If you discover your toilet is overflowing, it’s important to act fast in order to prevent widespread property damage. Use our step-by-step guide below to turn off the water to your toilet.
How To Turn Off The Water To A Toilet
Use these tips to turn the water off to your toilet and potentially prevent some flood damage.
Stop Flushing Immediately
If your toilet clogs, it’s very common to believe repeated flushing will force the problem to correct itself. However, introducing more water will only make matters worse.
It’s also important to steer clear of chemical drain openers as these are not intended for toilet use. Chemical drain cleaners have the potential to damage your plumbing.
Prop Up The Float Lever Or Ball
You can force the overflowing toilet to stop filling by propping up the float lever or ball. To do this step, start by removing the toilet tank lid. Inside, you will find a float valve located near the water’s surface.
Whenever you flush, the valve will descend, opening the fill valve to let water into your tank. As the water begins to fill, the valve ascends, eventually completely blocking the fill valve to stop the waterflow.
You can prevent the tank from refilling by slipping a piece of wood under the float valve to keep it elevated. If your toilet features an old-school float ball and rod, simply lift up on the ball to stop the water from entering. It is important to understand, though, that both of these preventative measures are temporary fixes until you find a permanent solution.
Turn Off The Shut-Off Valve Behind Your Toilet
The majority of toilets feature a shut-off valve on the wall or floor behind the fixture. Cutting the water supply to the toilet is as simple as turning this valve clockwise until tightly secured.
If the valve refuses to turn due to rust, a lubricant spray can be applied to loosen it up. However, always be careful not to force the valve since overexertion can break it and lead to a flooding disaster.
Turn Off The Main Shut-Off Valve
Some older toilets may not have a dedicated shut-off valve so turn off the main water supply to your house, if this is the case. Start by locating your water meter, which is usually located near the street or on the side/back of your house.
The main shut-off valve should be nearby, or it could be on the other side of the wall inside your home. A round gate valve requires multiple clockwise turns to completely shut off. Meanwhile, a lever-like ball valve only needs a quarter-turn to get it perpendicular to the pipe.
Unclog Your Toilet
With the water flow now under control, you can attempt to unclog your toilet. Choose a flange plunger for this final step, applying some firm pressure with each and every plunge.
You’ll know the clog has been resolved once the water level drops. Restore the water flow and flush the toilet to see if the unclogging has been successful.
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