Installing a Toilet
You'll install a new toilet in two steps - first the bowl, then the tank. The most difficult part of the installation will be putting the bowl in place. It's heavy, and you'll have to place it so the floor bolts are directly lined up with the holes in the toilet base. When working with heavy porcelain items such as toilets, avoid banging them into anything. Porcelain is tough - up to a point. If it cracks, it can't be used.
At Your Local Store:
Follow These Steps
Step One
| Set the mounting bolts. |
| If you're reusing the old flange, replace the 31⁄2-inch flange bolts. Purchase two 31⁄2-inch-long closet bolts at your local Home Depot. If you're replacing the flange, it must be screwed into a wooden floor. Use self-tapping concrete screws for concrete. Closet bolts often tip over when you're trying to place the toilet. Put an extra nut on each bolt, and tighten it against the flange to hold the bolts in place. |
Step Two
| Place the wax ring on the toilet. |
| The "no-seep" wax ring size will vary with the size of the flange. Be sure to purchase the proper size. A 3-inch neck will fit a 3-inch closet elbow, and a 4-inch neck will fit a 4-inch closet elbow. If the closet elbow is 4 inches and the neck is 3 inches in diameter, purchase a 4×3 reducer. If the flange is positioned below floor level, buy a double-thick ring. |
Step Three
| Set the toilet bowl. |
| Straddle the toilet bowl and lift, using your legs - not your back. Toilets are heavy, so get some help. Set the toilet over the anchor bolts and sit on the toilet, rocking it back and forth to seat the wax ring. Slip a washer over the closet bolt. |
Step Four
| Tighten the nuts. |
| Tighten the nuts against the washer by hand. With a wrench, tighten each nut a half-turn. Alternate tightening each side a half-turn until the toilet fits snugly. Tightening either side too much will cause the toilet to crack. If the toilet rocks or isn't level, shim it with plastic toilet shims, and cut the ends off, so they won't be seen. |
Step Five
| Cut the flange bolt to size. |
| Use a minihacksaw to cut the flange bolt so only 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch extends above the bolt. This will allow the cap to fit snugly. Most bolts have snap-offs every 1⁄2 inch or so, but you should still cut through so you don't bend the bolt. |
Step Six
| Install the bolt cap. |
| Some types of caps will snap over the bolt. Others have to be filled with plumber's putty and seated over the anchor bolt. |
Step Seven
| Set the tank anchor bolts. |
| Place the tank anchor bolts in the holes of the tank to help guide the tank onto the bowl. Note: Most tank bolts come with a rubber washer, a metal washer, and a nut. The rubber washer goes on the inside of the tank, and the metal washer goes next to the nut on the underside of the bowl. |
Step Eight
| Place the tank on the bowl. |
| Lift the tank and place it over the bowl. You may need some help with this. Guide the tank bolts into the corresponding holes on the toilet bowl. |
Step Nine
| Tighten the tank bolts. |
| Hold an adjustable wrench over the tank bolt nut while you tighten the bolt with a screwdriver. Don't overtighten; you can crack either the tank or the bowl. |
Step Ten
| Install the shutoff valve. |
| Set the valve over the compression ring and draw the nut to it. Tighten the nut until hand-tight. Use two adjustable wrenches to tighten until snug - one to hold back the valve and the other to tighten the compression nut. |
