Rats! There is nothing worse than having a toilet overflow at the office and no idea how to stop it. At home, this is just a hassle, but at a place of business, it can permanently damage your reputation with employees and customers. If you’re in the midst of a toilet overflow, the most important thing to do is to stop it fast.
If you have an overflowing toilet and are looking for help to stop it, here’s what you need to do immediately:
- Remove the toilet lid and set it somewhere safe.
- Press the flapper (the rubber piece at the bottom) into the center of the tank to prevent more water from entering the toilet bowl. The water inside the tank is sanitary, so you don’t have to worry about washing your hands immediately after. This will hopefully stop the water from overflowing (or at least stop it from overflowing further).
- Lift the float that operates the tank fill valve. This will allow the excess water to drain and hopefully, this will alleviate the problem until the plumber arrives. Once the water is drained you should be able to get go of the float and flush as normal.
- If the water doesn’t start to go down, you may have to shut off the water supply to that toilet so it doesn’t overflow. It should be located near the floor. To turn off the water supply, turn the valve clockwise. If you can’t reach it, get someone to hold the tank valve float while you turn it.
- If you believe a blockage caused the overflow, try plunging the toilet to get the water level back to normal. However, if multiple drains are experiencing issues or if the toilet is draining from one drain to another, it’s time to call your MaintenX plumber.
While you wait for your MaintenX technician to arrive, it’s important to not use any other sink or toilet as you may cause further overflows. Our team should arrive in a matter of minutes or hours to resolve the issue depending on the time of day. However, even a temporary facility closure is worth it to ensure your employees and customers are safe.
If you experience plumbing issues now or in the future, contact your local MaintenX plumbers!
