When you wake up and see a bathroom flood, your first instinct is likely to panic. No one wants to enter their bathroom and see that there’s water all over the floor. Bathroom floods can be incredibly stressful, and if they go on for too long, they can even damage your floors and walls. There are many different reasons why you might be experiencing a bathroom flood; it could be a clogged or broken pipe or a backed-up sewer drain. 

Whatever the reason for your bathroom flood, you’ll want to work quickly to minimize the damage. Here are some steps you can take to help yourself during a bathroom flood.

What Can Cause a Bathroom Flood

Many things can cause a bathroom flood, but some instances are more common than others. If your bathroom is flooded, it’s likely because of a clogged drain or pipe, a malfunctioning toilet, or a burst pipe. 

A clogged drain or pipe likely started with the toilet. Flushing too much toilet paper down the toilet or flushing things that aren’t meant to be flushed can cause a clogged pipe or drain. Kitchen grease or animal fat, along with baby wipes, are things that are sure to clog your drain or pipes.

Malfunctioning toilets are another common cause of bathroom floods. If your toilet constantly makes noise like it’s continually being refilled, it’s malfunctioning and will likely cause flooding. When you flush a toilet, it typically makes noise when being refilled, then it stops once it’s full. If it continues to make noise, the tank is still being filled, and you’ll likely have a bathroom flood on your hands. 

Burst pipes are a big problem and one of the most catastrophic ways a bathroom clog can occur. A pipe may burst or crack during the winter as pipes freeze and thaw repeatedly. The repeated heating and cooling of pipes will cause a crack to form, and if it happens enough times, the pipes may burst. If you suspect you have a burst pipe, you should call a plumbing service immediately. 

How to Fix a Bathroom Flood

Shut Off Your Water Supply

When you discover your bathroom is flooding, first shut off your water supply. This will stop more water from coming from the source and prevent further damage from occurring. It will be your first instinct to go for towels or something to soak up the water, but it will be useless if the water is still flowing. 

There are few different places you’ll need to look to shut off the water. If the flood occurs because of your toilet, there’s a knob on the wall behind the toilet, where the toilet meets the floor. Turn that knob to the right, and it should shut off the water. If the flood is coming from underneath the sink, there should be a knob on the wall beneath the sink that will turn off the water. If this doesn’t turn off the water, call a plumbing service before doing anything else. 

Lay Down Towels To Absorb Water

After you’ve called a plumbing company or shut off the water, lay down towels to absorb the water. This is the easiest way to absorb the water and give you something to walk on that has traction. Try not to stand in the water if possible because it may not be clean water that has flooded your bathroom. Additionally, when cleaning the water, be sure that you are wearing shoes with a good grip. Bathroom tiles can get very slippery when wet, and the last thing you want is someone hurt on top of a bathroom flood. 

Soaking up the water quickly will minimize the damage done to your floors or walls. If you have a wet vac or a vacuum that sucks up water, that will work even better than towels. Do not use a regular vacuum to try and clean up the water. If you have fans, you can plug them in and point them toward the flood source to help dry the water quickly. 

Ensure Water Has Not Reached Outlets

If you have a bathroom with outlets near the floor and the flood waters are high, shut off the electricity to the room. Bathrooms typically have higher outlets, so this may not be a problem but if it applies to you, be sure you do this before entering the bathroom. Likely, the water won’t be that high, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you can’t turn off the power, don’t enter the bathroom, call an electrician and a plumbing service first, then get supplies ready to help with the flood. 

Circulate the Air

With bathroom floods, the water could be clean, or it could be backed up sewer water. No matter the case of where the water has come from, you’ll want to open windows to make sure the air is circulating. Even if the water does not smell, it’s still in best practice to get fresh air into the home. The extra airflow will aid in drying the floors quickly and minimize the damage you have to your floors. If you have real hardwood floors, you’ll want to make sure that windows are open to help prevent buckling. 

Call Goodbee Plumbing: Bathroom Flood Experts

When you have a bathroom flood, you want an expert to show up, and Goodbee Plumbing is the company you need. Goodbee is well versed in the plumbing industry and will fix your bathroom flood problems with quickness. We understand that a bathroom flood can ruin not only your bathroom but your day as well. We want to be the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to your bathroom flood. If you don’t have a bathroom flood but suspect one of your drains may be clogged, consider some of these clogged drain solutions from experts. 

If you need some quick plumbing help, Goodbee is the company to call, we have several service areas, and we may even be able to get you same-day service! Contact us today if you have a bathroom flood or you need another plumbing service.