Proper Poopers

One of the things that has bothered me since we got the house has been the very old toilets that don't quite flush right. They are also quite low for someone of my height so I wanted to upgrade them. The one in the lower bath also had a crack in the wooden seat and this finally gave way during our holiday party. The seat split totally in half and I decided it was time to just swap out both commodes. The downstairs bath was much easier than the upstairs and you'll see why below. But let's start with the simpler replacement first. It starts by turning of the supply and draining the tank and bowl then removing the supply connection and closet bolts holding the bowl to the floor.

The original pooper with tank top removed.

Using a small putty knife I removed the old wax ring from the closet flange and removed the old closet bolts. I also scraped off the caulking that was around the base of the old toilet. Then I installed the new bolts and applied the new wax ring to the bottom of the new bowl. When installing the new bowl you need to set it down flat using even pressure to ensure the wax ring makes a proper seal. Align the closet bolts and set the bowl down over the flange. Using the provided washers and nuts I tightened down the bowl snugly but not too tight as the porcelain can easily crack. Then it was just a matter of attaching the tank and new supply and filling it up.

New toilet installed.

The upstairs toilet wasn't quite so straightforward. Unfortunately the base of the new toilet is much larger which interfered with the existing supply line that come up through the floor. So in order to install the new toilet I had to move the supply line and I started by using my oscillating tool to cut the floor open. There were several layers to cut through: top vinyl, 1/4" plywood, more vinyl, 3/4" plywood, and then the 2x6 flooring over the joists.

Notice the supply location and starting cutout.

More flooring removed down to the 2x6 base layer.

After removing all of the flooring I cut the pipe below the floor and removed the above floor portion. I dry fit a length of pipe with a straight joint to get the length I need the supply moved over. I also capped a straight bit of pipe and attached an elbow for that will turn the pipe to come above the floor. This section I soldered separately since the elbow is very close to a joist in the floor and I wouldn't have enough room to solder when in the joist cavity. The only joint I needed to solder in the floor was the straight joint and I used a piece of fire cloth to protect the wood in the floor from catching fire from the plumber's torch.

Moved supply.

After all of the connections were made I turned the water back on to test the joints and everything held strong. I then proceeded to rebuild the floor back to the height of the rest of the bathroom with the pieces I removed. I bored a new hole for the moved supply line with a 3/4" paddle bit in my drill. I fastened the flooring down with some 1 5/8" screws. After the flooring was put back in place I turned the water back off so I could install the new valve for the supply line. I used a compression fitting so I wouldn't have to solder any more.

Flooring replaced.

I didn't bother gluing down the vinyl since we will replace all of the flooring when the bathroom remodel happens. The toilet covers most of the cuts anyway so nobody will really notice it.

Installed.

After all that was done I could actually install the toilet like I did downstairs. This went very smoothly from this point forward and only took a few minutes to do. If you don't have to move a water line, a toilet upgrade is actually very simple.

Repairing the Toilet

The master bathroom has a toilet that has been very difficult to flush. This was probably due to the type of flush valve it had on it. Instead of a normal flapper, it had a tube that was lifted vertically, requiring the entire seal to be broken at once rather than peeled up like a flapper would. See the pictures below to help understand what I'm describing. Well the plastic flush lever finally gave way last night so while I was replacing it I figured I would replace the valve as well to make it easier to flush.

The broken lever.

Here is the strange flush valve that pulls straight up.

The first step in any toilet repair is to turn off the water and drain the tank. The tank is typically held on by two or three bolts (mine had three). I also removed the filler at this point to avoid breaking it as I worked.

Turn off the water.

Tank removed.

The flush valve is fastened to the tank with a large plastic nut covered by the tank gasket seen above. The gasket just pulls off and the nut is removed fairly easily.

Removed the old flush valve.

Below is the new flush valve on the left with the old valve on the right. Notice the very different mechanisms.

New (L) and old (R) valves.

After replacing the old valve I just reverse the steps to reattach the tank being sure to properly seat the gasket to avoid leaks. I slowly turned the water back on to fill the tank and check for leaks. Notice that the new valve is offset to the left, this is to allow free movement of the fill bulb which opens and closes the fill valve depending on water level in the tank.

Refilling with water.

Next I replaced the broken lever with a new metal one I picked up at Lowe's. With the stronger lever and better valve, this should last quite some time.

Brass lever replaces plastic.

Adjusting the chain.

The last step was to adjust the flapper chain. This step is also useful if you have a running toilet. Adjusting the chain length determines how well the flapper valve is seated and can eliminate slow leaks that cause toilets to run every so often.