An overflowing toilet can be every homeowner’s worst nightmare. It’s a disgusting and can be a challenging situation. Fixing the toilet is only half of the job. You also have to worry about the clean up after!
What Actions Should You Take?
You go to flush the toilet and notice it’s not going down, what do you do?! While your first instinct may be to panic, being proactive is the best way to minimize some of the cleanup you’ll be doing later on. If your toilet starts overflowing:
- Turn off the water supply: Shutting off the water supply line can stop the overflow situation from getting much worse. Most toilets will have a shut-off valve near the base of the toilet. If you can’t find the valve, remove the toilet lid, and manually stop the water flow by lifting the float ball up high enough to stop the water from running.
- Do NOT try flushing your toilet repeatedly: As much as you might want to, it’s never a good idea to try flushing your toilet if you already had a problem once. You could possibly end up making the situation much worse. An overflowing toilet can be caused for a number of reasons. You may be dealing with a clogged pipe, or worse, a backed-up septic tank.
If your toilet keeps overflowing, call Liberty Plumbing immediately! Our team will arrive as quickly as they can to help fix the problem.
Cleaning Up Toilet Overflow: Why is it so Important?
Cleaning up the aftermath from an overflowing toilet can be difficult, but you’ll want to get started as soon as possible. Black water contains raw sewage and a wide range of bacteria and viruses that can cause typhoid, hepatitis, and cholera. It’s safe to use your gloves and diluted bleach if there are only a few splashes on the floor, but it’s a different story if there’s more black water than that.
The longer the water is allowed to sit there, the more damage it can do. You’ll want to make sure that all the areas in your bathroom are free of moisture and that all the black water has been properly cleaned up. If any of it soaks into your floorboards, drywall, or bathroom cabinets, it’s very likely that all these items will need replacing to ensure no mildew growth begins to form.
Don’t Want to Deal with the Aftermath of a Toilet Overflow?
No one wants to deal with a clogged toilet, but it will most likely happen to you at some point in time. Instead of getting stuck with the problem yourself, you can simply hire our team at Liberty Plumbing to handle the mess of fixing your toilet for you! We specialize in toilet and sewage system repairs and our team is highly trained to ensure the job is done right!
Quick action from professionals such as Liberty Plumbing can mitigate damage and prevent further complications. It’s crucial to have a plan in place, including knowing the location of shut-off valves and having the contact information of a reliable Northern Virginia plumber like the ones at Liberty Plumbing.
If you’re facing a plumbing crisis, such as an overflowing toilet, don’t hesitate to contact us today! Our experienced team is ready to respond, assess the situation, and provide the necessary repairs to restore your home’s plumbing system to optimal working condition.