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Tips On Installing A Toilet
By Frank | March 16, 2008
Many people choose to finish their basement, but skip over one crucial step because of how “difficult” it is. This step is the installation of a bathroom. If you plan to finish your basement, you should never overlook this step. Usually a finished basement is good for kids to play in, or to house guests. If you want to use your finished basement for any of these purposes, then a bathroom is essential. It will reduce traffic on your stairs, and thereby reduce the risk of someone tripping and falling on their way back down. So don’t be intimidated by the thought of installing a toilet. The process is surprisingly easy, and pays off in the end.
First of all you need to locate the connections in your basement, including the “flange” on the ground. Then go to your local home improvement store and buy the toilet you want. Get it home somehow, then unpack all of the contents. Make sure you stack the porcelain parts on a soft surface like a towel or a carpet, to avoid scratching them. You should recognize where everything goes. Place the base over the flange to make sure that it fits. Next unpack the wax bowl ring, the device that seals the toilet to the ground. Attach it to the bottom of the toilet, then put the hardware on the floor component. Each toilet has a different installation process, so double check in the manual. After you have the wax bowl ring and the hardware affixed, you can flip the toilet upright and drop it right into place.
Next you will place the tank on the bowl, and attach it using the bolts that come in a small plastic bag. As you tighten the bolts, make sure that the tank stays completely level, otherwise you will be stuck with an off-balance tank forever. Now you need to hook up the toilet to the wall. Attach the toilet’s water inlet to the pipe on the wall. This is extremely easy.
Now your toilet is fully hooked up and functional. To keep it from moving around (and therefore leaking), you should apply caulk along the base. It also makes it look a little bit better aesthetically. However, you should refrain from looping the caulk all the way around the base. Leave about 6 inches uncaulked in the back. That way if there is ever a leak, the water can freely escape and you will immediately know that something is amiss. Should a leak every occur, you will have to resecure all of the connections, and secure the toilet tighter to the ground by using some sort of rubber strip.
Once you install your first toilet, nothing will be able to stop you from installing toilets in the future. This is especially true after you realize what a quick and easy process it is. You will probably be asking yourself why you didn’t do it sooner. So go today and buy that toilet, so you can get installing.
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Topics: Bathroom |
