So this is a US thing, with the weird half-full-of-water bowls, right?
I've had a messy clog maybe once in my life, but evven then it didn't just fill horrifically with water and overflow. It's such a trope that all I can assume is that maybe US toilets do that sometimes?
American plumbing sucks. I never once clogged a toilet in my 10 years living in Germany - those things would suck down ANYTHING. Here they sometimes just decide to back up for no visible reason.
But like the other poster said, they rarely overflow - you just have a gross bowl of water to deal with trying to plunge it down.
You're more than two decades out of date with design and material improvements. And I'm guessing there are likely issues with things like gaskets and seals that are causing problems. Go pick up some new toilets and hire a plumber to install them, since you may need new valves, flanges, and who knows what else.
You bet! While you're at it, you should seriously consider installing one with a bidet seat. It will, quite literally, change your life. It's that much better. There are cheap ones available on Amazon that you can install yourself, or you can splurge for a nice toto washlet or similar. Either way, go for it!
oh I got one of those. you better fucking believe it changed my life. like I think I might be the only person I know with one, and honestly, it's really gross to think of how many people don't use them
Preach it brother. When I try to tell people about how amazing they are, I usually get the same reaction of eww gross. So I always respond with: "If you got human poop on your arm, would you just wipe it with dry toilet paper and consider it clean? Or would you wash it?" That usually lands it home.
It happens occasionally, it's not like they overflow after one flush. You flush, notice the water isn't going down, plunger it, and usually you're good
The flap should stop the toilet from flushing once the tank is empty. You shouldn't need to do anything manually to stop it. That's why people are concerned that your toilet overflows. A single flush should never cause your toilet to overflow, even if it's clogged.
This entire conversation confirms that apparently yeah, US toilets do this and as usual Americans will blame just about everybody for a problem that is readily solvable instead of actually fixing it.
I didn't think I was gonna end up with toilets as a metaphor for, you know, health care, political corruption and gun control, but here we are.