Stop the water
- Lift the tank lid. Push the flapper at the bottom of the tank down onto its seat with your hand. The bowl stops filling.
- Lift the float or float arm up to stop the fill valve.
- Reach behind the toilet and turn the oval stop valve clockwise until it closes.
Clear the clog
Use a flange plunger, the one with the extra rubber sleeve. Seat it in the outlet, push slowly to get the air out, then pump hard ten or fifteen times without breaking the seal. If the water drops with a gulp, the clog has moved.
No luck plunging? A closet auger snakes along the trapway built into the bowl. Its rubber sleeve protects the porcelain. Crank it in, pull back, and flush with the stop barely open so the bowl cannot overflow again.
Standing over the problem right now?Ring (365) 364-0926 and describe what you see.
When it is not just the toilet
- The tub or shower drain backs up when you flush.
- Water comes up the basement floor drain.
- Every toilet in the house is slow.
Those mean the blockage is in the main building drain, not the toilet trap. Stop using water and call; a plunger only pushes it around. See main sewer line cleaning.
| What caused it | Usual fix |
|---|---|
| Wipes, paper towel, floss | Plunger or closet auger |
| Toy, phone, bottle cap | Pull the toilet; auger can jam it further |
| Roots or a collapsed main | Machine from the cleanout and a camera |
Clean up
Soak up the floor water, mop with a household disinfectant and check the ceiling below. If water sat around the base for a while, the wax ring may need checking.
Questions from callers
Will another flush force it down?
No. Each flush adds a full tank to a blocked bowl.
Is a cup plunger okay for a toilet?
It rarely seals. Use a flange plunger.
Why did it overflow without a clog?
A stuck fill valve can overfill the tank into the overflow tube; replace the fill valve.
Ready when you are.Call Vaughan Plumbers at (365) 364-0926. A person answers.