How to Replace a Toilet · piece Kohler or a temperature-controlled Toto. If you’re installing a toilet ... you’ll want to replace it with a newer, more easily ... over a basement

60 FINE HOMEBUILDING

here are plenty of adventuroushomeowners who are willing to takeon formidable projects around thehouse, but for many of them, replac-

ing a toilet isn’t even on the radar screen. Some-how the combination of an imposing, bolted-down ceramic fixture; a pressurized water line;and an open drain leading directly to a sewer isenough to turn off some pretty handy people.

But if you can get past the gamey parts, let meassure you that replacing a toilet isn’t that big adeal. Manufacturers have even made the hardpart—hooking up the supply line—a lot easierthan it used to be. So if you’re ready to list thatold avocado-green throne on eBay and upgradeto a modern, water-saving commode, here’s howto do it.

In this article I’ll detail the installation of a close-coupled toilet (drawing facing page). But you alsocan use this advice to install any toilet, be it a one-piece Kohler or a temperature-controlled Toto.If you’re installing a toilet in new construction,I urge you to reinforce the floor under the toilet(sidebar p. 62).

Turn off the water and drain the toiletThe first order of business is to pull the old toilet.Turn off its water (drawing facing page), andthen flush the toilet a couple of times. You’re emp-tying the tank now to reduce the weight of thetoilet. You’ll still have a bit of water in the bottomof the tank and the bowl. Don’t worry about it.

Next, disconnect the supply line to the tank (inset drawing, facing page). It’s a good idea touse a small bucket to catch any drips and to keepsome rags handy for the occasional mop-up.

It’s now time to disconnect the toilet from thedrain line and prepare the closet flange for the

TBY PETER HEMP

Replace a ToiletHow to

COPYRIGHT 2009 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted.

Bowl

Tank

The two-piece, or close-coupled,toilet is by far the most common

type. It is affordable and available in many styles. Because the tank and bowlare separate pieces, the close-coupled toilet is easier to maneuver than aone-piece model. At the floor, the toilet connects to the drain line by way ofa floor-mounted fitting called a closet flange.

Don’t be intimidated. With this step-by-step guide,you can upgrade to a modern, water-saving commode

INS IDE A CLOSE-COUPLED TOILET

3

Begin removingthe old toilet byclosing this valve.

1

Flush the toilet severaltimes to empty the tank.

2EMPTY THE TANK

SPRING 2005 61Drawings: Don Mannes

DISCONNECT THE WATER L INE Use a wrench to loosen the nut threaded onto the supply inlet in the bottom of the tank.Chances are good that the old water-supply line is a rigidtube, such as the one shown here. If so, you’ll want to replaceit with a newer, more easily installed flexible supply line.

Flush valve

Closet flange

TURN OFFTHE WATERHERE

Closet bolt

Tank bolt

Float

Fill valve

Wax gasket

Water-supplyline

Supply inlet

Angle stop

Refill tube

Overflow pipe

Foot



Sometimes a toilet will develop a leak caused by afailed wax gasket. This canhappen for several reasons,such as improper installa-tion in the first place, or

pressure from using aplunger while trying toclear a blockage in the toi-let. Wax seals even havebeen known to fail if anelectric heater is placed too

close to the toilet. Fixingthe problem can be as simple as pulling the toilet,scraping off the old waxseal, and then installing anew gasket.

IF YOU’RE REINSTALLING THE OLD TOILET, SCRAPE OFF THE OLD GASKET

4

The first rule of toilet installationis: The toilet shall not move. Bythis, I mean it has to be connectedto the floor as firmly as possible,and the floor has to be sturdyenough not to deflect when some-

one is sitting on the throne. If I getmy way, the toilet’s drain is cen-tered between floor joists that are12 in. on center, with a pair ofblocks flanking the drain to helpdistribute the weight of the toilet.

This isn’t always possible, ofcourse, but worth doing in newconstruction or where the joists arereadily accessible, such as a floorover a basement with an unfin-ished ceiling.

MAKE THE FLOOR STURDY SO THAT THE TOILET DOES NOT MOVE

PULL THE OLDTOILET, ANDPREPARE FOR THE NEW ONE

Once you’ve shut off the water anddrained the tank, popthe closet-bolt capsoff the bolts thatprotrude through thebase of the toilet (4).Use a wrench to remove the nuts, andthen lift the toiletaway from the closetflange (5). The toiletlikely will have a ringof wax stuck to itsbottom, so don’t putit down on a finishedsurface without aprotective layer ofpaper or cardboard.Plug the drain holewith a rag to keepsewer gases fromseeping into theroom, and scrapethe wax residue offthe closet flange (6).Remove the old closet bolts, and affix new ones to the closet flange,equidistant from the wall (7).

5

6 7


new toilet (drawings facing page). At thispoint in the job, I put on a pair of latex gloves.You can get by without them. I just prefer theextra measure of hygiene that they offer.

Use the correct closet boltsWhen it comes to plumbing, a cardinal ruleis to use hardware that doesn’t corrode in wetlocations. This hardware includes the closetbolts, the long, machine-thread bolts that fitinto slots in the closet flange and anchor thetoilet to the floor. But chances are good thatthe bolts included with the toilet are brass-plated steel. Check them with a magnet. Ifthey stick to it, don’t use them. Same goes forthe washers and nuts.

Your local plumbing supply will have brassbolts, nuts, and washers (stainless steel is good,too). If you can find them, get the extralong,3-in. by 5⁄16-in.-dia. closet bolts. Take the extrastep of affixing the closet bolts to the flange.This will ensure that the closet bolts won’tspin when you bolt down the toilet.

Before installing a new toilet, inspect the tankand bowl.With toilet bowls, the main prob-lems that you want to avoid are a deformedinlet (the opening between the bowl and thetank); a crooked foot, where the bowl meetsthe floor; or a deformed horn on the bottomof the bowl where it meets the closet flange.

A wax gasket seals the toilet bowlto the closet flangeThe bolts will keep the toilet firmly on thefloor, but they won’t keep sewer gases out of theroom, or prevent seepage from the toilet fromrotting the subfloor and the framing. That’swhat wax toilet-bowl gaskets are for (drawingtop right). Wax gaskets work fine if they’reinstalled properly. My guess is that futureplumbers will use a new generation of seals(sidebar right). But for now, wax is standard.

Contrary to what you might read on thebox, the gasket should not be pressed onto thebottom of the toilet bowl. It should be installed on the closet flange. Often, the plas-tic funnels are not perfectly round and requiresome manipulation to get them to fit into theflange. You can’t do this if the wax is stuck tothe bowl. Also, waxes mounted to bowls cantwist during installation, causing a partialblockage of the drain line.

With the bolts and wax in place, the toiletbowl can be set (drawing bottom right). Thenext cardinal rule now comes into play: Donot push on, sit on, or wiggle the bowl down-ward as it is set. To do so will overcompress

SPRING 2005 63

Wax gaskets are in-

expensive and easy

to use, but they

have their draw-

backs. They can be

installed incorrectly,

and using a plunger

to clear a clogged

toilet can rupture a

wax gasket. A new

generation of wax-

less gaskets may

take their place.

Predco’s UltraSeal

(www.plumb-bob

.com; 800-323-

6188) and Fluid-

master’s WaxFree

bowl gasket

(www.fluidmaster

.com; 949-728-

2000) are two toilet-

bowl gaskets that

rely on rubber col-

lars and O-rings to

connect a toilet to

a drain line. They

even can be reused.

Thegasket ofthe future

THE R IGHT WAY TO INSTALL THE WAX GASKET

Contrary to the instructions that accompany many new toilets, the wax doughnut called the toilet-bowl gasket shouldbe placed on the closet flange (8), not on the bottom of the toilet. Once it is centered, lower the toilet straight down(9), not at an angle, onto the gasket. The long closet boltsact as guides to align the bowl correctly.

8

9


the wax, leading to a potential leak. Instead, use a wrench, alternating six or sevenstrokes from one nut to the other, until thebowl is snug to the finish floor (drawing left).

Just how tightly do you snug the nuts? Ifyou overtighten them, you can crack the footof the bowl. I suggest that you grasp the edgesof the bowl and try to wiggle it. When thebowl stays put, call it done—for now. Usually,the nuts will loosen a bit after the toilet has beenin use, and you might need to make a finaltightening of the nuts. For those installers whowill be living with the newly installed toilet,this is no great inconvenience. Just check thenuts a few days after the installation.

If your toilet includes plastic washers thatact as retainers for the closet-nut caps, don’tuse them. These disks are time bombs. Whensomeone sits on the bowl, their shifting weightcompresses the soft disks, which in turncauses the closet nuts to loosen. Then the bowlbegins to move around, the wax seal fails, and


BOLT THE BOWL TOTHE FLOOR, SLOWLY

Slip either a brass or a stainless-steel washer overthe closet bolt, and thencrank down the nut a half-dozen turns on one side, followed by a half-dozenturns on the other side. This slowly will compress the wax ring to the correctthickness. The bowl shouldbe perpendicular to the wall. The holes in the bowl’sfoot are large enough togive you a little fine-tuningroom if the bolts aren’t posi-tioned perfectly. Make thisfinal adjustment just beforethe bowl is tight to the floor.

THREE PRECAUTIONS FOR LEAK-FREE SERVICE

Before setting the tank on the bowl, make sure the water-supply andthe flush-valve nuts are tight (11). Then run a bead of silicone greasearound the bowl’s inlet (12). Pipe-joint compound also will work forthis task. Next, wrap small gobs of plumber’s putty around the tankbolts on both sides of their washers (photos below). These bolts extendthrough holes in the bottom of the tank that flank the flush valve (13).Again, make sure the bolts are solid brass or stainless steel.

10

12

1113

Supply inlet

Flush-valve nut

Sponge-rubbergasket

Tank bolts tie the two-piecetoilet together.


seepage begins. Usually, the seepage goes onfor a long time and does a lot of damage before it is detected. Instead of the plasticdisks, I use stainless-steel or brass washers.

Installing the tankThe typical two-piece toilet has two fittingson the bottom of the tank (drawing bottomleft, facing page). The small one is the supplyinlet, which connects to the angle-stop valveon the wall behind the toilet. The larger oneis the flush-valve lock nut. I check them bothto make sure they are tight before setting thetank on the bowl. A big sponge-rubber gas-ket fits over the flush-valve lock nut (draw-ing bottom right, facing page). Some toiletscome with this gasket preinstalled; others letyou do the honors. Insert the tank bolts, lowerthe tank onto the bowl, and use a long screw-driver and a socket wrench to bolt the twopieces together (top drawing).

Time to hook up the water supplyThere used to be a real art to hooking up thewater to a toilet. Plumbers had to custom-cuta supply tube from brass or copper tubing,and then bend it carefully to avoid kinks.Each supply tube was a little different, depend-ing on the location of the angle stop. Not anymore. Hooking up the water is the easy part(center drawing).

Before turning on the supply, look in the tankand make sure that the refill tube between thefill valve and the overflow pipe of the flushvalve is secured. It is a good idea to open theangle stop just a little bit at a time and fill thetank slowly until the fill valve shuts off auto-matically for the first time. Depending on thetype of fill valve you have, you might need toadjust the water level to match the mark pro-vided on the back wall of the tank. Test thetoilet, and once you’re sure there are no leaks,cap the closet bolts (bottom drawing).

Finally, should you run a bead of sealantaround the base of the toilet at the finish floor?If you’ve got a 100% watertight marriage ofbowl wax and closet flange, a caulking beadwill do no damage. But adding one immedi-ately can be an expensive mistake. Seepagethat otherwise would soon appear at the edgeof the toilet will never appear to warn you.Instead, accumulating liquid will find its wayinto the flooring and cause damage. �

Peter Hemp is the author of Plumbing aHouse (The Taunton Press, 1996). Photosby Charles Miller.

CONNECT THE TANK TO THE BOWL

Lower the tank into place,making sure the boltsdrop through the holes inthe bowl. Next, slide abrass or stainless-steelwasher up each bolt, fol-lowed by the brass nut.Align the tank to the wallso that it is as parallel aspossible, and snug up thenuts with a socket wrenchand a long screwdriver.Tighten the nuts slowly,using the wrench to turnthe nuts. Alternate five orsix revolutions per side,until the tank rests firmlyon the bowl.

HOOKING UP THE WATER IS THE EASY PART

Flexible supply lines called over-braid hoses allow you to connectthe tank to the angle stop withouta custom-made piece of rigid pipe.Install the angle-stop connectionfirst because these threads areharder to start. Then hook up the7⁄8-in. coupling to the tank. If thehose is longer than necessary,make a loop out of the excess andtuck it behind the toilet.

CHECK FOR LEAKS, ANDTHEN CAP THE BOLTS

Flush the toilet a half-dozen times,and check for leaks at all the con-nections. If you’ve got a leak at thetank connection or in the supplyline, tighten the nuts. If water accumulates around the bowl’sfoot but nothing else is leaking,you’ve got a problem with the waxring; you’ll have to pull out the toi-let and start over again. Once youhave a leak-free toilet, use a smallhacksaw to cut off the closet bolts.Pack the caps with putty, and placethem over the bolt ends.

SPRING 2005 65

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Anglestop


Documents

How to Replace a Toilet · piece Kohler or a temperature-controlled Toto. If you’re installing a toilet ... you’ll want to replace it with a newer, more easily ... over a basement