Are you thinking of replacing your toilet yourself to save on the price of a plumber? If so, read our ‘how to’ guide below to give yourself some important tips
Step 1 – Make sure your new toilet will fit
One of the most important tasks when choosing a toilet is to make sure it will fit into the space that you have.
In most cases even if the new toilet is slightly bigger or smaller, it will still fit. However, making sure the depth of the toilet isn’t to big when its located in a walkway, or it isn’t too high if your toilet sits below a window sill is very important
Step 2 – Pick out a new toilet and get ready to install
After you’ve taken all your measurements, it’s time to choose your new toilet! Toilets come in many different models, shapes, designs, and styles. So, you can almost always find a make and model that fits your exact wants and needs. While selecting your new toilet, make sure that it matches the measurements you took. We have many toilets on our site to choose from, so look until your hearts content.
Once we’ve delivered your new toilet, you’ll need to install it. It’s a good idea have all of the right materials at hand before starting the job. You don’t want to get half way through only to realise that youre missing a specific item. For toilet replacement jobs, we recommend the following tools and materials:
- Safety glasses
- Hacksaw
- Stanley knife
- Work gloves
- A spirit level
- A tap connector with an isolation valve incorporated
- A new pan connector
- Plugs and screws
- A drill
Step 3 – Kick Your Old Toilet to the Curb
Now it’s time to get to the real work. Before you can install your new toilet, you’ll first have to remove your existing one. To remove your existing toilet, follow these steps:
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1 –Turn off the water supply to your bathroom and remove any toilet water (in both the bowl and the tank) using a rag or sponge.
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2 –Disconnect your toilet’s water supply by disconnecting the old tap connector
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3 –Remove the screws from the back of the cistern (these may need to be broken off as they do get quite rusty)
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4 –Remove the screws that attach your toilet pan to the floor. (like above, these sometimes get rusty and may need to be broken to get them out)
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5 –Carefully remove your toilet from the bathroom. It might be best to get someone to help you remove it from the house
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6 –Safely dispose of your old toilet.
Step 4 – Install Your New Toilet
Okay, so you’ve finished wrestling your old toilet out of your bathroom. That’s, honestly, the hardest part of replacing your own toilet. In other words, you’re on the home stretch now! All that you have left to do it install your new toilet. It’s a 10-step process, but each step is relatively easy to accomplish. So, let’s get started!
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1 –sit your toilet in place and make sure nothing is preventing a good installation
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2 –Mark the holes on the floor and through the back of the cistern that will need drilling using a pencil
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3 –Remove the toilet and drill and plug the holes that you have just marked
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4 –Sit your toilet back in place, making sure to use your new pan connector to connect it to the drain as you do it, as this will be impossible to do once its screwed in place.
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5 –Screw your toilet into place, making sure it doesn’t wobble and is stable
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6 –Connect the water feed into your cistern. Its always best to use a new tap connector, but if you don’t have one you can use the old (you must replace the washer to prevent a leak)
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7 –Once this is complete you will need to turn on the water and check for leaks. If your stop tap is located in a different room its best to have someone else turn it on while you check for the leaks
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8 –When the cistern is full and there is no leaks you will need to flush the toilet several times to make sure there’s no leaks on the waste pipe.
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9 –Now install the cistern lid and toilet seat and enjoy your brand-new toilet.
Choosing your toilet:
