{"id":1517,"date":"2024-04-15T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/?p=1517"},"modified":"2024-04-11T18:57:19","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T22:57:19","slug":"toilet-overflowing-dont-panic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/plumbing-service\/toilet-overflowing-dont-panic\/","title":{"rendered":"Toilet Overflowing? Don\u2019t Panic!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Toilet-Overflowing-Dont-Panic.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Toilet-Overflowing-Dont-Panic-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"plumber-fixing-a-clogged-toilet\" class=\"wp-image-1518\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Toilet-Overflowing-Dont-Panic-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Toilet-Overflowing-Dont-Panic-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Toilet-Overflowing-Dont-Panic-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Toilet-Overflowing-Dont-Panic-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Toilet-Overflowing-Dont-Panic.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Emergencies don\u2019t always bring out the best in everyone. It\u2019s easy to be frantic when something goes suddenly wrong, and that never helps with resolving the situation. And of all the possible household emergencies, ones that involve a flood of toilet water can be particularly distressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your toilet overflows, what is the most important thing to do? Stay calm! But of course that\u2019s easier said than done. The best way to avoid panic and calmly resolve an issue with an <a href=\"\/plumbing\/emergency\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">overflowing toilet<\/a> is to have a clear plan to follow. Here\u2019s what to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2>Step 1: Stop That Water from Flowing!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Chances are, this will actually be quite easy. Almost all toilets have a shut-off valve. Look for an oval knob toward the back of the toilet base, usually to the left, on a pipe or hose that connects the toilet to the water pipes within your wall. Simply turn it to the right, clockwise, to shut off the water to the toilet itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, there are sometimes situations where this is not possible. Perhaps there is no knob, or it is corroded from years or decades of condensation and is rusted in position so you can\u2019t turn it. You\u2019ll need to shut off the water to your whole house. This is a good thing to know how to do anyway, in case of any other plumbing emergencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main shut-off valve that stops all water from flowing into your house will be on an exterior wall, low down, generally in the basement. You\u2019ll find it on the side of your home closest to your water source, either the street if you have municipal water or nearest your well. Again, just turn the knob clockwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Step 2: Cleanup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Soak up that water as quickly as you can so it won\u2019t soak into your flooring, causing rot, instability, and a great environment for mold growth. Try to use towels you\u2019re willing to bleach because this water is not clean. If you\u2019ve had to shut off the water to the whole house, this is a good time to break out the hand sanitizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Step 3: Plunging<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You might be able to unclog the toilet yourself with a plunger. Keep it vertical, and thrust straight downward, not too far, but vigorously. The idea is to push water down with enough force to get that clog moving down the drain and to the sewer line. Try this several times before you come to the conclusion that it\u2019s not working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Step 4: Enlist a Professional<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can\u2019t get the toilet unclogged, it\u2019s time for an <a href=\"\/service-areas\/clifton-nj-plumbing-hvac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">emergency plumber in Clifton, NJ<\/a>. With training, expertise, on-the-job experience, and the best professional plumbing equipment, they will be able to resolve your problem and get your toilet functioning again.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you know exactly what steps to take, you won\u2019t panic if you\u2019re ever faced with an overflowing toilet!<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"\/contact\/send-message\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Contact MarGo Plumbing Heating Cooling Inc. today<\/strong><\/a><strong> with toilet clog concerns or any questions about your plumbing!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The best way to avoid panic and calmly resolve an issue with an overflowing toilet is to have a clear plan to follow. Here\u2019s what to do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[81],"tags":[156,167],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1517"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1517"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1520,"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1517\/revisions\/1520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}