“Please Stop!” Toilet Overflow Quick Fix

There’s nothing more embarrassing than clogging someone’s toilet and it overflowing.

Rule #1: Don’t Panic!

This can be pretty tough, right? Well, I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to worry anymore because this article has a tip you can take with you to every party you attend.

A Close Call At A Graduation Party

Everything was going fine, except when my wife came up to me after returning from the bathroom. She said she clogged the toilet and it’s going to overflow. Me being a plumber, I ran to that bathroom to save my wife from the embarrassment. I ran as fast as I could to see if I could stop the overflow.

When I got there I could see it was luckily not overflowed but at the brim. Thank you, Lord!

I found a plunger, carefully fixed the clog and went back to the party. I assured my wife there was nothing to clean up and everything was fine.

When we got home I told her there was something I wanted to show her. She gave a cheesy look and I said “in the bathroom.” Not knowing what to expect, she slowly inched into the bathroom.

That’s when I showed her there wasn’t much she could do about not clogging the toilet. At parties, it’s obviously more likely to happen. However, I showed her a trick to stop the overflow.

“I wish I would have known this…”

If you run into this situation again, look behind the toilet for the main shut off valve.

Sometimes these are hidden behind a wall, but in many cases, they are not. Simply close the valve (righty tighty, lefty loosey) to stop the flow of water into the bowl.

My wife was astonished at how and said, “I wish I would have known this. Thank you!”

“But wait! There’s more,” I said.

If you can’t move the valve by hand, because it’s stuck, you can remove the toilet tank lid and see if the flapper is open. If it is, close the flapper. If it’s not or won’t stay closed when you close it, grab the float ball and lift it to the surface of the water.

“You now have the tools to go to a party. Haha,” I said. LOL.

Don’t forget about Rule #1: Don’t panic. Then use this trick to save your bathroom or someone else’s.

Just Your Friendly Neighborhood

Fix It All Plumber, Kevin Sipes