Whether you live in an apartment, a townhouse, or a freestanding dwelling, toilet backups are a regular part of life. Even if you rent and your landlord covers all the maintenance, it’s still important to know how to stop an escalating backup or emergency, because you will need to keep things contained. Once you own your own place, this becomes even more important because any extra expenses caused by a spreading problem become extra expenses that you have to clean up or pay for. When you are confronted by a toilet that just won’t go down, here is what to do.
Start by assessing the situation. Is the toilet backed up but stable? Is it in danger of overflowing, or even overflowing already? If the answer to the last question is “yes,” then the first thing to do is to cut off the water supply to the toilet. This will keep it from continuing to fill, which is important. To cut off the water, you will need to locate the valve on the line running to the toilet tank. Sometimes these stick, especially if it has been a while since the last time the toilet needed to be maintained, so you may need to use a wrench to start it.
If the toilet’s water level is high but stable, or if you’ve already cut off the water supply, then the next step is assessment. Generally, if you had to cut off the water, you need someone with some plumbing expertise to continue with the assessment. Toilets are designed not to overflow, and if it did not stop filling on its own once it backed up, then there is something going on in the mechanical parts of your toilet and you need to have it checked out. If you did not have to cut the water off, then this is a good time to try simple remedies like a toilet plunger. Most of the time, they can unclog your toilet, allowing for the resumption of free-flowing flushes.
In the event that you don’t have luck with the plunger, it’s time to call in a drain expert, because you might have a clog somewhere in your sewage system. Getting a professional opinion and an estimate for repair will help you to assess your options. Whether you are looking at a backed up toilet, sewer line problems, or a new bathroom renovation, you can visit us for plumbing repair in North County by clicking here.
Start by assessing the situation. Is the toilet backed up but stable? Is it in danger of overflowing, or even overflowing already? If the answer to the last question is “yes,” then the first thing to do is to cut off the water supply to the toilet. This will keep it from continuing to fill, which is important. To cut off the water, you will need to locate the valve on the line running to the toilet tank. Sometimes these stick, especially if it has been a while since the last time the toilet needed to be maintained, so you may need to use a wrench to start it.
If the toilet’s water level is high but stable, or if you’ve already cut off the water supply, then the next step is assessment. Generally, if you had to cut off the water, you need someone with some plumbing expertise to continue with the assessment. Toilets are designed not to overflow, and if it did not stop filling on its own once it backed up, then there is something going on in the mechanical parts of your toilet and you need to have it checked out. If you did not have to cut the water off, then this is a good time to try simple remedies like a toilet plunger. Most of the time, they can unclog your toilet, allowing for the resumption of free-flowing flushes.
In the event that you don’t have luck with the plunger, it’s time to call in a drain expert, because you might have a clog somewhere in your sewage system. Getting a professional opinion and an estimate for repair will help you to assess your options. Whether you are looking at a backed up toilet, sewer line problems, or a new bathroom renovation, you can visit us for plumbing repair in North County by clicking here.