Replacing a toilet bowl is a procedure that every owner in a house or apartment can face. Typically, such an operation is required when plumbing breaks down or during a major overhaul of the premises. But in any case, replacing the toilet will involve the dismantling of the old element. You can do it with your own hands. How to remove the old and install a new toilet? Consider in our today's article.
Preparation
First we need to prepare the device for disassembly. To do this, turn off the water supply to the toilet tank by turning on the corresponding tap (usually it is located somewhere nearby). Then we drain all the liquid from the reservoir by unscrewing the hose.
Start dismantling
How do you replace a toilet bowl with your own hands? To do this, unscrew the tank mount. Usually it is connected with bolts. But this is where many people run into trouble. Since the toilet cistern is rarely replaced, these bolts simply rust and become covered with a thick coating. Unscrew suchconnection is not possible. How to be in such a situation? Treat the bolts with WD-40 or any universal lubricant in the form of a spray. So we can 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, you should disconnect the structure from the sewer pipe. If you have an old house, you may encounter 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 by placing a chisel across the coating. Be careful - when hit, the fragments scatter in different directions. It is advisable to do this work with glasses. To finally remove the structure, shake the toilet from side to side (until the drain loosens and a gap appears).
Next, tilt the toilet and drain the remaining water from it into a previously prepared container. After that, we close the sewer pipe with a plug. Please note: gases from the sewer 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 design is tight, you can make several blows to the part of the toilet.
Pay attention
If old cast iron drain pipes are installed in your apartment, it is better to replace them with plastic ones right away. 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 gotten rid of the old design, you can safely install a new one. How is the toilet replaced? You need to prepare the surface for plumbing. To do this, level the floor with cement mortar. After it dries, we put the new structure in place. We fix a corrugated pipe or a hard plastic pipe on the drain. For sealing, use a rubber gasket of the appropriate diameter.
Next, prepare the water inlet. For this, a flexible metal hose is used. We wind it with one side to the tank, and the other - on the fluid supply valve. When choosing, it is important to pay attention to the diameter of the mounts. Often the size of the entrance is 1/8 inch, or 3/4. By connecting the hose, you can fix the toilet bowl to the floor. This is done with anchors or nuts. However, try not to damage the toilet with them. Rubber gaskets must be put on the fasteners. They will save the toilet from cracks and other deformations under loads. Also, rubber will prevent the appearance of rusty streaks on snow-white ceramics.
You can go another way: when replacing the toilet, use epoxy. It does not leave any marks behind and securely fastens the structure.to the floor. But in order for the resin to provide a normal connection, the surface should be prepared by treating it with an abrasive stone or sandpaper. The adhesive is applied in a thin even layer on both mating surfaces.
Assembly
So, the main part is installed. Now it remains only to fix the tank. It is mounted in the same way, on bolts. Next, a cold water supply hose is supplied to it. We 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 the toilet seat to the toilet. There are special holes on the toilet bowl for him. Bolts, as a rule, already come with such a toilet seat.
If the toilet is hanging
If the toilet is being replaced with a wall-hung one, any contact of the structure with the floor should be excluded. To do this, you need to build a special steel frame that will be connected to the load-bearing wall. It is to the frame that the toilet itself will be attached. In this case, the toilet cistern is moved. It will be difficult to replace it in the future, since it will be behind a plasterboard wall. But there are no other options. 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. Fastening is carried out on anchors. The latter are mounted in a frame or on a wall.
Replacing fittings in the toilet cistern
Drainthe mechanism is the most fragile part in this plumbing. In the event of a malfunction, it can cause streaks, murmur of water, or not collect liquid at all. But do not immediately replace the toilet cistern. There is a cheaper and easier way. To fix the problems, it is enough to replace the fittings of the toilet bowl. For this we need:
- Remove the reservoir 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 clasp it with both hands and turn it counterclockwise until it clicks. You need to scroll not smoothly, but jerkily - this is important.
How is the next replacement? 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 one. The mechanism must be twisted clockwise, again until a characteristic click.
After that, put the cover back in place 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. When the desired height is reached, we fix the structure with the same pins. After completing all the work, we test the new mechanism. It should automatically draw water and shut off its supply when the tank is full. If so, then the replacement of the drain element was successful.
Conclusion
In thisIn the material, we found out how to replace the toilet bowl 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 to give in, which is why you have to use improvised means. But installation will be easier. The main thing is to fix the pipe to the sewer with high quality and choose the right hose for water inlet.
