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Yesterday I replaced a toilet for the first time in my life. Here's a considerations/tip list for anyone doing this job in the future. -- (edited)
Posted by
Max
Jul 14 '19, 10:57
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Doing it myself - successfully - was a pretty satisfying experience so I would encourage anyone replacing a toilet to save money and do it themselves.
Removal+installation should be a 1hr job if things go smoothly, but they may not, so budget time for delays if you find problems with the supply line, bolts, flange, tools and parts, and shimming. Bottom line is if you can release the water supply and floor bolts, the whole process is surprisingly simple.
Planning:
1) Time of day.
Plan on doing it in the morning or early afternoon Mon-Sat so if something goes wrong you can get to a hardware store or reach a plumber during working hours.
2) Water shutoff.
Before the day, confirm that you can shut off the water supply valve. When I did my dishwasher the valve was so corroded I had to get a plumber to come in and torch off the old valve and install a new one.
3) Bolts.
Also before the day, confirm that you can loosen the old bolts (both at the base of the toilet and between tank and toilet bowl), which may be corroded. Due to the way the floor bolts are arranged, the bolt may spin when you're trying to loosen the nut. Spray some WD-40 or other penetrating oil on them. Also make sure you can reach the nuts with a wrench that can fit the area. I found a ratchet easier to use but it needed an extension because the bolts were too long for the standard socket - bolts can be fairly easily cut if you have a mini hacksaw.
4) Measure.
The downpipe should be a standard distance from the wall and a new toilet should be able to swap right in, but make sure you compare the distance from the wall to the floor bolts, and how far the front edge of the bowl will extend compared to your old toilet dimensions. Elongated and round install over the same bolt position, elongated just means the front of the bowl is about 1.5 inches further out than a round bowl. Also, if you are changing from standard to ADA/comfort height or round to elongated bowl, this can impact the position of the toilet paper holder which itself can impact the position of towel bars. The geniuses at my work redesigned the stalls so that the paper dispenser is hitting your knee as you sit. The ADA and industry has standard ergonomic measurements for bathroom fixtures: it seems to be that the vertical/center of a toilet paper roll should be 26 inches from the floor and 8-12" from the front edge of the bowl. Obviously you don't want a hanging towel to drape over the toilet paper roll.
Cost & Buying:
(Other than the boxed toilet, buy an extra wax or foam ring. Maybe buy a better toilet seat, and mini hacksaw and silicone/gun/shaping tool later for final cosmetics. You probably already have: a bucket or pitcher, rags, wrench or ratchet set, measuring tape, bubble level, scraper or spatula, grime cleaning supplies, WD-40, gloves.)
1) Toilet style and features.
I never really liked the smallness of the round bowl I had, and I like to pee like Jim Carrey in Me Myself & Irene, so I figured an elongated bowl would present a bigger target and require less floor cleanup. I went with a middle-of-the road $, comfort height, elongated, 2-piece (tank bolts onto the bowl rather than being a single solid unit), 1.3 gallon standard flush Kohler for $200 from Home Depot. I didn't bother looking at the half+full flush and pressure assisted flush toilets. Even going from an old 3-gallon flush to this one I'm impressed by its flushing power so no need for anything Japanese tech. However the toilet seat is pretty basic so I might replace it with a slow-closing seat in the future.
2) Parts & tools.
The toilet box should have the floor bolts and a wax ring, but the ring may be basic; spend the extra bucks to get an off-the-shelf wax ring that includes a plastic funnel, or even consider a foam ring instead of wax. You'll need a small wrench (or ratchet) for the nuts (which I think in my case were 5/8" and half inch). Although you don't *need* a hacksaw, the included floor bolts are intentionally too long to put the final cosmetic cap over them; a mini hacksaw will easily cut through the soft brass bolts to trim them down to size. If there's a problem with the flange under the toilet you may need to go back to the store for a partial repair kit or completely new flange. You may want small metal scraper to remove any caulk or grout around the old toilet base. You may also want fresh silicone, caulk gun, and caulk shaping tools for cosmetic reasons, but caulking is not required for a properly installed toilet.
3) Delivery/assistance.
Scheduling the day you want to do this will be dependent on when you have the toilet on site, which can be uncertain from the day you actually order it for delivery. If you can, save yourself the delivery fee; I was able to put the new toilet on a cart and then muscle it into the back seat of my sedan and bring it in to my condo (using an elevator) myself. It's heavier in the box with both bowl and tank but you can install them separately for lighter weight. You may want an extra pair of hands if you're bringing it up stairs, and to help remove the old one and eyeball the positioning of the toilet over the bolts, but again I was able to do this myself.
Removal: (check for snakes and alligators first)
1) Supply line and tank.
(You can keep the tank bolted to the bowl and remove them together, but disassembly is more manageable if you don't have trouble with the tank bolt nuts.) Make sure you've prepped an area where you and set down the tank, which will likely be grimey underneath. Turn the water supply valve completely closed so that when you flush the toilet it doesn't refill, sop up any remaining water, remove the tank bolts and supply line, and take off the tank. This can all be done before the day of installation because you can still make a toilet bowl flush with a bucket or pitcher full of water.
2) Toilet bowl.
Again make sure you've prepped an area to place the old bowl, and have a garbage bag ready to put around the bowl to catch any dripping during its move. Flush the bowl with a bucket so there's a small amount of water left and sop it up (don't worry about getting it completely dry - if you keep the bowl upright it shouldn't drain out significantly.) Remove the nuts from the two floor bolts and lift the toilet bowl straight up.
3) Flange.
(In cleaning around this area just be careful not to cut exposed skin on sharp tile edges.) Scrape away the old wax and any caulk or grout, and clean the area to confirm that the flange is intact and able to hold the bolts securely. If not it will need to be repaired or replaced. Lightly stuff a rag in the drain pipe opening to prevent sewer gas from entering the room and catch anything you might drop but make sure to remove the rag before you install the new toilet.
Install:
1) Flange/level.
Make sure the flange is at floor height or up to 1/4" above floor level (there should be enough space under the toilet base to allow this) so that the wax ring will make a seal between flange and toilet. Also make sure the floor is level; if boards or tiles are uneven you may need to shim the toilet to make sure it doesn't wobble, which would create opportunity for leaks or damage to the flange and toilet ceramic.
2) Bolts.
Make sure the floor bolts stand straight upright from the flange so you don't have trouble trying to set the bowl down over them; you can use tape to position them if the plastic washer doesn't keep them steady.
3) Wax ring.
You can put the ring on the flange or on the base of the toilet, I don't think it matters. I put it on the flange so that I didn't have to worry about it dropping off as I carried the toilet into position.
4) Toilet positioning.
(You can assemble them first and install as a unit but it's easier to maneuver them separately.) The base and tank are each about 30lbs I guess? Not too heavy but considering the material, you don't want to drop it and risk cracking the toilet or floor tile. I was able to carry the toilet base and set it straight down over the bolts by looking through the toilet seat holes, but if that's not convenient you may want someone there to help guide the toilet over the bolts. Also eyeball it from a distance to make sure that the toilet bowl is positioned center from the wall and not a few degrees off.
5) Test.
Before securing the floor bolts or attaching the tank I put some buckets of water through the bowl to make sure there were no surprise leaks coming out at the floor. The old toilet didn't have any plumber's tape on the supply line connection and I didn't see instructions to use it for the new one, so I didn't; look for leaks when turning on the supply valve. During the first flush with the tank and water on, the water was black (charcoal?) but cleared up after a few flushes. I didn't need to make any adjustments to the refill level or lever action, so if it's not overflowing and there's no trouble when you toggle the flush lever then you're good to go.
6) Level.
You can use a bubble level to determine if the bowl and tank are level, but the more important factors here are that it doesn't look uneven to the eye, and that everything is bolted tightly enough that it doesn't wobble. The base may wobble a bit at first if it needs to settle down on to the wax ring. I had made the bolts snug and the bowl wobbled slightly when I sat on it at first, but tightening the bolts solved that issue without need for shims.
7) Caulk.
From all the videos I watched, caulking the toilet base to the floor is not necessary, and in fact the pros all say that you shouldn't caulk all the way around because you need to see any leaks come out on to the floor before it starts causing a serious problem for the ceiling below. Caulk with 100% silicone (white or clear) for cosmetic reasons and to prevent grime buildup; you can find it in squeeze tubes or in tubes that require a caulk gun. You can use your finger to smooth the caulk line but the pros suggest using a caulk shaping tool set ($12-40) for a uniform line.
And now I will spend all day figuring out the precise positioning of my toilet paper roll and the towel bar.
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Responses:
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That's one heck of a write up. -- nm
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James Bond (aka Igor)
Jul 14, 12:28
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One other tip, I saw the This Old House guys either remove the old one or put the new one in with tank and bowl connected rather than 1 + 1
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Max
Jul 14, 11:18
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WTG! I consider replacing 2 low flow toilets on the first try as my highlight of my DIY -- nm
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amoxy
Jul 14, 11:15
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This post confirms that I am an anti-DIY guy. -- nm
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David
Jul 14, 11:10
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Bookmarked. -- nm
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MDH
Jul 14, 11:04
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this is a quality post -- nm
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prayformojo
Jul 14, 11:03
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Bookmarking this. We are literally doing this in the old house.
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JaxSean
Jul 14, 11:02
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Good for you bro. With me, I have found I am more likely to tackle DIY projects now with youtube as a guide than I was in the past. -- nm
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Bacon
Jul 14, 11:00
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