It is a person’s worst fear to see water flow upwards in a toilet instead of flowing downwards.
The mere sight of the toilet overflowing with wastewater and clean water is enough to make someone flustered. So, what to do when a toilet overflows when flushed?
Unfortunately, this is a very common question as we frequently use restrooms in our everyday life.
To understand the toilet overflow issue, you must get to the bottom and understand what is causing the overflow. After that, you can make necessary fixes and take preventive measures to avoid ever seeing a flooded toilet.
Interested to learn the causes, solutions, and preventions of overflowing toilets, then keep on reading!
Why Toilet Overflows When Flushed?
Toilets are one of the most frequently used parts of a house. Hence any malfunction in it can be problematic. However, it is the ultimate sight of horror to observe toilet water rise instead of going down when you flush.
Water should always go down and never flow up! Hence, we cannot help but ask-why do toilets overflow? You can have an overflowing toilet because of various reasons. Let us take a look!
Blockage in Toilet Trap and Toilet Bowl
Toilet traps are the u-shaped channel in your toilet that stops unpleasant sewer gases from flooding in your bathroom, and the toilet bowl is the wide-open ceramic bowl that we can see in a toilet.
The plumbing of a toilet is intricate and delicate. Hence flushing foreign objects like wipes, sanitary items can clog up toilet traps and bowls.
At times, flushing too many tissues at a time can result in overflowing toilets as well. This excess waste can block toilet traps, thus causing overflowing toilets.
Blockage in Vent Traps
Vent traps are a part of the plumbing situated outside of your toilet, which is responsible for disposing of the foul odor of toilets.
However, leaves and other garbage can obstruct the airflow in those pipes. As a result, they start blocking necessary airflow. This causes flooded toilets in your house.
Clog in Drainpipes
Drainpipes carry wastewater away from your home to the sewage system. These pipes have many twists and turns, hence high chances of non-flushable wastes jamming these bends.
These blockades can overflow and cause flooded toilets. If there is a drain or sewage malfunction, such as a build-up of rubbish that obstructs water flow, you’ll see that your toilet and washing machine is overflowing too.
Toilet Dysfunctions
When you see that your toilet is flooded, there might be some issues with the toilet’s handle. It can be a ruptured tank float, a dysfunctional toilet handle, or perhaps low-flow toilets.
The low-flow toilets can save water but are more prone to clogs. Hence these are some of the reasons why your toilet may not function correctly.
Overflowing Septic Tank
If your apartment complex is connected to a septic tank and not a sewage system, water build-up in that tank can cause toilets to overflow. Houses with functional septic tanks release water to the drain field. If it is unable to do so, then there are high chances of toilets overflowing.
How to Fix an Overflowing Toilet?
It is horrible to find a toilet overflowing with wastewater. But not to fear, remedies are here! If you are wondering how to stop overflowing toilets, then read further to find out the solutions.
Step 1: Shutdown the Water Supply
Once a toilet starts overflowing, it escalates very quickly. To grasp the situation and avoid a significant mess, you should be quick on your feet and shut off the toilet valve that is situated just below the toilet.
This valve stops water from flowing in the toilet, thus control overflowing. However, this is just a temporary solution as the water is trapped in the bowl.
Step 2: Use a Plunger
Make sure to shut down the water supply of the toilet before using a plunger.
To unclog a toilet overflowing due to a clogged toilet bowl or toilet trap, you should get rid of the excess water by scooping the water with a mug from the toilet bowl and use a plunger to clear the congestion forcefully.
You can add some grease at the bottom of the plunger to make the process more effective. If the plunger does not work, then it means that the blockade is in the toilet trap. A toilet snake is handy in these situations, so use that to unclog the toilets.
Step 3: Investigate to Find Where the Actual Clog Is Situated
If the overflow does not stop after using a plunger or toilet snake, then you should investigate other washrooms in your house or your floor.
If all the bathrooms have similar issues, your toilet may not be the problem. Instead, there is a chance that the problem lies in the sewage or septic system.
Step 4: Call the Plumber (The Last Resort)
If you cannot control the toilets overflowing, you should immediately seek professional help and inform the necessary authorities.
Authorities can check the sewage or drainage system for any blockage. Professionals or licensed plumbers can fix drainage, plumbing, vent pipes, or septic system problems. They will do the needful to unclog your flooded toilet.
How to Prevent Toilets from Overflowing
If you want to prevent yourself from asking the question- why is my toilet overflowing? Then you can take few precautionary measures.
- Clean your toilet valves when you are washing your toilet. Just a gentle scrub with a wet cloth can ensure that the valves are in optimum condition to work smoothly. Otherwise, at a crucial time of toilet overflowing, you will be unable to stop the water flow.
- Pay a professional to regularly check your septic system, drainage system, and vent pipe so that you can fix any problems before it causes your toilets to overflow.
- Do not ever flush sanitary products, wipes, or any other solid objects other than water and tissues down your toilet.
Final Verdict
It is a nightmare to discover that your toilet overflows when flushed.
However, with correct knowledge about the reasons for overflowing, solutions for clogging, and preventive measures to avoid clogging, you will never have to utter the sentence- why is my toilet overflowing!
Instead, simply follow the pointers and steps mentioned in the article to handle an overflowing toilet.
