4 Reasons Why Your Toilet is Overflowing
Posted on: 27 December 2018
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Nearly every plumbing contractor has dealt with an overflowing toilet. Toilet overflows happen because of blockages that prevent waste and water from flushing down the toilet smoothly. These blockages lead to a backup that causes the toilet to overflow. Not sure why your toilet keeps overflowing or what's causing it to overflow? Here are some of the things to look for.
Clogged Drain
Clogged drain lines are the primary reason for overflowing toilets. Sometimes you can easily fix this problem with a toilet plunger. However, there are clogged toilets that need some more coaxing. If the clog is located further down the drain, then a plunger might not work. When you look at your toilet, there is an S-shaped trap located between the drain and the bowl. This trap helps prevent the toilet drain from clogging. If the trap is blocked, it will prevent water from getting into the drain, and this means your toilet will start to overflow. This could be cause for getting emergency plumbing services. A toilet backup is a potentially costly (and disgusting) problem.
Blocked Sewer Lines
At times, the problem with your overflowing toilet can be outside your house. The sewer lines running from your home can be clogged by foreign items. In addition, these lines can be blocked or broken by the roots in your compound. When the sewer lines are blocked, it means that water cannot flow well from your toilet, and this will sometimes make it overflow. This is another emergency that should be addressed by emergency plumbing services.
Septic Tank
If you use a septic system in your home, then the cause of your overflowing toilet might be coming from your septic tank. Septic systems work by releasing wastewater from the drain pipes into a drain field, which is the soil surrounding the septic tank. If the areas surrounding the septic tank are not able to dissolve all the water flowing into them, then the septic tank will get full, and this will cause your toilet to overflow.
Low-Flow Toilets
Some of the older low-flow toilets might have a problem in functioning normally. If you flush non-flushable objects or excess tissue paper, then that might be more than your toilet can take. This, in turn, can make the toilet to overflow. Therefore, you should avoid flushing napkins, towels, diapers, sanitary towels, hair, and other solid inorganic objects down your toilet. Even a small amount of these items could cause a serious problem to your plumbing system.
Speak to a local plumbing professional, such as Vines Plumbing & Water Restoration, for more information about toilet clogs and plumbing emergencies.