John has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Memphis State University. Read on to find out how to fit a new toilet, dispose of your old one and the potential cost of installing a toilet…. Few toilets are installed on a floor so unlevel that you have a good chance of falling off the side before you finish your business. Remove the nuts on the anchor bolts located on the base of the toilet and then lift the toilet straight up. The existing toilet pan has a bottom outlet and enters the soil pipe in the floor. Cleaning equipment - bucket, sponge, detergent. Lay a level lengthwise on the back of the toilet tank, then sit backward on the toilet, straddling the bowl and shifting your weight to make the toilet level. Gently work the toilet loose from the pipe and your loo should be successfully removed from the soil pipe. The toilet flange is a pipe fitting that both connects the outflow pipe to the toilet and the toilet to the floor. A properly installed toilet-to-floor connection is vital to not only prevent the occurrence of leaking from underneath the toilet bowl, but also prevent sewer gases from entering the room and house through the drainpipe. How to fit a Toilet Flush Pipe includes 10 top questions asked. To fix the toilet down, squirt a generous amount of the Sikaflex adhesive under the gap. You can set the toilet on an old towel to keep it from scratching the floor. The shims should be inset 1/4 inch from the outside edge of the toilet. It is level west-east and north-south ... measure. Wax rings are also called wax toilet bowl gaskets and act as a seal. A proper connection is very important, and not only involves how the toilet connects to the floor, but also how the toilet connects to the drainpipe, through which water and waste will flow. Most toilet flanges are 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick and are designed to fit either a 3-inch or 4-inch pipe. The cost of fitting a toilet by a professional plumber can vary depending on the type of toilet you want. The Best Ways to Clean Any Shower | How to Seal a Bath Properly | What Size Bath do you Need? Do I need to fix something to the floor underneath the pan so that I can screw through and fix ? The toilet flange is a pipe fitting that both connects the outflow pipe to the toilet and the toilet to the floor. 11. Have a final clean-up of the toilet area, such as the floor. This collar is designed to help prevent any leaks. Is there a good way of securing the toilet to porcelain tiles? Mount the toilet on the extended flange, apply wood floor caulk around the toilet base and you're done fixing the toilet to the wooden floor. If you’ve bought a new toilet that lines up with your old ones fixing holes, great. Wear gloves so your skin isn’t harmed by cleaning chemicals or open to germs and bacteria. Use a sponge and bathroom cleaner for complete cleansing. For drilling into a concrete floor, you’ll need masonry drill bits. Fit new pan with a modern rubber gasket jointed pan connector that is suitable for the pipe. Reattach the water inlet pipe with your wrench, being careful not to have it too tight. This pipe can still have water in it, so, to be safe, place a towel or shallow tub underneath to catch it and avoid a wet floor. Hammerzone: Assembling and Installing a New Toilet. Now, it’s time to connect the two parts of the toilet together. Check around for any leaks. (I used four pencils under the pan, located at the "four corners" so that it sat level in its final position). Step 4. You can do this before reconnecting the water, it’s up to you, but once your toilet is fitted and functioning, it helps to use silicone sealant for added security at the base. Place the toilet in position, then mark the wall fixing holes for the cistern as well as the base of the pan. What Sort of Flooring is best for the Bathroom? Setting aside the toilet, check for any wires and pipes before drilling the holes into the floor and wall. Switch off your water supply, using the isolation valve on the water pipe, and then flush the toilet until there’s no water left. Always take care when drilling into tiles, using the necessary safety equipment. Divide this number by 2 Fit the toilet seat. If the bolts are covered with a plastic cap, use the screwdriver to pop them off. Wait for the cistern to fill with water - ensuring there are no leaks - and then flush the toilet. Not even with a bit of KY. Then I suggest you remove the old pan collar completely and replace it with a new one. Whatever the reason may be, the majority of toilets are very similar when it comes to installation. Flanges are made of either plastic, brass, stainless steel, or cast iron. Screw the pan to the floor and the cistern to the wall, then, remove the cover you placed on the soil pipe and connect the pan to it with a connector. The holes in the pan seem to be about 30mm from the bottom and horizontal. The design features the cistern, or water tank, directly above the toilet bowl, the pan, - making it closely coupled together. The flange bolts that fit up through the toilet's mounting holes are each held secure by a washer and nut, thus providing the toilet's connection to both the floor and the drain. Screwing the cistern and pan tighter, use an adjustable wrench, remembering to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. He had tiled the toilet floor completely then placed the toilet pan on top of the tiled floor! Step 19. The holes are vertical so doesn't look … This simple to fit kit ensures a neat and solid way to fix the toilet pan to the floor. This is called the toilet horn. 4. In order for this not to happen the toilet flange must sit above the finished floor by at least 1/4″. Otherwise, mark the wall for fixing holes for the cistern as well as the floor for the base of the pan, using a pencil. The object is to seat the wax ring while leveling the commode; the seal must not be broken once it … Close-coupled toilets come in a range of styles, particularly with Plumbworld, which are explained below: The equipment and tools needed to fit a toilet, particularly if you’re replacing an old one, can vary, but the standard tools are: Whether you’re fitting a new model, your current one is faulty, or your new loo is part of a bathroom suite, you have to remove the old toilet. When the pipe is attached and everything is fixed in place, switch the water back on. Use a cartridge gun to evenly apply the sealant around the base and then smooth it off with your finger, once dipped in water, a round-headed tool or sealant applicator. Just make sure are no pipes under the floor when you secure them. Fit the rubber gasket - if it isn’t already attached - to the flush entrance of the pan. The only successful method is to employ a plumber and fit a new pan. Another tip,when you have marked the tiles where to drill, place a strip of maskingtape over te mark and then drill through this will stop the tile from cracking, don't have the drill on hammer action either! All I can see is a large ring of cement at floor level. A damaged, leaky wax ring is often the culprit in a leak from underneath the toilet. In the past I did the usual blob of strong cement onto the concrete floor but was hoping to skip tiling around the toilet … To dispose of a toilet properly, it needs to be taken to a household waste recycling centre - otherwise known as a dump or tip. Judging by it, it should be screwed directly into the floor. Toilet pan has holes couple inches up both sides of pan rather than holes vertical at base. Put your toilet back into position. I know that modern pans all discharge from the back so I know I will need a 90 deg connector of some sort. Follow our step-by-step process below for removing a toilet: When removing a toilet, you need to make sure there is no water in the cistern or pan. You can tell whether there are any obstructions through plans or with a detector. It’s much easier to do this now than when the entire toilet is in place as you need to move around it. Should you fit your toilet before or after fitting your tiles? Then, insert the fixing bolts, threading them through the holes in the cistern, using the included rubber and metal washers. First you need to know that every toilet has 2 main components — the cistern (or water tank) and the pan (that you sit on). Replace them if necessary - you may well have new ones come with the new toilet. My toilet has become a little wobbly I've noticed that the screws that fix it to the floor are not actually screwed in but just sit in their holes with the exception of one. Find more bathroom advice and buying guides by reading the Plumbworld blog. Leaking sewer gases can be both dangerous and unhealthy. ... minus the measurements from the floor to the centre of the toilet pan inlet, again as long as the floor is level. The flange itself is mounted on top of the drainpipe. You may need to make up a mortar mix to bed the new pan onto the floor if it is a solid and uneven floor. You may also like these posts…. I am re-doing a bathroom and was hoping to first tile the floor and then install the toilet. Most toilet flanges are 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick and are designed to fit either a 3-inch or 4-inch pipe. If there is a small amount of water left, soak it up using a towel. Either method of will almost 100% result in breaking the pan, removing the old mortar, or trying to remove the old screws and fit newer larger ones. Once your old toilet is clean and dry, you need to get rid of it. Toilets can get pretty dirty, so, before proceeding with removing it, clean the toilet thoroughly. Screw the pan to the floor and the cistern to the wall, then, remove the cover you placed on the soil pipe and connect the pan to it with a connector. Bolt the toilet down, using the two bolts on the sides of the toilet to secure it firmly. To attach the toilet seat, read our Bathroom DIY posts here, including how to replace a toilet seat. How I perform this is to put the toilet onto the floor in its desired location, place some small packers or wedges under the toilet to raise it by approx 2 to 3 millimeters and until a level toilet pan is achieved (this providing the floor slope is not to drastic, I don't like to have a larger gap than 5 or 6 millimeters at the front of the pan when using silicone), then go around the whole base of the toilet pan … Apply a final bead of sealant. The wax ring is just that--a ring made of wax and designed to fit the particular toilet flange that is used, for either 3-inch or 4-inch waste lines. Team. Shop online at Plumbworld today for guaranteed lowest prices! To fit a toilet with L shaped clamps, simply: • Fit the toilet to the soil pipe and push it back to the wall into place • Grab a pencil and mark on the floor where the holes are • Disconnect the toilet again and place it upside down • Loosely fit the screws through the toilet and into the L shape brackets and measure with a tape measure the distance between the two holes. Part 1 of 2: Remove the Toilet. You’ll know the water supply is switched off as the cistern won’t fill up again. The wax seal is placed over the toilet horn when the toilet is being installed. A leak can lead to costly repairs due to significant damage to the subflooring around the toilet and possibly the ceiling below if left unchecked. Carefully lift the cistern and position it in place on the pan. When properly connected, the toilet rests on top of the toilet flange, with the wax ring providing a seal to the floor. Christopher John has been a freelance journalist since 2003. Your toilet may have silicone around the base to make it more secure, if so, this can be removed by cutting through it with a sharp knife. Use washers, if you have them, and cover the bolts on the pan’s base with caps. Most loos come with screws and caps to secure the pan to the floor, but you may not get anything to secure the cistern to the wall. Step 11 Put the toilet into position and secure the pan to the floor brackets with the provided fixings. We asked the experts. I want to replace a toilet, but the existing pan discharges downwards (ground floor). Fit the toilet. It’s simple, the watertight seal between the toilet bowl and wax ring will eventually fail. There is also a wax-free seal available, which is made from PVC. The cistern holds enough water so that when you release the water, it will flush away what is inside the pan. Steve used an Oatey 4″ replacement toilet … The the centre of this soil pipe is 250mm (10") from the outside wall. The floor of my toilet is concrete so the previous owners somehow managed to install a toilet without screwing it down to the floor but it did not move, so I can only assume that he used something like no more nails or super glue (Lol). A properly sized extender raises the flange height to within 1/16 inch of the floor surface. Some toilets have four mounting holes with two on each side. Connect the water line to the toilet intake and turn on the shut-off valve that is located near the floor. Score the floor tiles with a tile cutter or angle grinder to allow the bedding to set on a roughened surface to ensure adequate binding. Turn the water to the toilet off. Fit the washers onto the bolts and then secure them. I can't see how to fix to pan or floor as once sited how do I get to behind holes. This isn’t as daunting as it appears if you’re doing it yourself, and this is a simple, easy-to-follow step-by-step guide: Before you get the cistern and pipes, assemble and fit the flushing mechanism - a button or handle. Jim 5 / 5. Check beforehand, or once there, find the best place to leave and dispose of it. If you are fitting the toilet to a concrete floor, you will need to use a masonry drill bit and wall plugs. This will prevent potentially harmful and very foul-smelling gasses from entering your bathroom from the sewers. How to Install a Toilet on an Unlevel Floor. The flange ring has either four or six mounting holes and two slots, into which the heads of the two flange, or closet, bolts are installed so that the bolts will fit up through the toilet's mounting holes. I have just down a dry-fit of our new toilet. Step 5.