How To Replace A Toilet
How To Replace A Toilet
Installing a new toilet from scratch takes a good deal of plumbing expertise, but replacing a damaged or old-fashioned one with an up-to-date model is a job any householder can complete in an afternoon. No major plumbing work is involved. The replacement bowl fits over the existing drainpipe and floor flange. And the tank can be connected to the existing water supply pipe, even if you are replacing an ancient wall-mounted tank with a modern toilet that has the tank mounted on the rear of the bowl.
Water-saving models, built with lower tanks and narrower bowl traps to use far less water per flush, are installed in the same way as the older type. And in many jurisdictions, these new water-saving toilets are required by the plumbing code when replacements are being made.
The only critical factor in buying a new toilet is the so-called "rough-in distance" from the wall behind the toilet to the center of the drainpipe. This is a simple measurement but be sure to make it carefully; your plumbing supplier will need it to provide a new toilet that will fit into the same space as the one you remove.
The internal mechanisms of the new tank will already be installed and you will also get the necessary washers, gaskets and hardware for fitting the tank to the bowl. You may need to buy hold-down bolts, for securing the tank to the floor; ask your supplier. Also, buy a new wax gasket for sealing the bowl to the drainpipe, and a small can of bowl-setting compound to make a watertight seal between bowl and floor.
You will probably need to reroute the water supply pipe to connect it to the tank. This is easily done with flexible connecting pipe. But be sure to ask for a toilet-tank supply pipe; its fittings are different from those for a sink or lavatory. If the old toilet did not have a shutoff valve, now is the time to buy- and install one.
The job requires only a few tools: a spud wrench (or, if you do not have one, a large pipe or monkey wrench), screwdriver, carpenter's level, tape measure and putty knife.
1. Finding the rough-in distance
With the old bowl still in place, locate the hold-down bolts that secure the bowl to the floor. Measure from the center of the bolts to the wall behind the bowl. This is the rough-in distance—it determines the exact location of the concealed drainpipe in relation to the wall. (If the bowl has four hold-down bolts, measure from the rear pair.) The rough-in distance of the new bowl may be somewhat shorter than that of the old one, but it must never be longer or there will not be enough space for the new fixture.
2. Removing the tank.
Shut off the water supply, flush the toilet and sponge out the remaining water in the tank and bowl. Disconnect the supply pipe by loosening the slip nut at the tank. If the tank is wall-mounted, use a pipe or spud wrench to loosen the slip nuts on the spud pipe. Remove the spud pipe. While a helper supports the tank, unscrew the nuts from the hanger bolts and remove the tank from the wall. If the tank is mounted on the bowl, remove the nuts from the bolts in the upper rim of the bowl. Then lift the tank off the bowl.
3. Removing the bowl.
Unscrew or pry off the por- celain caps of the floor bolts, and remove the hold-down nuts and washers. Badly corroded nuts may have to be soaked with penetrating oil. To break the seal between the bowl and the floor, grasp the bowl and twist or rock it back and forth. Carefully lift the bowl straight up off the bolts and set it aside. Stuff a rag into the drainpipe opening to keep sewer gas inside the pipe and to prevent debris from falling in. Using a putty knife, scrape away the remnants of the old
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wax gasket or putty from the floor flange.
4. Installing the wax gasket.
With the new bowl upside down, place a wax gasket around the water outlet (called the horn). If the floor lange is recessed below floor level, you will need a wax gasket with a plastic sleeve. Install the gasket with the sleeve facing away from the horn.
5. Installing the new bowl.
Remove the rap,from the drainpipe opening. Turn the bowl upright, position itoverthefloorflangeand press down with a twisting motion to tighten the seal between bowl and drainpipe. Use a level to be sure the bowl is not tilted. If necessary, insert shims, improvised from thin sheet metal, under the base of the bowl to make it level and to keep it from rocking. Screw the washers and hold-down nuts onto the floor bolts, which should emerge through the base of the bowl. Do not tighten the nuts or attach the bolt caps yet.
6. Installing a bowl-mounted tank.
Fit the beveled rubber spud washer around the flush valve opening at the bottom of the tank. Then place the rubber tank cushion over the rear part of the bowl so that the two holes in the cushion align with the bolt openings on each side of the water-inlet hole. The two bolts (cushioned with rubber washers) that you insert through the underside of the tank will fit through these openings when you position the tank over the bowl. Fasten the bolts with nuts and washers where they emerge underneath the bowl rim.
Adjust the alignment of the toilet so that the tank is parallel to the wall (they may be a few inches apart). Check the bowl to make sure it is still level and does not rock. Then tighten the hold-down nuts and bolt caps at the base of the bowl. Seal the base to the floor with toilet-bowl setting compound or plaster of paris, trimming away the excess with a putty knife. Attach the seat and cover.
7. Connecting the water supply.
If your new tank is lower or farther from the wall than the old tank, you must readjust the fittings for the supply pipe or install new fittings. To bring the old fittings to the desired level, screw an elbow onto the wall stub-out (if there is an elbow in place, turning it 90 degrees may suffice), then use a threaded nipple to connect a second elbow. Add a nipple and a shutoff valve. Install the flexible supply pipe, connecting the flared end to the ball-cock shaft. Tighten the connections and turn on the water.
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