Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Penny Pinchin' Mom

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.

How to Replace a Toilet

Before you all a plumber to replace a toilet, check out this tutorial  — written by an expert plumber!

If you find that your toilet needs to be replaced, you might think you need to call a plumber - and pay a LOT of money! You can actually do this yourself! It is really a lot easier than you think - just follow these steps and you'll replace yours in no time at all to learn How to Replace a Toilet!

 

As strange as it sounds, toilets can go bad, get too old, or simply just need to be pulled and reset in order to start working at their best again. Sometimes we don’t have enough money to bring a plumber in to do this task or we don’t have access to a plumber quick enough to remedy the situation.  Below, we will share the step-by-step instructions to help you learn how to replace a toilet —  in order to save a bit of money, time, or grief.

  1. Your first step should be to put on a pair of latex or nitril gloves for your protection.
  2. Turn off the water to the toilet at the shutoff valve located behind the toilet. If there isn’t one, you will need to shut off the water to the entire house. This is important. If you don’t do this, you will end up with a watery mess and even chance ruining walls, flooring, etc.
  3. Remove supply line where it connects at the bottom of the tank. Flush the toilet and hold the handle down while looking in the tank. Hold the handle down until all the water has left the tank.
  4. Using a shopvac, suck the remaining water out of the tank and out of the bowl. Remove toilet bolts, which are located at the base of the toilet. There will be two of them, one on each side. Sometimes you may have trouble removing these bolts; they may need to be removed using a hack saw.
  5. Straddle the bowl of the toilet facing the tank. Grabbing both side of the bowl directly between the seat bolts and the tank, lift the toilet out of place. Or if you have help, use two people to lift it out of place.
  6. Remove all wax from the floor flange which is connected to the pipe going through the floor. Once wax is removed, do an inspection of the floor flange to make sure it is secured to the floor or broken in any way. If it’s cracked or broken, it will need to be replaced. If this seems like it is too much for you, be sure to call a professional plumber.
  7. Using a new wax ring, center the wax ring on the floor flange. Using new bolts, attach them to the floor flange.
  8. Your new toilet will come in two pieces—the bowl and the tank. Take the bowl and center it on the wax ring, carefully watching as you lower the bowl so the bolts are lining up with the holes at the base of the toilet. As you set the bowl on the wax ring, put your weight on it and wiggle it side to side to make sure the wax ring seals properly.
  9. Install nut, washer, and bolt cap base to toilet bolts. Finger tighten nut bolts down as tight as you can get them using a small wrench or ratchet. Gently tighten each nut a little on each side at a time, alternating from side to side. Remember that toilets are made out of porcelain and are easily broken so don’t over tighten. Tighten a little bit at a time until toilet is firm to the floor. If toilet does rock due to an uneven surface, you can use nylon shims to make it level.
  10. Now, finish assembling the toilet based on manufacturer’s instructions.

Congratulations, you have just learned how to update a toilet!