House projects - Replacing a toilet

Replacing a toilet

This is intended as a supplement to the manufacturer’s instructions, and an opportunity for me to share my experience of removing and installing a toilet. The toilet I replaced was an American Standard and I chose a Kohler 1.6 for the new unit.  I am happy with the improved performance and better look of the Kohler but I think a new American Standard would work just as well.

This is actually a very simple project that can psych out a first timer. I can say that because I recently replaced my first toilet and was surprised by how easy it was.  The first step is to locate the water supply line; this is the hose connecting the toilet with the water supply. In order to turn off the water you must use the T valve on the wall.  Simply turn the T valve until the water is turned off. Once the water supply to the toilet is shut off, then remove the water supply line from the toilet. It should be a 3/8” threaded hose.

 

The next step is to flush the toilet in order to remove the water from inside the tank. I had to flush 3 times to remove the water in the tank. There should only be a little water in the bottom of the bowl, you can take some balled up paper towels and stuff them in the hole to reduce sloshing. 

Next you’ll need to remove the bolt caps and unbolt the toilet. My toilet had been grouted to the floor, so I needed to use a chisel and hammer to remove it.  It was grouted onto finished tile so the bond was weak and the grout was easily removed.

 

At this point you can lift the toilet straight up off the floor and remove it from the bathroom. I would suggest clearing a path from the bathroom to a safe place to store the toilet temporarily. I chose the garage as a temporary storage location.

 

I put some paper towels in the soil pipe to stop any odor from escaping.  If you do this make sure to remove all the paper from the pipe before putting the new toilet back.  Also make sure no paper “falls” down the drain, as it would be difficult to extract.

The next step is to remove the wax from the closet flange. This process is gross but necessary in order to have a proper fitment of the new toilet. I purchased a disposable putty knife for this task.  Some people replace the entire flange but mine looked good so I opted to reuse the existing flange.

The next step is to place the wax ring on the flange and line up the new toilet bowl over the closet bolts and press the toilet into place until the base is resting on the floor. It is important to put even pressure on the bowl while pressing it into place. Once the toilet is in place, take a minute to sit or kneel on the bowl to ensure a good seal of the wax on the closet flange.

At this point you just need to install the tank with the supplied hardware and connect the water supply. 

The fill valve (black piece on left with red cap) connects to the flush valve (white piece) with the rim feed hose.  I found that while functional my flush valve needed to be indexed 90° for the lifter arm on the fill valve to properly clear the back wall of the tank during the flushing cycle.  The call center rep at Kohler was very helpful in explaining the occasional tweaks necessary to get the toilet working just right.

 

 After indexing the fill valve 90° I advised the Kohler representative that when Kohler redesigns the model the fill valve should be redsigned to allow the rim feed hose to be placed in front of the lifter arm, which would solve any clearance issues and IMHO make the unit function better.  I don't think that message will go very far up the chain of command, but I feel better knowing I tried to give them solid feedback in order to improve the product.