Hi all. Have heavy water damage in two apartments and I am working with insurance towards fixing damage. I am curious as to the causation of the damage and thought someone might have insight. I'm really only looking for just the facts so I can understand. Certainly not trying to flame or just get people to agree with me. Details on the toilet: Mansfield #160, installed May 2015.

Two nights ago my first floor tenant called and said there was water leaking into their apartment. I went to the second floor level and found water as high as 1 inch in some spots. The toilet was running and overflowing out from the bathroom and into the kitchen and living room. The tenant was in their bedroom oblivious to what was happening. We found the toilet running, actively overflowing and had been for some time. We shut the water off and found a clog. There was TP evidence at the bottom of the bowl as well.

There have been past issues with the tenant clogging the toilet but they caught it sooner and intervened. It has never overflowed like this before.

Would the clog cause the toilet to continue to draw water? Could the high water level due to the clog cause the flapper to not close?

Thanks.

The blockage and the continued overflow are independent of one another.

Because we are not there to witness what you have mentioned, we must speculate, rather than speak fact. A toilet tank that is draining, will continue to draw waters. A defective fill valve or/and a defective flush valve could/would make a bad situation... worse.

Best Wishes

Quote

The blockage and the continued overflow are independent of one another.

DITTO


Generally a 'running' toilet is caused by a 'stuck open' flapper which lowers the water in the tank which calls for the fill valve to open. Such water merely is wasted down the (unclogged) toilet.

however

If the bowl / sanitary piping is CLOGGED the toilet will overflow CONTINUOUSLY if there is ALSO a problem with the flapper or fill valve.

A stoppage in an otherwise functional toilet merely dumps the amount of a single flush.

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

The brand of toilet could be a factor. The design is more likely to be the problem, Toto makes a efficient flushing toilet to research. I will add that all toilets are subject to inspection when they are made and this inspection does not always find problems. Be sure that your waste lines are clear and install a new Toto with a normal wax only ring. I do not recommend wax rings with the plastic/rubber reducer built into them, particularly with low flush HE Toilets. Anything that interfers with the flush is not good for these toilets and can cause stoppages to build up. When you remove your toilet, post a photo of the closet ring from above and at floor level so we can determine if this is causing a problem or if you need to shim your toilet. There is some disagreement in upstairs installations as to whether to seal the base of the toilet completely. Some say to leve an opening in the rear to allow water to show when it is not sealed properly. Prior to setting a toilet on a new wax ring be certain to seal around the edge of the closet ring with 100% Silicone to make sure water does not seep or leak from around the closet ring. Good luck.