Remove the lid from the toilet tank, reach inside the tank and lift up the bottom of the fill valve or float to stop the water from refilling. Rig the float to stay up to prevent it from refilling the toilet. You can also pull out the refill tube from the overflow valve to stop the water from refilling the tank. Proceed to step 2 (even if you cannot complete step one).
Turn off the water supply near the toilet. There is usually a pipe near the base of the toilet with a valve on it. Turn that valve to stop the water supply coming to your toilet’s water tank. If you cannot find this valve, or if you are struggling to turn it off, then proceed to step 3.
Turn off your home’s main water supply. This should be the final step. However, if your toilet is still overflowing after step 3, then you may have a serious sewerage issue. If this happens, call Art Plumbing AC & Electric for an emergency drain clearing service.
If you have successfully managed to stop your toilet from overflowing, take a mop and clean up the excess water in your bathroom. Make sure everything is clean and dry, and do not use or flush the toilet until it has been serviced. We recommend that you schedule a service to have your toilet unclogged by one of our licensed plumbers.
The only things that you should ever flush down the toilet (when the toilet is working) would be urine, feces and toilet paper, nothing more!
There are usually two types of floats that your toilet should have; either the ball float or the cup float. The float determines how much water should enter the tank. When you flush the toilet, the water in the tank will drain into the toilet bowl, causing the float to lower itself as the water goes down. This opens the filling valve to allow water to enter the toilet’s tank.
The most common cause for an overflowing toilet is drain and pipe clogging. This is caused by flushing anything that is not meant to go down the toilet. A toilet can even be blocked if too much toilet paper has been flushed down the toilet, especially if the toilet has a septic tank.
Another cause may be from a malfunctioning toilet. For example, if the float has malfunctioned, it may cause the water to keep refilling the tank to the point of overflow.
If you are still struggling to follow the 3 steps, call Art Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electric as soon as possible for an emergency service! We cover Broward County, Palm Beach County & Miami-Dade County areas.