 Stop an Overflowing Toilet...
April 7, 2010
If your toilet is about to overflow...we're probably
too late. It's overflowing. But here's some advice for
next time!
The first thing you must do is take off the toilet tank
lid. Remove the lid with haste, but place it gently,
somewhere out of the way. Tank lids are easy to chip
or damage.
Once the tank lid is off, reach into the tank and push
down on the flapper valve. This valve is what allows
water into the bowl. Pushing it down stops the flow.
If you're fast enough, the bowl will stop filling up
immediately, before it overflows.
The next step is to try to stop any more water from
entering the toilet or the tank. To do this, LIFT UP
THE FLOAT that is connected to the tank fill valve. This
will completely halt the passage of water into the tank.
If things slowly begin to return to normal and the water
exits the bowl - CONGRATS! You've basically fixed the
problem. Keep holding the float up until all water levels
return to normal.
But if the water
level in the tank DOES NOT DROP, then you need to close
the toilet supply valve (usually located near your feet,
on the wall behind the toilet bowl.) Turn it right until
it's relatively tight, and you've successfully shut off
the water supply to the toilet. At this point - you've
done everything you can, and the overflow has been prevented...or
you need a plumber. |
