Project

Guide

Installing a toilet
Difficulty

Experience/Time
Novice: 90 min.
Experienced: 60 min.
Pro: 40 min.
Youll 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. Its heavy, and youll 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 cant be used.

Before you go to
the store
Print this document.

What you will need

Tools:
Ratchet wrench &
sockets
Adjustable wrenches
Screwdriver

Preparation:
Turn off the water supply at the shutoff valve.
Plug the drain opening with a rag to keep sewer gases in the pipes.
Safety:
Ceramic toilets are heavy, so make sure to lift with your legs, not your back to avoid injury
If possible, have an assistant due to the heavy weight
Savings:
Save water and money with a WaterSense labeled toilet that only uses 1.28
gallons per flush.

Materials:
Toilet
Toilet seat
At Your Local Store:
Wax ring and sleeve
Plumbers putty
Floor bolts
Mounting nuts

Installing the toilet yourself if a great way to save on the cost of your project.

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Guide

Installing a toilet
Steps
Steps 1-3 of 13
Step One
Set the mounting bolts.
If youre reusing the old flange, replace the 312-inch flange bolts. Purchase two 312inch-long closet bolts at your local home center. If youre replacing the flange, it must be
screwed into a wooden floor. Use self-tapping concrete screws for concrete. Closet bolts
often tip over when youre 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 43 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.

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Guide

Installing a toilet
Steps
Steps 4-6 of 13
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 isnt level, shim it with plastic
toilet shims, and cut the ends off, so they wont be seen.

Step Five
Cut the flange bolt to size.
Use a minihacksaw to cut the flange bolt so only 14 to 12 inch extends above the bolt.
This will allow the cap to fit snugly. Most bolts have snap-offs every 12 inch or so, but
you should still cut through so you dont bend the bolt.

Step Six
Install the bolt cap.
Some types of caps will snap over the bolt. Others have to be filled with plumbers putty
and seated over the anchor bolt.

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Installing a toilet
Steps
Steps 7-9 of 13
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. Dont overtighten; you can crack either the tank or the bowl.

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Guide

Installing a toilet
Steps
Steps 10-12 of 13
Step Ten
Install the shutoff valve.
Set aside any components that can be installed after the fixture is hanging (globes, 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.

Step Eleven
Always replace the supply tube to help prevent leaks.
Screw flex tube in place. If youre putting in chrome tube, hold it in place with the extra
pipe extending past the shutoff. Mark the pipe for cutting. Leave enough pipe so it will fit
inside the shutoff valve outlet. Cut with a tubing cutter.

Step Twelve
Connect the supply pipe to the tank.
Seat the end of the pipe against the tank. Draw up the tank nut, and hand-tighten until
snug. Slide the compression nut over the other end, then place the compression ring
over the end. Seat the end in the outlet of the shutoff valve.

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Installing a toilet
Steps
Steps 13 of 13
Step Thirteen
Tighten the compression nut.
Use an adjustable wrench to carefully tighten the compression nut. Dont overtighten.
Turn on the water supply and check for leaks along the supply line, visually and by feel.
Flush the toilet and check for leaks around the base of the tank. If there is a leak, tighten
the connections a half-turn.

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