How does one stop a flooding toilet?

Question

How does one stop a flooding toilet after flushing too much? A peculiar question, I know, but from an unfortunate incident I ran into....>_<

Answer 1

Has the water stopped flowing now? If not you need to turn it off at the valve under the tank. If there is no valve there, you need to turn off the water at the meter. If there are two valves at the meter, turn them both off.

The emergency should now be over, on to the repair...

I assume you mean the bowl is overflowing?

Flushing a toilet too much can not possibly cause it to overflow. The tank takes too long to fill for that to happen. IF the valve inside the toilet sticks open, the water will flow continuously into the tank. However, it flows at such a relatively slow rate that it cannot cause the bowl to overflow.

If it is overflowing, it MUST be a blockage in the pipes where the water, etc. goes during and after flushing. That is not unusual. Typically, it is something that should not have been put in there that causes it. Toilet paper is the only thing that you should put into the toilet. Anything else may eventually plug it. I am purposely ignoring discussing the obvious bodily wastes that are the purpose of the toilet.

Another cause is using too much toilet paper between flushings. It is not my place to judge how much you think is appropriate to use, but if you use more than a couple feet of it, flush before going forward. How is that for tactfully discussing the subject?

More often than not, using a standard plunger will unclog a blocked toilet. The blockage is typically actually inside the toilet, between the part of the bowl that you see (filled with water) and the pipes that lead eventually to the sewer.

The blockage can be further down the line, like in the pipes or even from the house to the street. That is not unheard of, but is relatively rare.

Do NOT use drain cleaner in the toilet before reading the instructions and warnings fully. Some drain cleaner can damage a toilet.

Personally, I like the safe drain cleaners, the ones that use enzymes instead of strong chemicals. They are especially good for slow drains that have not gotten too bad yet.

Answer 2

Someone flushed a toy or comb or baret and it is now stuck within the toilet trap. You will need to unhook the water supply, remove the bolts that hold the toilet down, and remove the toiled. Be careful to not tip the toilet backwards. It will 'flush' the remaining water onto the floor. You must take it outside or put it in the bathtub (use cardboard to protect the tub). Now turn it upside down and look at the exit hole. You may be able to see the foreign object. If not, or even if you can see something and remove it, you must backflush the toilet. Get a garden hose, turn it on full blast with no nozzle, and stick it in the exit hole. Move it back and forth several times. Hopefully, foreign objects will be flushed out the entry hole. Turn toilet upright and fill tank and flush it. Repeat the backflush cycle several times. You might be surprised by the debris. Only one time could I not remove a stick and the toilet needed to be replaced. One more thing. If the toilet is really old and the water is hard (mineralized), the finish may be 'flaking'. This flaking finish itself may be causing the jam-ups. If this is the case, replace the toilet. But I'll bet you find a small plastic item that you will be able to back flush out of the built-in trap in the toilet. Good luck.

Answer 3

Hopefully the toilet has a stop valve nearby. If you are fast you can shut it off before it overflows.

Messy subject

Answer 4

Try turning the water supply valve off, located behind and to the left of the toilet. To turn it off, turn clockwise.

Answer 5

shut the water off at the shutoff valve under the toilet tank.

Answer 6

Best way is to open up the top, shove the flapper valve closed and it will stoop the water from going to the bowl.

Answer 7

There should be a water shut off valve at the base of the basin.