Over-flowing Toilets in Moorestown NJ, Sewage backup Haddonfield NJ,

9/14/2017 (Permalink)

Watching water rise to the top edge of a toilet bowl is disconcerting to say the least. But in most cases the water will stop running before overflowing. Many toilet bowls are designed in such a way that they will usually hold the entire contents of the tank without overflowing. However, that's not true for all toilets. If you have a toilet that overflows the rim when the bowl is clogged there are a few things you can do to minimize the problem and save some water. You can't just lower the water level in the tank; you need to displace some of the water in the tank instead while still maintaining the height of the water level at the mark on the back wall of the tank.

Take a plastic bottle and add an inch or so of marbles or gravel before you fill the jar with water and replace the cap; a square two or three liter olive oil jug works great for an old toilet. Flush the toilet a few times to determine whether or not the toilet still flushes waste away. If not, try a smaller bottle or jug. This should work IF the water level in the bowl was at its normal height before the toilet was flushed, and the ballcock and flapper are working properly and shut off when the tank is full.

Another step you can take is to adjust the amount of water that refills the bowl. The bowl is filled with the water that goes into the overflow pipe. The water runs as long as the ballcock is on and running. With a "Fill Cycle Diverter" you can adjust the amount of water going into the bowl and save some more water. This little diverter has four tubes so that you can cut the amount of water in half or three-forths. You need at least one tube going into the overflow pipe. The excess water will go into the tank and the tank will fill faster.

Unfortunately, when a toilet bowl is clogged and the water level rises and doesn't flush the contents away, some people are too hasty and will flush the toilet again hoping the additional water will 'push' the contents of the bowl down. This only causes a toilet bowl to overflow. SO, warn all members of your household, that when the water level in a toilet bowl is higher than normal - DO NOT FLUSH IT AGAIN. You must wait until the water level drops to normal. If it doesn't drop to normal, then you need to find out what is blocking the bowl. But under no circumstances should you flush again.

An overflowing toilet bowl can result in widespread and rather serious consequences. For example, not long ago, the McPherson Square Metro Station in Washington, D.C. lost power for much of the morning after a toilet overflowed in the nearby Lafayette Building, flooding a pair of Potomac Electric Power Co. feeder boxes that provide service to the subway stop, the building above and the U.S. Treasury Annex.

Treat ALL Toilet overflows as Biohazards. Contact a Certified Biohazard cleaning company for the clean up.