It’s a moment of panic, no doubt. The time comes to pull the toilet handle, flushing the contents of the toilet decently away, but instead of a happy flush, the contents rise and swell and threaten to overflow. What can you do? Panic is understandable, but not helpful. Yanking off the toilet tank lid to close the flap to stop the flow will help. That’s a good move, if you are quick and if access is possible in time. Good plumbing and good maintenance might have prevented the emergency. When the inevitable rise instead of flush do happen, there’s no nothing like a good old flange plunger to save the day. That’ll be the one with the bell or other shape end, not the flat-ended one. The flat one is great for a sink clog, but not the best one for a toilet clog. If the plunger fails to remedy the situation, you can try an auger, if you have one handy. But then it might be time to call your local plumbing contractor to clear the clog and save the day.
