Do you hear an odd gurgling when you flush the toilet? This strange noise may be accompanied by water steadily rising in the toilet bowl. As the toilet water level keeps increasing, you may feel annoyance, panic and confusion. The first question that comes to mind is, “Uh oh, why is my toilet overflowing?”
Unfortunately, overflowing toilets are a common occurrence for many homeowners. Toilets are one of the most used appliances in our homes. They are sturdy and reliable most of the time, but malfunctions may happen after lots of wear and tear. An overflowing toilet can be tricky to resolve, so the recommended action is to call a professional plumber. This expert can examine the root of the problem and stop a toilet from overflowing.
After fixing the toilet, it is crucial to understand why the overflow happened so you can avoid it in the future. There may be several causes, depending on your toilet type, the pipes connected, and the water system used. Let’s figure out why the toilet is overflowing when you flush.
A clogged toilet causes the overflowing.
When your toilet overflows, there is a blockage in the plumbing system. Specifically, the problem involves a clogged drain. This obstruction prevents the water from freely flowing away from your toilet drain. Since the water cannot move forward, the clean water and wastewater combine to come back up the pipe. This phenomenon causes the toilet overflow.
There are multiple reasons a clogged drain may occur. Commonly, blockages occur due to flushing too much waste and toilet paper. Homeowners may also dispose of non-flushable products, such as sanitary wipes, tampons, floss, diapers, or thick paper. They may even flush pet waste or kitchen waste like grease and oil. You should not flush any of these items down the toilet because they may cause blockages.
Remember: the only things that belong in a toilet are human waste, water, and paper. You may successfully resolve minor blockages with a plunger. Otherwise, please contact a Whitby plumber for assistance.
A clogged vent pipe causes a toilet to overflow.
Sometimes, a toilet overflows due to clogs farther down in the pipes. These clogs may be trickier to identify since they are not immediately visible. They could be entrenched extensively into your plumbing system. A drain snake may unclog these deep-rooted clogs, but homeowners should only use this tool if they have the expertise. Otherwise, it’s best to leave the repairs to an Oshawa plumber.
If you notice that your toilet clogs and overflows frequently, it could be due to a blocked vent pipe. A vent pipe moves air from the surroundings into the plumbing system to replace the air pumped into each flush. If this part is blocked, your toilet will not be able to flush correctly. This failure causes the overflowing. A vent pipe isn’t easily accessible as they are often within the house’s walls, so you’ll need to call a professional for assistance.
The toilet tank flapper causes the overflowing.
You can see the flapper after lifting the lid off the top of your toilet. It is a rubber disc that covers the bottom of the tank. The flapper seals the opening between the tank and the toilet bowl. When you flush, the toilet flapper lifts out of the way so water can rush into the bowl.
If the flapper is open when resting, this causes water to keep running into the bowl until it overflows. It will occur even if the flapper is open just slightly. Most of the time, you can fix the issue with a new toilet flapper replacement. Ensure you install the part correctly to stop the toilet from overflowing.
A high filler float causes the toilet to overflow.
Occasionally, an overflow originates from the toilet tank due to a high filler float. This fill valve is the mechanism that controls the water level in your toilet. If the float is set too high, the tank will fill with more water than it can contain. The result is leakages and spillages in your toilet.
You can fix this problem by adjusting the tank’s mechanism to lower the float’s level. Toilets have tank fill valves that regulate the water flow, which can resolve the issue.
Other causes of toilet overflow
Many other causes may lead to a toilet overflow. Some typical issues may relate to the septic tank. If your house uses a septic system, check your records to determine how long ago it was pumped. If it was more than seven years, the tank might be unable to accept more water.
An overflowing toilet may also occur due to old household plumbing systems, which do not work as smoothly as before. Likewise, there may be local water supply problems. In that case, you can alert the municipalities about the issue. Many toilet overflow causes are challenging to diagnose by yourself. They require the expertise of a professional plumber, so contact Marco Plumbing today!