issue is resolved, it’s recommended to have your plumbing system inspected. Our team will thoroughly look for corrosion, leaks, and water damage while checking plumbing connections, drain lines, and more. Preventative maintenance is the best way to prevent a future expensive repair.