Do-it-Yourself - Installing a Toilet

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. Once that part is done, the toughest part of the installation is complete.

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.

Turn the new toilet bowl upside-down and put a new wax ring and sleeve over the drain horn. Press it down firmly to seat the ring. If the ring has a paper cover, remove it.

Make sure the toilet flange is clean and the floor bolts point straight up. If you stuffed a rag in the drain hole to plug sewer gases, take it out. Then carefully position the toilet over the flange and fit the holes in the toilet base directly over the floor bolts.

Press down on the toilet bowl to compress the wax ring, making a tight seal. Attach the washers and the nuts to the floor bolts and tighten them with an adjustable wrench. (Note: Don't over-tighten; you could crack the base!) Attach the trim caps.

You're halfway there! Now for the tank. On some tanks, you'll have to install the handle, ballcock, and flush valve. Then turn the tank upside down and set the big spud washer over the tailpiece of the flush valve.

Turn the tank back over and position it on the toilet bowl, centering the spud washer over the water inlet opening near the back edge of the bowl.

There are two, or three, holes in the bottom of the tank that you need to line up with two, or three, holes on the top of the bowl. Shift the tank gently until your mission is accomplished; then put a rubber washer on each of the tank bolts and set the bolts through the matching holes with the bolt heads on the inside of the tank.

From underneath the bowl, attach the washers and the nuts to these bolts. You'll want to tighten them with a ratchet wrench or basin wrench until snug but remember, don't over-tighten!

Cut a piece of supply tubing to fit between the shutoff valve and the toilet tank. Attach the line to the valve first, then to the ballcock tailpiece. Tighten the coupling nuts with adjustable wrenches until they're snug. It'll help if you hold the ballcock while tightening the coupling nut. Turn on the valve to fill the tank.

Your last task is to mount the toilet seat. Set the seat bolts into the toilet's mounting holes, screw the mounting nuts onto the seat bolts, and tighten them by hand. Note: toilet seats are usually not included with the toilet.