Replacing the toilet is a procedure that every owner in a house or apartment may encounter. Typically, such an operation is required in the event of a plumbing failure or during a major overhaul of the room. But in any case, replacing the toilet will involve dismantling the old element. You can do it yourself. How to remove the old and install a new toilet? Consider in our article today.
Training
First we need to prepare the device for dismantling. To do this, we turn off the water supply to the toilet bowl by turning on the appropriate tap (usually it is somewhere nearby). Then we drain all the liquid from the tank by unscrewing the hose.
Proceed to dismantle
How to replace a toilet with your own hands? To do this, unscrew the tank mount. Usually it is connected with bolts. But here, many face difficulties. Since replacing the toilet bowl infrequently, these bolts simply rust and become thickly coated. To unscrew such connections is not possible. How to be in this situation? Treat the bolts with VD-40 or any universal spray lubricant. So we easily unscrew the tank.
At the next stage, remove the tank from the toilet and begin to unscrew the base of the latter. Depending on the model, fasteners can be carried out on dowels, nuts or anchors. Next, disconnect the structure from the sewer pipe. If you have an old house, you may run into a certain problem. The fact is that the drain in such apartments is fixed on a cement coating. To remove it, you will need to use a chisel and a hammer. It is necessary to prick part of the cement, placing the chisel across the coating. Be careful - upon impact, fragments fly apart in different directions. It is advisable to do this work with glasses. To finally remove the structure, the toilet should be shaken from side to side (until the drain is loosened and a gap appears).
Then we tilt the toilet and drain the remaining water from it into a previously prepared container. After that, we close the sewer pipe with any plug. Please note: the gases from the sewage system are very toxic, therefore, to prevent the spread of smell, we make the most dense plug in the hole.
Now it remains only to remove the old toilet. You can not stand on ceremony with dismantling, because it is unlikely that such plumbing will be reused. If the structure is tight, you can make several hits on the part of the toilet.
note
If your apartment has old cast iron drain pipes, it is better to replace them with plastic immediately. This will greatly facilitate the installation and initial wiring of plumbing. And in the future there will be no problems when replacing the toilet.
Installation
Having got rid of the old design, you can safely put a new one. How is the toilet replaced next? It is necessary to prepare the surface for plumbing. To do this, level the floor with cement mortar. After it dries, we put the new design in place. We fix a corrugated pipe or a rigid plastic pipe on the drain. A rubber gasket of the appropriate diameter should be used for sealing.
Next, we prepare the input of water. For this, a flexible metal hose is used. We wind it with one side to the tank, and the other on the liquid supply tap. When choosing, it is important to pay attention to the diameter of the mounts. Often the input size is 1/8 inch, or 3/4. By connecting the hose, you can fix the toilet to the floor. This is done using anchors or nuts. However, try not to damage the toilet. Rubber fasteners are necessarily put on fasteners. They will protect the toilet from cracks and other deformations during stress. Also, rubber will prevent the appearance of rusty drips on snow-white ceramics.
You can go another way: when replacing the toilet, use epoxy. She leaves no traces after herself and reliably fastens a design to a floor. But for the resin to provide a normal connection, you should prepare the surface by treating it with an abrasive stone or sandpaper. The adhesive is applied in a thin, uniform layer on both mating surfaces.
Assembly
So, the main part is installed. Now it remains only to fix the tank. It is mounted in a similar manner on bolts. Next, a cold water supply hose is supplied to it. You need to immediately test it for performance.
It is important that the tank does not leak after installation. If this happens, it is recommended to check the reliability of the fasteners. Then we mount a toilet seat to the toilet. For him, there are special holes on the toilet bowl. Bolts, as a rule, already come complete with such a toilet seat.
If the toilet is hanging
If the toilet is replaced with a hanging one, any contacts of the structure with the floor should be excluded. To do this, you need to build a special steel frame that will connect to the supporting wall. It is to the frame that the toilet itself will be attached. In this case, the toilet flush cistern is moved. Replacing it in the future will be difficult, since it will be located behind the drywall. But other options are not provided. In some cases, the toilet is mounted without a frame on the wall itself. But in this case, you need to move the sewer pipe. It should be in the thickness of the wall. Fasteners are made on anchors. The latter are mounted in a frame or on a wall.
Replacing fittings in the toilet flush tank
The drain mechanism is the most fragile part in this plumbing. In the event of a malfunction, it can cause drips, murmur of water or not collect fluid at all. But do not immediately replace the toilet bowl. There is a cheaper and easier way. To eliminate the problems, it is enough to replace the fittings of the toilet bowl. For this we need:
- Remove the tank cap by first unscrewing the button counterclockwise.
- Pull out the drain device itself. It is always attached in the same way. To remove the mechanism, you need to grab it with both hands and turn it counterclockwise until it clicks. It is not necessary to scroll smoothly, but in jerks - this is important.
How is the replacement carried out further? The toilet bowl with the tank remains in place. After dismantling the old drain mechanism, we install a new one, the dimensions of which are identical to the old. The mechanism must be twisted clockwise, again until a characteristic click.
After that, we replace the cover and raise the rack of the drain mechanism. It must be adjusted in height with the help of rods that are located at the edges. First, remove the locking pins, and then lower the bar. Upon reaching the desired height, we fix the structure with the same pins. After completing all the work, we are testing a new mechanism. It should automatically collect water and shut off its supply when the tank is full. If so, then the drain element has been replaced successfully.
Conclusion
In this material, we found out how to replace the toilet with our own hands. As you can see, the procedure is not too complicated, so everyone can handle it. The most difficult stage is dismantling. Sometimes plumbing is difficult, because of which it is necessary to use improvised means. But the installation will be simpler. The main thing is to securely fasten the pipe to the sewer and choose the right hose for water inlet.