A toilet is an essential piece of any bathroom. Do you have an annoying toilet that runs when you flush it? If so, you need to know how to turn the water off to a toilet. There are several reasons you should turn off the water supply to a toilet. They include repairs, replacement, and maintenance.
If you have ever had a problem with your toilet, then you know that it can be frustrating. However, if you can turn off the water to the toilet, you will solve all of these problems quickly.
There are several different ways to turn off the water in toilets. You should choose the best method based on what type of toilet you have and where it is located in the house.
Shutting Off the Toilet Valve
Find the toilet’s shutoff valve. It’s usually located on the wall behind or below the toilet and will have a handle with a vertical pipe sticking out of it.
Turn the handle clockwise until it stops. This will close off water to your toilet.
Open the canister and pour some baking soda down into it, followed by about half a cup of vinegar (to help neutralize any odor). Close the lid and allow this mixture to sit for an hour before flushing again to clean out your pipes thoroughly.
Turn off the Main water supply
If your toilet has a shutoff valve that controls its primary water supply, you must find it and turn it off. To do so, locate where your main water line enters your home and follow it until you find the shutoff valve for your toilet. It may be under or behind one of your sinks or behind or near your washer and dryer.
You will need to shut down all of your toilets when doing this job. So if there are other toilets in your house, isolate them by turning off their valves at each fixture.
If you cannot find your shutoff valve or there isn’t one on your plumbing system, you will have to shut off your entire house’s primary water supply at the street or curb.
Close Off the Toilet Supply Line
The easiest way to turn off the water is to close off the toilet supply line. This will stop water from flowing into your toilet tank. You can do this by shutting off the valve on the wall behind your toilet.
Next, you will want to shut off the overflow tube. This small tube drains excess water from your tank into the bowl when it gets too full. You do not want to drain this tube because it can cause damage and flooding if not adequately maintained.
Finally, you will want to remove the float ball from inside your toilet tank by unscrewing it from its bracket on top of the fill valve (you may need pliers). Make sure not to lose any pieces that come with this part!
Close Ballcock Valve
The ballcock valve is the device that controls the water level in a toilet tank. If you need to turn off the water to your toilet, locate the ballcock valve and close it.
To find the ballcock valve, look inside your toilet tank. It will be on one side of the tank, near where the water enters. The ballcock has two screws; unscrew them and lift the handle to open it up.
Close the shutoff valve at the wall
If you need to shut off the water supply to your toilet, the most likely cause is a clogged toilet. You can fix this problem yourself.
The first step is to locate the shutoff valve for your toilet. It’s usually found next to the toilet in a closet or utility room. If you’re not sure where it is, look for an access panel on the floor that covers a crawl space below the bathroom. Inside that panel should be a shutoff valve.
Once you’ve located it, open it up and turn off all the water going through it. This will stop further water from flowing into your pipes and flooding your house.
Now you’ll need to drain out all of the water inside your bowl by flushing again and again until nothing comes back out anymore.
Use A Plumber’s Snake (Cable) To Clear Clogged Drainage Pipes
If you have a clogged drainage pipe, you can use a plumbing snake (cable) to clear it. This is a flexible wire that has been coiled around a drum on one end and has a handle on the other end to turn it in case there’s any resistance.
First, attach one end of the cable to the drainpipe under your sink or bathtub to use this tool. Then run the cable through all of your pipes until you reach where they emerge from your wall and connect with other drains or sewers. Please turn on your faucet so that water flows through all these pipes again, which will help flush out any debris that may be clogging them.
Replace The Flapper In A Flushometer or Flushing Mechanism
If you have a flushometer or flushing mechanism, it’s time to replace the flapper. The flapper is the rubber float that closes off the water supply and allows it to fill up your toilet tank.
If you have a flushometer, there are two ways to replace the flapper.
The first is to remove the entire flushometer and replace it with a new one. If this doesn’t make sense to you, don’t worry—it doesn’t make sense to us either!
The second way is to use a wrench to remove the flapper’s nut in place. Then, remove both screws from the old flapper and install them on your new one. Slide both ends into place on either side of your toilet tank and tighten down with pliers or an adjustable wrench until there is no space between them and the bottom of your tank.
Next, turn on your water supply to check for leaks around where you just installed your new flapper. If there’s water dripping anywhere, turn off the water again so that you can fix it before turning it back on again (this may require re-tightening).
Once everything looks dry, turn on your water supply again and test out your new toilet!
Use a plunger to push water out of the bowl
If the water is still running, you may need to turn off the main shutoff valve. If you’re unfamiliar with how to do this, call a plumber.
If the water is not running, skip to step 2.
- Unscrew the top of the overflow pipe (the pipe coming out of the bottom of the tank) from its cap and pull it away from the wall. This will allow air into the tank and prevent damage from overfilling.
- If there is one, turn off the water supply at your home’s main shutoff valve or your toilet’s shutoff valve. If you don’t know where these are located, call a plumber for help.
- Use a plunger to push water out of the bowl. After five minutes of plunging, try flushing again to see if it works properly now that all the water has been cleared out of it.
Water is one of the most precious resources, so turning the water off at the toilet is an important habit to get into. Turning off the water to your toilet breaks up a possible stream of water so that no water flows from the tank into the bowl. This helps keep your toilet running well and keeps your bathroom safer by preventing accidents and clogs. Additionally, water conservation is an issue that affects us all, and this guide helps people be mindful of how precious water is.
Amos Christen graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from Drexel University — Philadelphia, PA. Since 2003, Amos has worked with top interior design professionals in this area, including architects and interior/graphic/lighting designers. As a skilled interior designer, Amos Christen is highly versed in fine arts and crafts and uses that to supplement his main area of expertise. He often publishes articles related to home décor on several websites, including Sprucetoilets.com, Sprucebathroom.com, and Mybesuitedhome.com. He also contributes to leading interior design magazines.