3 Causes of Overflowing Toilets

10/25/2019 (Permalink)

No matter the cause, an overflowing toilet can be an inconvenience at best and the cause of severe damage to your house at worst.

When you own a house, there are a variety of challenges that you might face. Overflowing plumbing fixtures is a common problem, but that doesn’t mean it’s simple. It can require sewage cleaning and repairs and can sometimes become reoccurring. If your toilet is overflowing when you take a shower, this means that the water is unable to drain properly. The following are a few reasons why this might happen in your Otter Tail home.

1. A Clog
The first potential culprit of your overflowing toilet is a clogged pipe. This can happen when items in the drain don’t disintegrate properly. To prevent this, be careful of what you flush down the toilet or poor down the sink. Food, grease, paper towels, wipes and other items that are not designed to be disposed of in this way can cause clogs and damage.

2. Overgrown Tree Roots
Something else that may be blocking the drain and causing a toilet overflow is tree roots. Sometimes, particularly if there are small cracks or leaks in the pipe, roots can be drawn to the moisture inside and begin to grow there. When this happens, water is unable to move through the pipes in these areas.

3. Damaged Pipes
Over time, aging pipes can begin to weaken or may become damaged by the environment. If this happens, then sewage cleaning is almost inevitable. Be sure to perform maintenance on your plumbing system regularly and replace pipes that show early signs of damage, such as rust or small holes, to prevent them from breaking.

If you have a large amount of water in your home, it is a good idea to have sewage cleaning done by a professional cleanup and restoration service. They can help locate the cause of the overflow and perform any necessary repairs.