Open now · 24-hour emergency service Sunday to Friday: open 24 hours · Saturday: closed 1 Mockingbird Circle, Houston, TX 77074
4.7from 108 Google reviews Overflowing toilet emergency in Houston

The toilet is overflowing. Lift the lid, push the flapper down, call.

An overflowing toilet is water on the floor now and sewage in the subfloor if it keeps going. Royal Flush Affordable Plumbing clears the toilet, or the main line behind it when every fixture is involved, 24 hours a day Sunday to Friday, with the price agreed before the auger comes out of the truck.

  • 24 hours, Sunday to Friday
  • Price agreed before any work
  • $25 off any plumbing service

Get the toilet stopped and cleared

Tell us the symptom. A plumber calls back with a price range, not a call center.
%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22form-group%20form-group-v2%20%20%20%22%3E%3Clabel%3E%3C%2Flabel%3E%3Cdiv%20style%3D%22display%3Ainline-block%3B%22%20class%3D%22g-recaptcha%20fm-form-data-1%22%20data-id%3D%221%22%20data-sitekey%3D%226LdtF_saAAAAAHOjPxrC51LGCB2eFaxQeTlB5Eo9%22%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%20%0A%09%09%09%09%09%3C%2Fdiv%3E
Get my free quote

We only use your number to call you back about this job. No spam, ever.

Prefer to talk? 281-612-1015

Signs you need this

Why a toilet overflows, and what each one means.

Three different problems produce the same puddle. The first thing we work out is which one you have.

A clog in the toilet itself

Too much paper, a wipe, a toy. The bowl fills with each flush and drains slowly or not at all. The rest of the house is fine. An auger clears it.

The bowl fills with nobody flushing

Water is coming up from below. That is the main line backing up through the lowest fixture, and every drain in the house is feeding it.

The tank will not stop filling

A failed fill valve or float lets water run past the overflow tube. The bowl overflows slowly and constantly. Close the valve behind the toilet.

Gurgling from the tub when the toilet flushes

The toilet and tub share a branch line that is blocked past both traps. A plunger will not reach it.

Water at the base, not from the bowl

The seal under the toilet has failed. Each flush leaks around the outlet. The toilet needs lifting and resetting, not clearing.

It overflows every few weeks

An older low-flow model, a flange set too high, or a partial blockage further down. Clearing it again is not the fix; finding the cause is.

Royal Flush Affordable Plumbing technician clearing a toilet with a closet auger in a Houston bathroom
$25off any plumbing service
What the emergency visit covers

Stop the water, clear the right thing, check the floor.

The technician first confirms the water is stopped, then works out which of the three problems it is. A toilet clog is cleared with a closet auger that protects the porcelain, and if an object is stuck in the trapway the toilet is lifted to remove it. A main line backup is cleared from the cleanout outside, not through the toilet, and the line is run with water to prove it flows. A failed fill valve or flapper is replaced from the parts on the truck.

Before leaving, the base of the toilet and the floor around it are checked. A toilet that has overflowed onto a floor more than once has usually been soaking into the subfloor, and you will hear about that honestly rather than find out when the tile lifts.

  • Clog, backup or valveThree causes, three different fixes. We identify which before anything else.
  • Main line cleared from outsideA backup is never cleared through the toilet. It is cleared from the cleanout and tested under flow.
  • Floor checkedWater that reached the subfloor is noted and explained before it becomes a bigger job.
How we fix it

An overflowing toilet call, start to finish.

What to do in the first minute, and what happens after you call.

Right now

Lift the tank lid and push the flapper down to stop the flush. Turn the shutoff valve behind the toilet clockwise. Do not flush again. Towels on the floor, then call 281-612-1015.

Call 281-612-1015
  1. 1
    Right away

    You tell us what the toilet is doing

    Overflowing on a flush, filling on its own, or running constantly. That tells us whether to bring the auger or the main line machine.

  2. 2
    On the way

    A stocked truck is dispatched

    Emergency calls are triaged by whether water is still coming. We call before we arrive.

  3. 3
    Before any work

    The cause is identified and priced

    Toilet clog, main line backup or a failed part, and the full price for fixing it, agreed before we start.

  4. 4
    Same visit

    Cleared, tested, cleaned up

    The toilet is flushed repeatedly, or the main line run under load, and the bathroom is left as we found it.

What affects the price

What moves the price on an overflowing toilet.

You approve the number first. These are the variables.

Clog or main line

A toilet clog cleared with an auger is the smallest job. A main line backup is cleared from the cleanout with a machine and takes longer.

An object in the trapway

A toy or a brush lodged in the toilet usually means lifting the toilet to remove it, with a new wax ring to reset it.

Whether there is a cleanout

A main line without an exterior cleanout is cleared through a roof vent or by pulling the toilet. Installing a cleanout makes the next time short.

A camera on a repeat backup

If this is not the first time, a camera inspection after clearing shows why, and is priced as an option.

The coupon

$25 off any plumbing service, or $50 off if the job is a drain or sewer cleaning. Mention it when you call.

Overflowing Toilet Emergency FAQs

Overflowing toilet questions we hear every week.

Still not sure? Call and describe the problem. We’ll tell you honestly whether it’s a 20-minute fix or a job worth quoting.

Ask a plumber: 281-612-1015
01How do I stop a toilet from overflowing right now?
Lift the tank lid and push the flapper (the rubber flap at the bottom of the tank) down with your hand to stop the flush. Then turn the shutoff valve behind the toilet clockwise until it stops. Do not flush again until the toilet is cleared.
02Why does my toilet overflow when nobody flushed it?
Water is coming up from below, which means the main sewer line is blocked and wastewater from the rest of the house is backing up through the lowest fixture. Stop using water everywhere in the house and call; this is a main line stoppage, not a toilet problem.
03Can I plunge an overflowing toilet?
If it is a simple clog and the bowl has stopped rising, yes, with a flange plunger that seals the outlet. If the bowl is full to the rim, bail some water out first. If plunging does nothing after ten firm strokes, stop; forcing it can push the clog deeper or crack the trap.
04Is an overflowing toilet an emergency?
If it is still overflowing, if sewage is coming up with nobody flushing, or if it is the only toilet in the house, yes. A clogged toilet that has stopped rising and is not the only bathroom can wait until morning: just do not flush it.
05Will the overflow have damaged the floor?
A single overflow mopped up quickly rarely does. Repeated overflows, or water that sat for hours, soak into the subfloor and under tile. We check the base and the floor on every visit and tell you what we find.
Google reviews

What Houston says after the job is done.

Pulled straight from our Google Business Profile.

4.7 108 Google reviews Google Business Profile
5102
44
32
20
10
Latest review
Larry Duong Google review · 2 months ago

Thank you for a fantastic and quick service! Manny is a life saver. Our water main line burst was fixed quickly and without any hassle!

See this review on Google
Larry Duong2 months ago

Thank you for a fantastic and quick service! Manny is a life saver. Our water main line burst was fixed quickly and without any hassle!

See this review on Google
LeeAnn Ewah8 months ago

Manny is excellent. He’s been our plumber of choice for my business for 5 years. Always fair. Always punctual. Very honest. Highly recommended!

See this review on Google
Alyssa Navarre1 year ago

Very professional, completed the job true to time and price expectations. Would definitely hire again in the future!

See this review on Google
Ready when you are

Toilet overflowing? Push the flapper down and call.

A plumber answers 24 hours a day Sunday to Friday, the price is agreed before work starts, and a stocked truck is on the way.

Request a callback

Name and number is enough. A plumber calls you back.

%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22form-group%20form-group-v2%20%20%20%22%3E%3Clabel%3E%3C%2Flabel%3E%3Cdiv%20style%3D%22display%3Ainline-block%3B%22%20class%3D%22g-recaptcha%20fm-form-data-3%22%20data-id%3D%223%22%20data-sitekey%3D%226LdtF_saAAAAAHOjPxrC51LGCB2eFaxQeTlB5Eo9%22%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%20%0A%09%09%09%09%09%3C%2Fdiv%3E
Call me back