Clogged Toilet Water Damage

10/30/2019 (Permalink)

Don't let a clogged toilet get you down. Call us today!

The worst thing that can happen after a long day of work is to go home to a clogged toilet. After using the bathroom, you notice the water in the toilet is not draining like it's supposed too. 

If your toilet is overflowing, there are several steps you can take to stop the flooding and find the source of the problem.

If the toilet begins to overflow immediately after a flush, it’s likely that the toilet itself is clogged. First, stop the flow of water into the toilet to minimize flood damage. Remove the tank lid and press down on the flapper valve. This will prevent any more water from getting into the bowl. You want to make sure the water does not go over the sides. Once you’ve secured the flapper valve, lift the float that operates the tank fill valve to stop the tank from filling. Hold these in place for about a minute to cut off the toilet bowl water supply and allow the water level to return to normal.

If the water doesn’t start to go down, turn off the water valve behind the base of the toilet by turning it clockwise.

The next step--

Use a plunger to try to remove the blockage. 

If plunging and clearing the drain doesn’t stop the overflowing problem, you’ll have to take a look inside the toilet tank. If your toilet overflows even without flushing, it’s possible that the clog is somewhere else in a drainpipe, possibly your main drain or sewer line.

In this situation, running water from any other source in the house can’t escape and backflows to the lowest exit in the system--your toilet. If you have a private septic system, it’s possible that the septic tank is full.

SERVPRO® of Madison, Rockcastle, Garrard, & Lincoln Counties do not clear out septic tanks, but we do aide in the process of cleaning bathrooms and other areas inside the home that were impacted by the overflow.