How To Handle an Overflowing Toilet

7/23/2022 (Permalink)

While toilets may get clogged or not function as they should from time to time, an overflowing toilet can pose a large issue, especially if dealing with a sewage backup. If sewage water enters your home in Boston, MA, it is labeled Category 3 water and needs to be considered an emergency since the bacteria, viruses, and microbes in the contaminated water can cause serious illness and harm to anyone who comes into contact with it. This situation warrants the help of a professional sewage cleanup and restoration company. Here is some useful information for dealing with toilet overflow and sewer damage.

Possible Causes of a Sewage Backup

While you should contact a sewage company whenever a backup occurs, there are several reasons sewage might make its way into your home:

• Clogged or flooded toilet
• Tree roots affecting sewer line
• Damaged, worn, or clogged sewer line
• Municipal sewer backup
  
  

How To Deal With a Clogged Toilet

While a clogged toilet is not an emergency in itself, it needs to be dealt with correctly to prevent sewer damage from occurring. Often, a small clog can be handled using a toilet plunger. You should prevent overflowing ahead of time by taking the lid off the tank and pushing the flapper down, which prevents water from entering the bowl. Then turn off the toilet’s main water supply. If a plunger doesn’t fix the clog, you can try using a toilet auger or snake to break up a clog in the drainage pipe. Sometimes, a plunger or auger won’t be enough to fix the issue and will need to be fixed by a professional plumber.

Since sewage backup is grossly contaminated and causes severe harm to any who consumes or comes into contact with it, you should always call a professional sewer damage cleanup company rather than try to clean up the mess yourself. Prevent a toilet overflow from occurring by knowing how to effectively handle clogs.