Okay, so your toilet won’t stop flushing water into the bowl, causing it to back up and eventually start overflowing. Before you do anything else to deal with the problem, the first thing you need to do is not panic. With some quick reactions and a cool head, you can prevent most of the damage that toilet overflows can cause. Read on to find out what to do when your toilet is overflowing.
Turn Off the Water
Most toilets have a water shutoff valve, located either on the wall next to the toilet, or on the base. Find that valve and turn it to the right to close it. This should shut off all water flow to the system, stopping the overflow. This is the easiest way to deal with your toilet overflowing.
Lift the Ball-Cock
Unfortunately, not all toilets have something as convenient as a shutoff valve. If you can’t find the shutoff valve, or you know that your toilet doesn’t have one, lift the top off the water tank and look for the ball-cock. It should look like a rubber ball attached to the end of a lever. The ball-cock measures the amount of water in your toilet’s water tank. When the water level gets high enough, the ball-cock lifts the lever and closes off the flow of water into the tank. This is how the toilet regulates its water levels. Lift the ball-cock to stop the flow of water into the tank, preventing further overflow. Be warned, though, that this method will require finding some way to secure the ball-cock in the correct position to keep more water from flowing in.
Carney Plumbing Heatig & Cooling offers plumbing repair services throughout Ambler, PA. Call today to schedule an appointment with one of our expert technicians.