Overflowing toilet

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chessimprov

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My toilet has begun to overflow and I'm not sure what to do with it. I tried re-adjusting the bulb, and then too much water started flowing out and not stopping until I re-adjusted the bulb again. Should I try replacing the flapper, or is my toilet clogged?

Even when I stop the water, the toilet still seems to clog up.

It looks like before I call the plumber, I can try something here:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/fix-toilet-high-water-41212.html

I don't know how to buy a snake for a toilet if I need to try this. I have one for the sink, and I don't know if it's okay to use the same one for a toilet. I'm not very savvy with plumbing or electronics or anything handy. Any help is more than appreciated. I hope I have described this enough. Thank you.
 

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WJcandee

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Yes, your toilet is clogged. Or your drain line from the toilet is clogged, but most likely the toilet is clogged. Were it not clogged, any extra water that ran from the tank to the bowl would just flow slowly down the drain. If you can't clear it using a plunger, then a toilet auger or calling the plumber is the proper solution. When you plunge, use rapid short strokes of the plunger (inoutinoutinoutinout).

See my reply (#3) in this thread: https://terrylove.com/forums/index....quare-2pc-toilet-overflowing-from-bowl.70176/

It has more details.
 

Reach4

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My toilet has begun to overflow and I'm not sure what to do with it.
I would suggest that you consider a new toilet. Every 40 years is not too often. Better newer toilets are much less likely to clog, even though they use less water. Another bonus is that because they use less water, even if they did clog, they will not overflow on one flush.
 

Jadnashua

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Many of the toilets sold in that timeframe were true dogs in performance...that was just after they lowered the maximum water use of toilets to 1.6g (if I remember correctly). Even today, some are still dogs, but most companies have figured out how to make them work with the mandated water quantity. Some are still better than others.

The toilet augers sold come in varying diameters, and most of those sold in home centers are not very large. This means that they often cannot clean out a toilet's trapway very well. Sometimes, you need to remove a toilet and try to clean things out from below, but an auger with a larger head has a much better chance of catching whatever might be in the trapway...assuming the problem is in the toilet and not in the drain beneath it - either can cause it to overflow if you flush repeatedly, or it's an old one that uses more than the 1.6g max required on newer ones. In some places, that quantity is mandated to be 1.28g, and now, there are toilets designed (well) that work with as little as one gallon/flush.
 

chessimprov

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The auger I used (the cheap one) did not help enough, plus I did not use it proper as I scratched my toilet bowl a bit. Does the bowl have problems when you scratch it, or is it more a cosmetic thing?

The problem turned out to be a clog in the toilet from general sewage and nothing abnormal.
It was removed with a professional auger.
Unfortunately for me, I have to deal with the water that spilled on the floor from the overflow and the problems with that. It never ends ugh.
 

Reach4

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Does the bowl have problems when you scratch it, or is it more a cosmetic thing?
It's cosmetic.

If you see the water rising again, open the tank lid. Push the flapper down. Lift the ball up to stop the bowl refill water, and hold it until the water recedes from the rim some.
 

Jadnashua

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IF the scratches do not actually go through the glaze, what often happens is, because the glaze is pretty hard, some metal actually wears off and leaves a streak on the toilet. There are things that can remove those stains. In a really extreme comparison, you could think of chalk on a chalkboard...you can clean it off.
 
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