If there is a blockage that causes a toilet to overflow, it usually means that waste and water can’t be flushed smoothly down your toilet’s drain. This can get really messy in mere seconds and if not cleaned up and taken care of quickly, it may also result in water damages caused to your bathroom’s floor, walls, and ceilings of rooms underneath it.
If you wish to maintain an operational toilet, the first thing to do is to check after you flush. If you have reason to believe that the toilet is clogged, wait for a few seconds after you flush, and see if the bowl gets refilled with water all the way, or beyond the level it usually does. If you notice that the water keeps rising, you should reach inside the toilet’s tank and lift the float. It will stop the flow and help you avoid water damage. The next step is to turn off the toilet’s water supply valve.
It is recommended to do this maintenance check every so often, in order to avoid the potential and unwanted toilet water damage. Toilet water could be harmful in case your toilet overflows, and you find that it contains fecal matter or raw sewage. Make sure you do not touch anything before wearing the proper protective clothing.
In case toilet water has soaked into carpets of flooring in your house, it is considered to be a biohazard since it is full of micro-particles that can develop into mold, fungus and more unwanted problems when left to their own and not properly sanitized. Usually, in these cases, the solution is to remove the carpet that has been exposed to the toilet water.
In the worst-case scenario, a toilet overflow might flood your entire house. In this case, you are about to handle a massive cleanup job, but you shouldn’t do it by yourself. Contact a water damage repair company, and leave it to the professionals, who are able to use the proper sanitation chemicals, in order to ensure that there is no mold that will develop in your house as a result.
There are a few common reasons for toilet overflows when in most cases it is caused by some type of blockage. Clogs are usually caused by flushing things that you are not supposed to flush down the toilet. The toilet is designed and meant for flushing waste and toilet paper, but other items and substances are likely to clog the drain. Do not flush sanitary products, paper towels, diapers or solid items. Also worth noting – flushable wipes that are marketed as safe to flush down the toilet, are one of the biggest causes of clogs that lead to toilet overflows.
There are various other reasons that might be more complicated and require a professional in order to understand, and if you find yourself dealing with a toilet overflow, do not hesitate to contact a professional.
