How to install a toilet with your own hands: installation steps and useful tips

Recommendation points

• Choosing a mounting method
• Installing a toilet bowl on taffeta
• Installation of a toilet bowl on adhesive
• Tools and materials required for work
• Sewer couplings and transitions: what to choose
• Preparatory work and markup
• Installation sequence
• Installation of the cistern and connection to the water supply

It is not difficult to install the toilet on your own, but this business has its pitfalls. We want to share with you the possible installation options, the nuances of connecting to communications and tell you about some of the tricks of professional plumbers that will help you complete the installation perfectly.

Choosing a mounting method

All modern models of toilet bowls assume external or internal fastening to the floor using dowels to any solid surface. A set of fasteners with decorative caps is usually included with the product. There are holes on the bowl itself. Please note that a layer of silicone sealant or a rubber gasket is applied between the floor and the base of the bowl for extra strength and tightness.

Installing a toilet bowl on taffeta

If, during the repair process, you find a wooden board – taffeta under the old toilet bowl, do not even think about changing it to a new one, let alone leaving the old one. Once this method of installation was widely practiced in private housing construction and in apartments, today it is found only when installing a toilet bowl on a wooden base.

Taffeta is a piece of solid wood, treated with linseed oil or water-repellent compounds, up to 30 mm thick, or a thick rubber backing cut to the shape of a toilet leg. After removing the taffeta, level the recess in the floor with a cement mixture and tile with tiles. Then install the new toilet properly, on the wall plugs.

Installation of a toilet bowl on adhesive

Professional plumbers do not recognize this installation method, they do not consider it reliable. Although in rare cases they have to limit themselves. For example, if warm water floors are arranged under the tiles, and the scheme is lost. Of course, you can wet the tiles and turn on the heating, see where the water dries up first and roughly determine the places where the pipes pass. But because of the high margin of error, not every plumber wants to take risks. The same applies to slow, careful drilling until the first red shavings appear on the drill..

Before applying the epoxy resin, it is advisable to stick a masking tape along the contour of the base of the toilet to make it easier to remove excess glue and silicone

It remains to glue the toilet with epoxy glue. The sequence of work is similar to installation on a tile with the difference that instead of silicone, glue is applied between the leg of the bowl and the floor, and the stage with drilling the floor is skipped.

Tools and materials required for work

To install a new toilet, you will need the following set of tools and materials:

• hammer drill (hammer drill) and drills corresponding to the diameter of the fasteners. If you have to drill a tile, pick up drills for tiles or victorious (usually 8 or 10 mm);
• a hammer;
• set of wrenches;
• adjustable wrench;
• screwdrivers with a cross-head or flat blade;
• sanitary sealant;
• silicone plumbing grease;
• FUM tape, gaskets for water pipes, marker or pencil;
• rags (needed to wipe the seams after applying silicone and other cleaning).

Sewer couplings and transitions: what to choose

The outlet of the toilet is not directly connected to the sewer socket. Even if they match perfectly, use a clutch. The connecting elements are made of plastic or rubber and provide for the installation of a toilet, provided that the sewer pipes are replaced with plastic ones. If you have to connect the plumbing to a cast-iron socket, purchase a transition sleeve.

• The drain sleeve is suitable if the toilet bowl can be drained close to the sewer hole.
• An eccentric collar is used if the flare and outlet are slightly off-axis.
• The corrugated pipe is used in all cases when it is impossible to install the toilet close to the socket.
• The plastic bend at 45 or 90 degrees provides a rigid connection, provided that the location of the plumbing and the socket matches the bend of the pipe. Elbow is an alternative to corrugated pipe.
• O-ring will be needed for vertical outlet.

1 – corrugated pipe; 2 – eccentric cuff; 3 – PVC knee 90 ° and cuff

Preparatory work and markup

Before starting the installation, make sure that you have everything ready for installation: a new toilet bowl is complete and has been checked for defects, all the necessary tools, fasteners and connecting elements are at hand. It is advisable to install a separate tap on the cold water supply pipe through which water will be supplied to the toilet. The socket of the sewer pipe is thoroughly cleaned and degreased by the time of installation. The connecting corrugation or coupling must match the size of the socket on one side and outlet on the other.

Connect the toilet bowl to the sewer through a sleeve (without sealant) and mark. Trace the base of the bowl with a marker and mark the drilling points for the dowels through the mounting holes. Now move the toilet to the side for a while.

Advice! Before connecting the water and the first test run, it is better to close the toilet bowl neck with a rag or a piece of foam rubber, because without a water seal, the smell from the sewer pipe will make its way into the house.

Installation sequence

The preparation was finished by marking the place of installation of the bowl and the points of drilling for fasteners. Now drill holes in the floor and drive dowels into them. All joints, especially where there will be silicone, degrease and wipe dry. Assemble the cistern and place it on the toilet bowl.

Connect the toilet to the drain. First, put the corrugation or sleeve up to the edge of the elastic into the drain hole and align as much as possible for a snug fit of the walls. Place a sealant in the place where the bowl is installed, or apply a thick layer of silicone and install the toilet base on it. Lubricate the free side of the bellows with silicone grease and put on the equipment outlet. Align the toilet, secure to the floor with gasket bolts. Tighten the fasteners consistently and carefully to avoid cracking the bowl.

To install the toilet, plumbers recommend using spanner screws. The kit usually includes screws for a screwdriver. Before starting work, be sure to check that the dimensions of the screw and the holes in the bowl are correct, as well as the presence of a gasket and decorative caps.

Installation of the cistern and connection to the water supply

The tank must include all the necessary parts: inlet and drain mechanism, seals and fasteners, as well as installation instructions (it may differ slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer). The drain and filler mechanisms are fastened by the force of the hands, the keys are rarely used, ceramics or plastic can crack from excessive forces.

After assembling the tank fittings, install the O-ring on the bowl where the tank is attached. For a better seal, coat it with silicone grease. Place the waste cistern carefully onto the bowl. Lower the fixing bolts into the corresponding holes and secure with the nuts from the bottom of the toilet. Use a flexible hose to connect the toilet tank to the water supply. Don’t forget about rubber gaskets and FUM tape on the threads. All connections must be tight.

In conclusion, feel free to move on to the most interesting – the first test run. If there are no leaks, you can safely use the new toilet.