How to Replace and Install a Toilet

Do you have an old toilet that needs to be replaced today ?

I'm gonna show you how to install a new one that not only works better , it can help save you money on your water bills .

We're gonna start by taking some measurements of our old toilet .

We're going to take a measurement off our back wall to our closet bolts and then off our side wall to the side of our bowl .

These measurements are important to getting a toilet that's gonna fit your space .

Usually toilet bowls are elongated for comfort , but if you have a smaller space , you might want to go with the round bowl .

Once we have our new toilet , we can start removing our old one .

First , we're gonna turn off our water and flush our water from the tank .

The rest of the water in the tank can be removed with a sponge .

Next , you're gonna disconnect the supply lines from the tank , unscrew the nuts on the tank and lift it off the bowl , wear gloves in case it cracks .

I'm gonna use a water solidifier to keep the water from slashing out of the bowl .

You could also use a sponge to get the water out .

Now loosen and remove the nuts , holding the toilet bowl to the floor , lift the bowl and set it out of the way in a garbage bag .

Now , with our old toilet removed , we're gonna take out the old wax ring and I'm gonna stuff this rag in the hole .

This is gonna keep any sewer gasses from coming up or anything falling down .

And I'm gonna take this putty knife and remove any excess wax .

I'm also going to remove the old closet bolts .

Now , our land is still in good shape , but if yours is broken , you can pick up a repair kit to fix it .

So I built this model to show you a problem you might run into with a renovation .

Now , ideally , we want our flange a little higher than our finished floor .

However , if you're adding new flooring , you might find that your flange is gonna be too low .

Now , they make a number of products to bring your flange up to the proper height .

So it can be properly sealed with our new toilet ready to be set .

The first thing I'm gonna do is install some new closet bolts .

We're gonna simply slide them in , twisting them so they don't come out and we're gonna tighten down these washers .

So it's easier to align our toilet above them .

Next , we're going to bring our new toilet in and set it upside down on this towel .

So we can install our wax ring .

First , we're gonna take our wax ring and run it underneath some warm water to soften it up .

And then we can install it over the hole with their wax ring set .

Next , we're gonna remove our rag from our drain .

Then we're gonna flip our toilet over and carefully , lower it over our new closet bolts .

Now , toilets are heavy so you might need help setting it in place , firmly , press it down and make sure it's square with the wall to secure the toilet .

Add the cap bases , washers and the nuts to the closet bolts .

You're gonna alternate tightening them to keep the pressure , even use a hacksaw to cut off the excess , then pop on the cats .

Next , it's time to install our tank and you're typically gonna have your valve assembly already installed right out of the box , but we're gonna need to flip over our tank and install these bolts which are just gonna slip into place .

And then we're gonna have to install this rubber gasket to the base , set the tank in place and tighten the nuts by hand .

Alternating as you go check it with a level , then tighten the nuts for a watertight seal , but don't over tighten .

You don't want to crack the tank , hook up the water supply and slowly turn on the water .

Then you're gonna wanna check for leaks around the supply line and the gasket baits if it is leaking .

This can usually be fixed by tightening the bolts .

Next , you're gonna want to flush the toilet a couple times and then check around the base .

If it is leaking , make sure the nuts are tight .

Otherwise you'll need to replace and reset the wax ring , then you can install the seat .

Typically all you're gonna need for this is a screwdriver .

Now , you can cocker on your base if you want to .

We're not gonna do that because if we do have a leak down the road , we want to be able to see it .

Now , the last thing we do is to take our top and set it on our tank and toil installation is complete .

Want more great ideas on how to go to lowe's dot com slash how to .