Toilet Installation

[moorem]

Hi all. I gutted a bathroom this weekend and will be replacing the toilet, a job I have never done before. It LOOKS pretty easy, but I've said that before! Is ther a basic tutorial of instructions that anyone might have that would help me? Also, I should note that the flange going into the floor looks old and 'rotten' so I will probably need to replace that as well. ( if possible) Thanks.

[LazyPup]

Installing a Water closet (toilet) is basically a very simple job.

If it is a new water closet I personally prefer to preasseble the tank and bowl unit before setting it in place, but that is a matter of preference. Due to the physical weight many people prefer to install the bowl first, then attach the tank, but as i stated before, this is a matter of personal preference and either method works equally well.

When you must lift a toilet, the re-install it,I prefer to set a large trash bag on the floor beside the toilet. As soon as the toilet is lifted set it down on the trash bag and pull the bag up and around the toilet before moving it. In this manner the bag will catch any water that might spill out of the trap. After lifting I prefer to set the toilet on its back in the tub. In this manner should any residual water spill out of the trap or tank it will immediately go down the drain and their is no mess on the floor. Placing the toilet in the tub also gets it out of your way while still providing a good barrier of protection to prevent any damage to the toilet while its out.

When installing a toilet, first take a putty knife and carefully remove as much of the old wax ring as possible off the closet flange.

(Here is a tip, first remove the new wax ring from the packing box and set it aside. You can now use the box as a waste container for the old wax as you remove it.) Pay particular attention to the throat of the closet flange to make sure there is no old wax ring plastic guide flange stuck in the throat of the flange. You need not get the flange perfectly clean, but you should remove as much of the built up wax as possible to insure it will not interfere with the new wax ring.

Examine the closet ring flange carefully. If you see evidence of cracks or breaks on the flange ring in the area of the mounting bolt slots, you can get a repair flange ring that will bolt to the underside of the existing flange to repair it.

Check the height of your existing closet flange. The underside of the flange should be flush with the finished floor, which leaves the top side of the flange about 1/4" to 3/8" above the finished floor. (The plumbing code prohibits the top surface of the flange from being flush with or recessed below the finished floor). In instances where the subfloor has been built up and the top surface of the closet flange is flush with or recessed below the floor you can get a "Buildup flange" which is a flat flange plate about 3/8" thick that will lay on top of the existing flange and bolt into place. The buildup flanges have a rubber gasketing surface on the underside to insure a water tight seal.

Set the closet mount bolts in the slots and align them so they are at the 3 c'clock and 9 o'clck position when viewing the flange from directly in front of the installation. Here is a tip. cut a small square of cardboard off the new wax ring box about an inch square and punch a small hole in the middle of the square. Insert the bolt in the closet flange then insert the tip of the bolt in the hole in the cardboard and slide the cardboard down over the bolt until the cardboard rests on the top of the flange. The friction of the bolt in the cardboard will help hold the bolt upright in alignment which will make mounting the bowl easier. The cardboard is thin enough that it will not cause any problems later.

Now set your new wax ring in place over the closet flange. I prefer to use the wax rings that have a plastic guide flange, but here again, this is purely a matter of perference and the standard wax ring without a flange will work just as well.

If you are resetting a bowl that was pulled out, before you set the bowl examine the underside and remove any old wax that may be adhereing to the bowl.

Now carefully lower the bowl down onto the closet flange using the mointing bolts as an alignment guide. Make sure both mounting bolts are properly extending up through the base of the bowl in the mount bolt holes. continue lowering the bowl until it rests on the wax ring. Now carefully press downwards in a slight rocking motion to expand the new wax ring until the base of the bowl is resting squarely on the floor. (Do not try to pull the bowl down on the wax ring by tightening the bolts as you will run a serious risk of cracking the base of the bowl.) Sometimes I find it easier to sit on the bowl and slightly rock side to side to press it down.

Once the bowl is set down firmly against the floor you may install the flat washers and nuts on the mount bolts and tighten the bolts snug but not over tigth. (You don't want to crack the base of the bowl.)

Once the bowl is set in place and the bolts tightened down, connect the water supply line and turn the water on. The tank should immediately fill with water.

Flush the toilet a couple times to test it and your done.