If there is a problem with your toilet, your first step should be to shut off the water supply. If you don’t know how to turn off water to toilet, or if your toilet doesn’t have a shut-off valve system, this situation becomes a bit intimidating for you. Luckily, you’ve been fully guided here with easy ways to come out of this problem, whether it’s turning off the toilet’s valve, turning off the main water supply line, or adjusting the float lever.
This small task remains pending if the plumber is not called on time, so you can try to fix it without turning off the water in the entire house with the advice of our experts. If the problem is too big then the plumber should be called.
4 Easiest Methods on How to Turn Off Water to Toilet
We have added all the solutions here with which you can know how to stop the water. We know that there are different types of systems to stop the water supply in every house, so we have tried our best to understand you accordingly.
1. How to Turn Water Off to Toilet by Turning Off the Toilet Valve
You can turn off water to toilet by shutting off the valve. You will see a rear wall near the toilet of your bathroom and there will be a valve on the left-hand side which you will have to shut off. It will be off when you turn it clockwise.
It is not necessary that in every toilet it turns off or on just by turning the valve. In some toilets, the push and pull system for this valve is adjusted. To turn off the water in this situation, first, you have to hold the handle of the valve and then pull it outside.
What to Do If the Valve is Stuck
Generally, the toilet valve is rarely used to shut off water, due to which it becomes difficult to turn the valve. By the way, such a problem is made with those valves which are not made of stainless steel, although it is rarely seen. Valves that are not made of this material are prone to corrode/rust.
If such a situation arises, then you should spray penetrating oil e.g. WD-40 on the valve and then keep it like this for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, you can again try to turn off this valve.
If you do not want to waste so much time closing the valve, then you need to turn off the main water supply valve.
2. Using Main Water Supply Valve
If for any reason your toilet has no water valve mechanisms or it is there but not working instantly then you need to turn off the water by shutting off the main valve. By turning the main valve off, the water fixtures of your house will also not supply the water.
The location of the main shut off valve varies from house to house.
Location 1:- If you know where your water meter is, you can easily find the turn off valve. Mostly the location of the valve is made close to the location of your water meter.
Below we have mentioned two types of main valves because any one of them would be installed in your house.
- Lever Valve- You need to turn off this by moving it perpendicularly (90 degrees).
- Red Wheel Valve- Turn it clockwise to turn this valve off
Location 2:- People who have private wells in their houses will get this main value near the pressure tank.
Location 3:- In some houses, the turn off main value will be attached in the basement or sometimes in the utility areas like the laundry room.
Note:- As we do not get into the trouble of turning off or on the main valve regularly, so this valve can also be stuck. The solution to this problem is you have to pour WD-40 penetrating oil on it so that the rust will be removed. You have to wait at least 15 minutes before turning off the valve again.
3. How to Turn Off Water to Toilet by Adjusting the Toilet Float
If your toilet system also has a float cylinder/cup or ball float, you can use this solution to shut off the water supply as well.
How Toilet Float Works?
The float is attached to the valve of the toilet so that it can limit the amount of water entering the toilet after each flush. After every flush, the float turns towards the bottom of the toilet tank, then the fill valve opens and a limited amount of water enters.
As the water fills the tank the float again slowly moves upwards.
The float automatically reaches the top of the tank when the tank is completely full and after that, no water flows into the tank.
Read, also- 6 Best Troubleshoots for Toilet Leaking At Base| Fix Water Supply Line | All Working Solutions
How To Turn off the Water to Toilet?
Now what you have to do here is to maintain the float at the top of the tank so that water does not enter the tank again. For this, you have to take a hard piece of anything and slide it into the bottom of the toilet float. Now even after flushing, the toilet valve will remain closed and even a little water will not enter the toilet tank again. This is a good temporary method to stop excessive water flow until you can find a good plumber.
4. Disconnect the Toilet Water Supply Line
Even after turning the valve off, if water continues to flow in your tank, then there is definitely a problem of leaking in the valve. If you want water to reach your entire house except for the toilet, then first of all you have to shut off the water supply line of your toilet. After this, it has to be plugged off with the help of a plastic bag and tape.
Note- Plugg water supply line off from the lower side of the toilet tank. If you want to avoid damaging the coupling, then firstly always try to lose it with your hands and then use a wrench.
When the water supply line is off, you should cover it speedily with a plastic bag and duct tape to tape it. Some water may still be in your toilet tank, so you have to use a bucket to drain it.
How to Turn Off Water to Toilet? [Answered]
If your toilet is overflowing and you are worried about “How to Turn Off Toilet Water, then you should not delay repairing it as soon as possible. To turn the water supply off to your toilet, find the toilet valve from the left side of the toilet which is close to the floor and attached to the rear wall.
You have to turn this valve clockwise and then hear the sound to know whether water is still coming into the water tank.
If your valve can be pushed or pulled only, you will need to push it inward. If this valve is rusty and unable to work because it has not been turned off or on for a long time, then you can fix this problem by pouring VD-40 oil on it.
Simplest Ways to Drain Toilet After Turning Off Water
If your toilet is clogged and overflowing then you need to take action immediately. For that, first, you need to cut off the water supply to the toilet and drain out the toilet.
It is not as difficult as it seems to be, the water in the toilet tank is clean water. You can empty the toilet tank with the help of a mug or cup and scoop out the water from the toilet tank. You can also use a hose pipe to empty the tank.
After using the hose pipe, there may be some amount of water left in the tank. You can soak it out with the help of a sponge. Wipe out the remaining water with a sponge and squeeze it out in the bucket.
You need to be creative to drain your toilet. For the same, take a pipe 2-3 feet long and make a U-shape with it. Fill this pipe with water and close both ends with your thumbs. Put one end of the pipe into the tank and the other end into the bucket in which the water needs to be collected.
Also, like- How to Adjust the Water Level in the Toilet Bowl? Easiest DIYs
Conclusion
Flowing unnecessary water in the toilet is not only bad for the environment, but it also increases the cost of both your water bills. In your own place, you can easily turn off water to toilet by yourself by getting information online unless there is a problem with your turn off valve. If you keep waiting for the plumber to come to turn it off, this results in extensive and costly water damage if the toilet has a large leak. If you still have any doubts coming out of “how to turn toilet water off ” then you can get to us and we will try to assist you in the best way possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.1- Is it OK to turn off the water to a toilet?
Whenever any problem is found in your toilet, the first thing to do is to stop the flow of water. If you do not do this, then your bathroom will not remain clean due to the flow of water and the water will also get wasted. There are many ways to stop the water from the toilet, which we have mentioned above on this page.
Q.2- Why can’t I shut off the water to my toilet?
As time passes, water starts leaking from the toilet tank inside the toilet bowl. This issue raises the cost of water. This problem is created due to the following reasons.
- Any fault occurs in your toilet fill valve.
- The level of water in the tank reaches or above the highest point of the overflow pipe.
- The flapper ball that works for closing the outlet from the lower side of the toilet tank is not working properly.
Q.3- How do you turn off the water to the toilet without a valve?
To turn off the water toilet without the valve, you need to follow these steps:-
- First, find the shutoff valve, there is not a certain position of the shut-off valve so you need to find it by looking all around the toilet.
- If the shut-off valve is not working then you may have to cut off the main water supply of the house. It may be located outside of the house or in the basement based on your hose design.
- Find a way to keep the floating lever in an upward horizontal position in the toilet tank to block the entrance of the water supply in the tank.