How to Change a Toilet | Ask This Old House
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Ask This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows the basics of changing a toilet.
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Time: 1 hour
Cost: $30
Skill Level: Moderate
Tools List for Changing a Toilet:
Open ended adjustable wrench [amzn.to/2LIZ159]
Putty knife [amzn.to/2NR56zf]
Mini hacksaw [amzn.to/2NVsmfE]
Shopping List:
Bucket [amzn.to/2Lo4LCy]
Sponge [amzn.to/2N83O3o]
Drop cloth [amzn.to/2A99IbK] or plywood [amzn.to/2N8tzQT]
Gloves [amzn.to/2N8sDvM]
Closet bolts [amzn.to/2PYXYn0], closet nuts [amzn.to/318aMIS], and closet washers [amzn.to/2NPtUro]
Wax ring [amzn.to/2N8442m]
Toilet caps [amzn.to/2Q2oR9y]
Steps:
1. Shut the water off at the toilet. The shut off valve should be to the left of the toilet.
2. Flush the toilet to drain out as much water as possible. The rest can be removed with a sponge and a bucket.
3. Break the water connection from the hose to the toilet tank. It usually can be loosened with hands alone.
4. Use the open ended adjustable wrench to loosen the closet bolts on both sides of the toilet. Remove the nut and the washer.
5. Use the grips under the toilet to carefully lift the toilet straight up off the bolts. Place the toilet on a piece of plywood or drop cloth to protect the floor.
6. Wearing gloves, remove the wax around the flange using a putty knife.
7. Check to ensure the closet flange is intact. Replace if it is broken.
8. Insert new closet bolts into the flange. Buy ones with plastic tabs on them so they stay in place. It will make it easier to put the toilet back on.
9. Add a new wax ring to the flange.
10. Carefully put the toilet back on the flange and push to set into the wax ring.
11. Add the toilet cap base to the closet bolts on both sides.
12. Put the washer and nut back on the closet bolts. Secure them on both sides with the open-ended adjustable wrench. Take turns securing each side and do not overtighten to prevent damaging the toilet.
13. Use the mini hacksaw to carefully cut the closet bolts close to the nut.
14. Add the toilet cap to the closet bolt. It should snap right into the cap base.
15. Hand tighten the water connection back to the toilet.
16. Turn the water back on.
Resources:
Everything Richard used to remove and reinstall the toilet, including the sponge, bucket, wrench, and closet bolts, can be found at home centers and plumbing supply stores.
About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers-and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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How to Change a Toilet | Ask This Old House
/ thisoldhouse
I'm so happy I found this channel. No terrible acting or fake enthusiasm, just good solid information and explanations. Excellent camera work and multiple options for what to purchase at the hardware store.
Amazing value in this channel.
Agreed it feels like a genuine interaction anyone might have with an expert.
This is the second one for the basement bat. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxOuLt8IL_GxhhaK8DBuKEL-zV0UJVpWZn , works great
Great instructional video. Only thing I would do differently is to tape some kind of precautionary sacrificial material like a thin piece of sheet metal to protect the toilet ceramic when sawing the bolts.
It's MUCH easier and faster if you use a wet/dry vacuum in order to get the water out completely, even the bowl. Many homeowners have one of these. Long time plumber here in Maryland.
A sponge and a turkey baster? Common' that just takes forever and is a time waster if you do this for a living. I install up to 6-8 toilets per week No joke.
In addition, try the "FluidMaster SetFast" closet flange bolts. Under $7 per set. They are self adjusting and never need cutting or breaking off. Makes for a really quick installation of your new toilet.
Just a little quick trick for you folks out there.
How much to install a toilet?
AWESOME video! Thanks so much for this! Clear, concise, simple, just what I needed.
I just had to do this last weekend.
Nicely done
An oscillating tool would work much better than the hacksaw.
Thank you very much very helpful
Thanks job made easy!!
Right now trying to put one in lol
Use a wet vac to empty the last of the water out. Not your bare hands and a sponge.
There is always plenty of soap and water around
I'm about to put a new toilet in my new, old house. The existing toilet has four (4) bolts coming up from floor. Not the usual two closet bolts. What should I expect to find when I take the toilet off? My new toilet only has the usual two bolts.
adapter ring to install
Wow I'm 16 and just learned how to replace a toilet.
Great job Great guy allways good.to.how
.to.fix.it
Seems like I never get to work on those elevated toilets.
You said it Rich, I can't stand when people get the tank confused with the bowl and leave a big ol' turd floating in the upper deck of my toilet. Sorry, I mean the, "tank".
108 plumbers dsliked this video
I wish every toilet 🚽 was in the middle of the room, far away from all walls. That would make changing the toilet so much easier.
Next house I buy I will make sure there is a toilet in the middle of every room.😂
@@USGrant21st on a pedestal to save your back! 😉
This reminds me of that dream people have where they must use the toilet, but it’s in the middle of the living room and they’re hosting a party.
@@irisharizona4187You have strange dreams.
Don't forget it's elevated too.
After you remove the toilet stuff a towel into the pipe opening to prevent gases from coming up and to prevent dropping a nut, washer, bolt ,etc. down the drain.
Good job guys, but I would just add that make sure that your wax seal is at room temperature before setting the toilet, don’t ever set a toilet on a cold wax ring, there’s a good chance you may not have the proper seal because the wax will crush being cold.
1 minute under hot water takes care of that...i carry them in my van and do that winters.
Thats where the rubber one comes in handy
Some people confuse the tank and the bowl? Really? I was using the wrong one all this time.
Actually laughed out loud at this one!
Best comment award, really man funny.
Google "upper decker"
This made me feel a lot better about changing my toilet. All I need is someone to help me get it up the stairs.
Julia Kendrick
Ha ha! I’m in the same boat - living on the 2nd floor.
My sister recently had her toilet replaced. $380! And that’s with the senior discount! 😡
Wet/dry vac for water in tank.
MrMrl69 that’s probably what I’d use as well
Should’ve thought of that when I was removing mine earlier today...
Show is geared toward the average home owner doing repairs that may not own a wet vac
I am sure Tom owns a wet vac
And to vac the trap out
Hi Team, I just changed my first toilet without any issue thanks to this video. Much appreciated! Love your show.
In the last 4 years did you find any issue?
watching these make me feel like i'm a kid again, watching cartoons on a Sunday morning. it feels great to be a first time home owner!
6 weeks into being a first time home owner...so this channel has been great.
THANK YOU My husband works do much that im tackling this project myself
I drain the water out of the tank by unscrewing the fill valve and holding a bucket under the hole.
have you tried one of those new elastomer flange gaskets
Hey it's you!
@@plumbingstuffinoregon2471 Hi
@@jsnxbskscnskcnskcjbzjzjbvd I think so. If I remember correctly, it didn't work very well.
I am 17, have a test tomorrow, dont need to replace a toilet. WHY AM I WATCHING THIS??
because it builds your pride and self esteem.. and also because this is a good trade to follow should you not be interested in going to college.... and it pays better than most college educated jobs...
Because in my area we offer toilet change-outs at a $60 flat labour rate(+toilet). I bring in my cordless shop vac and clutched drill with 1/2 socket. I can change 2 toilets in a house in under 15 minutes from entering front door to cleaned up and collecting payment. $120 aint bad for 15 minutes work and a quick trip to a garbage bin
19 and buying a house, i plan on replacing most things in the house and completely fixing up. Im freaking out cause i wanna do all the renovating myself but i know im not going to do a good job
Congrats dude! I think for some stuff you definately need someone who knows how else you might be making some mistakes that turn out to be very big pains in the butt to fix later
so that you don't have to first learn this when you are 54 yrs old like I had to just learn today!
That toilet will be leaking very soon as you can see the closet bolt moving when you snap off the top.
couldn't help but notice one of those bolts he was breaking off was still loose. it was moving around big time as he was trying o break it off.
Thats fairly normal. If you tighten the nuts to tight it will break out of the flange.
The bolts should be secured to the flanges not just with some little plastic washer
I agree with some of the commenters below. Anyone can do a toilet when everything is new and tidy. Not even a comparison between the wax seals and the newer synthetic ones. When it is this sanitized it just isn't helpful. Doug
Just changed my first toilet. Your video helped. Thanks!👍
three you go, you now have a toilet in the middle of your work shed
This Old House is an absolute American treasure for experienced home repair advice. Thanks for posting these helpful videos to UA-cam!
My existing 25 year old unit didn't have caps and the bolts and nuts had rusted, so I used a jig saw to remove the bolts.
To capture the grease I used a small box of which the sides of the box were use to clean off the putty knife without need for "controlling" the messy rag.
So the screw stubs I hit once with a hammed and they popped loose and easily slide out of the slots.
Also in preparing for this operation for all you skittish people like myself, I turned off the water, flushed the toilet, poured about a 3rd of a container of bleach into the tank and flushed it and held the flapper open, let it set while I did other things. then came back later and poured the rest of the bleach directly into the bowl which flushed out most of the water.
then the next day, sopped out the tank and plunged out the bowl and then(see above) removed the whole unit with minimal spillage by myself and was bagging it up as I was lifting it and carted it out of the house with minimal mess.
I'm the kind of guy that not much goes right, but this was a breeze.
Ever wondered if you would get more views if you went with skipable, or 5 second commercials at the beginning of the video? The 15 second commercials just make me pick another video
I was freaked out about the whole seal area once I removed the old toilet... your step by step tutorial helped my anxiety tremendously! thanks!!!!!
what about a rag to plug the sewer pipe hole to stop the sewer gases from entering your nose
Toilet secured I loled so much you can see both the nut and the bolt moving .
Well that was an actual floor mount.. it was just a demo base..
I just clogged mine while watching this video on it.
Age old question: caulk around the toilet - floor, or no? No caulk done here. Also old houses often see un-level floors, requiring shims to stop the toilet from rocking.
No
Use a shop vac or hose from carpet cleaner to get water from tank and bowl....much faster
Removing a brand new nut and he is hoping it was not rusted tight????????
But folks if you want to change your toilet wear some good gloves just to keep your hands clean.
Also get some heavy duty air refresher because the drain will smell bad.
Jamming a large WET cloth in the drain hole for the time between removing the old and placing the new will save your nose.
Exactly. That's why they are the world's last superpower.
+Fredirik
Please excuse the ill-mannered, ignorant comment by my (unfortunately) fellow American, taemian, who doesn't know how to insert a comment for/to the correct source.
You are absolutely correct in your comment. I witnessed, in 1972, a French family living in Paris, with whom I had the pleasure of being invited to live with them, a system of faucets where above each faucet existed a rectangular box which ignited, internally from natural gas, to heat the water when the hot water faucet was turned on. The loss of precious drinking water was minimal at worst and almost non-existent at best.
Here in the boisterous, ignorant, bellicose behavior of the worst of American citizenry of good, ol' 'Murica, we turn on our taps for hot water and have to wait, ... and wait, ...and wait, all the while wasting precious (hot) drinking water to purge the cold water from the long line(s) of pipes, waiting, ... and waiting, ... and waiting, ... until the hot (tepid at first) water begins to emerge from our faucets. Can you imagine how many gallons/liters of precious drinking water is wasted just for us to obtain hot water each and every day for meals/hand-washings/baths and showers?! Millions of American families waste millions of precious gallons/liters of water every day! And yet, we have boneheads like "taemian" brag about our super power status ... ignoring the fact that we are trillions, and trillions of dollars in debt! What is that debt today, 22-trillions? That would be $22,000, 000, 000,000.00 of debt and the American Nazi-Republican Party is adding much, much more to that figure. These are Trump-idiots dictating the demise of a once, great, benevolent (okay, we had some faults) nation which had, in its heart, the desire to do good things around the world. Now, we have Trump-idiots (and the neo-conservatives of the Bush-the-junior era) spewing their unfounded hate and discontent throughout our once great nation and the world. This is the predicament we, knowledgeable Americans, find ourselves, in the United States of American at this time. Ignorant, stupid, hateful (*white-skinned) people spewing ignorance and hate within our nation; they are so easily manipulated and controlled.
Europe, to include the Scandinavian countries, is light-years ahead of the U.S. Keep in mind that we, Americans, live in a cocoon. We do not have neighboring countries in the quantities and differences those of you have in the Old Country(ies) have. You have greater incentives to cooperate and to solve your problems together. We, the U.S., lack those incentives; we are, pretty much, left to our own devices.
I ask for your understanding ...
//signed//
A Good American.
*I am classified as white, Caucasian in a single word. My family, on my sperm-donor's side, originated from England in the late 19th Century.
Love your show, love the advice, even when I have done something many times before! I hate doing toilets, I’m not a plumber, but I always seem to be the plumber for family and friends! Thanks for all your great instructions and very useful advice.
Those rubber funnel waxes will fail and also cause the toilet to not sit level. Use the wax only.
couldn't help but notice one of those bolts he was breaking off was still loose. it was moving around big time as he was trying o break it off.
Paul Woodall yep, that is why you dont use a pvc flange. You cant torque down the bolts without breaking the flange.
Saw that too. Nowadays they use stainless flanges that last and ya don't have to worry about it period.
Paul Woodall it's a fucking demo
So easy and fun until you find that your flange is ✨cracked✨
I’m 17 and my dad Mexican I’m about to do install toilets and change them and install sinks these videos really help so simple and easy !
easy guide
www.plumbingmafia.net/do-it-yourself-diy
How about a wet/dry shop vac for getting water out?
Great job just remember to put a rag in the hole so fumes don’t come up!
The actual word is Sewer Gas
This video only showed how the wax ring should be replaced
Your videos is very helpful for me. My family planning to replace 2 toilet. Now it's seem we can do it by ourselves.
Thank you so much!
Thank yall so much. Just saved 200 bucks on a plumber putting a couple new toilets in.
You can also use a wet vac to empty tank and bowl
Never understood why they use a bucket for the water when they have a wide open hole they just put 1.6 gallons of water down. Just put the water from the turkey baster into the bowl through the open drain hole. People have to make it so complicated.
Don’t bother taking your apple watch off when putting your hand in a toilet though
No harm will occur to a watch
I always wanted a Throne next to my workbench. Great idea!
Much faster with a shopvac to get all the water out.
First time homeowner (in 2023, yes we're crazy), 6 weeks into a new-to-us house and this channel is great. This video gave me everything I need to know in 6 min! There's other toilet replacement videos that are 25+ minutes long. Simple, clear, no bs instructions, perfect. I grew up with my dad watching This Old House on PBS religiously, and now I can see why he did. Thanks for such a great channel to follow.
I recently replaced the 1950's toilet in my house. They reused it when they remodeled and caulked it to the tile floor, so when i pulled it up it took about 40 little tiles up with it, which made a 30 minute toilet swap, into a two day ordeal. Unless your bathroom regularly FLOODS, there is no reason to caulk it to the freakin floor!!!! Fer frigs sakes!!
John Ulicky yeah I'm about to replace my toilet right now and I see like crap load of caulking underneath the old toilet. Figured the same thing was going to happen so pray for me LOL
colbalt95 I did try to slice around it, but I guess I didn't go deep enough. If I had to do it again, I would use a longer blade obviously. PRO TIP: Make sure you're all the way thru the caulk, all the way around, especially if you have a mosaic tile floor. Trying to glue, space, distribute, and then grout all those 1" tiles is a SERIOUS buzz kill!!
It's not uncommon to put a silicon bead around it. If that takes your tiles up with it then your tiles are loose and you have potentially a serious problem. If they actually caulked it to the floor then yes that's unnecessary even if you expect a lot of water on the floor.
I own rentals, I caulk. Renters don't give a rats ass and leave standing water everywhere, and you would think they have wrestling matches on the toilets the way they work them loose from the flange. If you own rentals, caulk. Trust me...
I would've just left the old toilet, unless there was something seriously wrong with it.
We're doing a master bath remodel ourselves. We've just finished the new custom tile shower, and are now doing the floors, so the toilet needs to move. For some reason, this job is the most daunting! This vid helped tremendously.
Moved from LA to TN in 2021 and the new house had the shorter small round bowls and I said F that. I bought 3 toilets for the house and the main ones used are downstairs and the upstairs hallway so i did those back to back and a year later ive yet to install the master bedroom toilet. I need to just get it done.
That's a bob villa fix 🤣 🤣 look up Bob villa felling on UA-cam he tries doing a felling cut on a tree and fails miserably
Way too much wax and that deep horn will cause splash erosion, yes I know this from replacing them for over 35 years
But there is a problem. You are assuming everyone before you did it right. Well, I just ran into a situation where someone did it wrong. The installed the flange into the floor at a 45 degree angle, based on the slots for the closet bolts. They then cut slots out for the closet bolts where they would be installed. Its horrible. I dont know why it was done. I dont know how they were able to keep the closet bolts from spinning, and coming out of the slot they made. This is my first attempt at a toilet, and I could not figure out how to make the bolts stop spinning. After watching this video I could see why. Some asshat didnt know what they were doing (30 years ago) and just faked it. Now I have to fix what they screwed up, making my work a lot harder. As I now need to look up floor flanges, tile floor, sealing the flange, etc, etc, etc. Not to mention having the wife angry at me for not knowing any of this. I'm more a electronics and computer guy than a plumber. MY trade was in Aircraft Weapons. No plumbing with the aircraft I worked on.
Are you suppose to add silicone caulk to edges?
The real question is.. why am I watching this? I’m a kid..
Yeah...I'm just gonna pay a plumber to do this. I'm so grossed out by that wax...I cant imagine the real thing.
This video was a YUGE help! After a wild night of hot sauce chugging, one of the boys had to hurl, and ended up diving for the toilet so hard he broke the bowl with his face. I kicked him out of my house, but I had no idea what to do about the toilet. Thanks for posting.
he broke a toilet with his face? he should be invited back now.
How is your boy doing?
Did you see the closet bolt wiggle when he snapped of the excess? You dont want that. And dont wiggle or rock the toilet when installing it.
Use plunger for bowel
Hold a bucket under where the cold feed enters the cistern and just undo the nut, that's a quick way to get the water out. Or, use a wet and dry vac to get rid of the excess water in the cistern.
Yeah i use a wet vac. I'm not sticking my hands in someone's toilet water to sponge it out😂😂😂
still havent seen ANY video on youtube talking about how best to remove hardened wax from the underside of the toilet
Where would I be without you guys. Thanks
Why not use that new Rubber seal heard that is awesome from alot of peaple just wondering??
Video didn’t talk about rough in measurements??? Aren’t u supposed to start with that?
I don't like the way that bolt moved while breaking off thr saw cut excess.
Oh come on ............... you show changing a new crapper for another new crapper. That is not real life. No cruddy water tank, no frozen shut off, no corroded bolts, fittings, water line and old rusted away flange. The floor not rotted out !! Find one that has been down for over 20 years and then you will have a true "how to", not this sanitary overview when everything is perfect!!
pkav8tor It's a mock up in their workshop...it's just supposed to show the basic technique. I'm sure they have more realistic videos
I don't want to see that shi...
There "actually" only concerned with what fills time in this silly fucking show.
pkav8tor My uncle hand a leak in his toilet after 50 years of services. Holy shit the smell was enough to make me gag and I am a sewer treatment technician. He had a clog so far down that we had to dig out the entire drain pipe to the street. The shit backed up so much it the toilet flowed backwards so all the shit was everywhere under the toilet. Just thinking about it brought back the ammonia smell.
Not to mention a goopy wax ring.
Most floors aren't even and the toilet is prone to a wobble.
I think someone should tell them they replaced the toilet with the same toilet. Hiw wife is gonna be pissed.
💔 please type in Greta Thunberg connects climate ecological and health crisis.
I want to consider plumbing or welding career but still undecided
Where do you get that type of wax ring? Is that something Lowes or Home Depo would have?
Didn't show how to put tank on bowl. Does the gasket go on the tank or the bowl first?
Spread that on a bagel. Yum.
Are you implying I shouldn't?
Uh, wet dry vac? Tom Silva is not happy. :)
I know that was a tv show prop toilet. Those floor closet bolts were loose as a goose mamma.
Definitely gonna impress my Mom with this new skill.....
Can't get enough of these two together hahahahhaha 1:25
5:32 look at that bolt the whole thing wiggles it isn't even tight lol
The narrow slot for the closet bolts should be at 9 o'clock and at 3 o'clock, correct?
couple things:
1) usually you've to score (gently) around the toilet in order to break the seal of the caulk around the toilet base
2) use a large garden trash bag to put your old toilet on
3) like others have said, stuff a large old rag or shirt into the flange so sewer gas isn't coming up and it helps keeping you from accidentally dropping something down into the drain!
4) for the bolts, don't center them on the flange. Center them in your room. What he said is assuming the original plumb was nice enough to make sure the flange was center when they installed the toilet.
5) have the new wax ring at room temperature or so when you place it; I've heard of people leaving it in their car and it's cold outside and then place it and it leaks but it's not squishy enough.
6) if it's been awhile, probably not a bad idea to replace the supply line from the wall to the tank
7) if you're putt on a brand new toilet, make sure it'll fit. I put one in and with the baseboard and quarter round in the bathroom, it just barely fit into place
8) if you're not somewhat handy, I recommend hiring a plumber or make sure you have a second toilet in the house in case you run into an issue, like the flange is too low or something like that.
Perez Jose Miller Jeffrey Rodriguez Jessica
I'm needing to replace an upstairs toilet and it's the original toilet... my house is 50yrs old... the water line from the wall to the toilet is straight line and not the flexiable tubing/pipe.... would it be difficult to change this out... just wondering if so, maybe I should let a plumber handle it? 🤷♀️ I've changed a toilet out before and found it pretty easy, just wondering about how complex that line would be. Thanks
Why do they make the wax brown, can they make them pink
I am convinced now that replacing the entire toilet/tank system is easier than trying to find a SASA 411 Tank that was made in Mexico. I can't find a replacement tank anywhere. I live in a 100yr old home, who knows how old this tank is? probably discontinued item. Big sighs. Last night I bought a brand new Dewalt reciprocating saw to cut off the rusted tank bolts $$$ found out the leak was coming from a "cracked tank" and not a worn gasket. drip, drip into an old coffee can until I purchase a new one, I am researching. If anyone is familiar with SASA 411 tank please do chime in.
Angel from The Bay
What if there was a leak under the toilet the wood holding the flange is rotted?
plenty of ways to repair flange
Don't use the 'funnel' type wax ring. Those fail far more frequently than the pain wax rings. Failure is mostly caused by a toilet that can move for some reason and by pouring hot water in the bowl and not flushing right away - causes the wax to melt.
Make sure the wax ring is soft (with warm water) in cold weather before installing it. If it is too cold it can form a crack when placing the toilet on top of it.
Dishonest plumbers install the funnel type wax rings for future business.
CauseAndEffect
Who pours hot water in a toilet
246 thousand people needed to change their toilets