Toilet re-fit

[jackpot]

Just thought I would share my project with you as this is the biggest job to date apart from normal painting etc. Tomorrow is the day i strip out the toilet.
Already taken tiles off and my plan is to take out existing toilet and put in new one.
People are advising me to get a plumber but im quietly confident i can do it myself although may take a bit longer. Read up on it loads and seem to know what im doing providing all goes to plan. Im just bit nervous now, not done anything like this before. Have set out the tiles and tiled the back wall and if all looks as good as that i will be well chuffed.

Well... until tomorrow wish me luck

 

[acurachris]

Hi jackpot

I'm sure you'll be fine! Some tips for you though - from experience i must add!

1. If it is a close coupled toilet then you want to silicone the pan and top part together NOW so that the silicone is set when you install it tomorrow.

2. If you are ceramic tiling your floor it may be a better idea to tile under the toilet for a more professional look, not to mention cutting ceramic tiles around a loo would be a heck of a job!

3. When you turn off cold water supply, install a cut off valve on the pipework to the cistern (if not already there). This will allow the water supply to be turned back if you take a while to fit the thing! It will also help in future for any repairs.

4. once you turn the water off... flush the loo! sounds daft, but stop you getting soaked later.

Hope this helps

Good luck

 

[Softus]

nice1chris, I hope you don't mind me commenting on your comments...

1. If it is a close coupled toilet then you want to silicone the pan and top part together NOW so that the silicone is set when you install it tomorrow.

Don't use silicone on a new c/c toilet, or an old c/c toilet with a new doughnut. It just makes a mess and adds nothing to the sealing ability. If you can't seal new parts without it then something is very wrong.

2. If you are ceramic tiling your floor it may be a better idea to tile under the toilet for a more professional look, not to mention cutting ceramic tiles around a loo would be a heck of a job!

Tiling around a pan is not hard. A more important consideration is that the floor is likely to last longer than the pan, and you'll never ever get a new pan to match the same footprint, so if you don't tile underneath it will look just awful when the time comes.

3. When you turn off cold water supply, install a cut off valve on the pipework to the cistern (if not already there). This will allow the water supply to be turned back if you take a while to fit the thing! It will also help in future for any repairs.

Very wise, and sensible, and in accordance with the Water Regulations.

 

[AdamW]

Softus, perhaps you could give us a tip on how much to tighten the bolts that hold the CC toilet together, to ensure water tightness.

Reason I ask is that I silliconed mine as like most DIYers, I was afraid of overtightening and cracking the porcelain. Could be that it is perfect tightness anyway, but I felt safer with the silicone. No leaks at all, all around it, 2 years on.

 

[markie]

I put installed a new toilet in my bathroom, c/c toilet, didn't put cilicone on evey thing done as instructed then went to flush it, water was leaking at the seal so i thought sod it and put cilicone around the seal, it has never leaked since. ps does cilicone damage the seal ?

 

[Softus]

Softus, perhaps you could give us a tip on how much to tighten the bolts that hold the CC toilet together, to ensure water tightness.

Not sure how genuine a question that is, because it's very difficult to convey "the right amount of tightness" using only words typed on a keyboard.

Reason I ask is that I silliconed mine as like most DIYers, I was afraid of overtightening and cracking the porcelain.

Fair comment - I sympathise.

Could be that it is perfect tightness anyway, but I felt safer with the silicone. No leaks at all, all around it, 2 years on.

If the c/c cistern has no holes in the base, and therefore uses a galvanised plate, then it's somewhat easier because you can do it up until you think the plate might be bending.

Cistern with holes - I can see why you'd be nervous, but I would aim to pull the cistern down until it rests on the pan. You can easily test the joint by throwing in half a bucket of water, before you get into the job of fixing to the floor and wall. However, I'm not saying I never get a leak at this point, but I have a wetvac to deal with the aftermath, which I realise that not all DIYers will have.

BTW, I hope you will be clamping down the cistern before even thinking of making holes in the wall, won't you

 

[jackpot]

OK cheers for the comments people.
A few of my own. Only recieved these comments today so for Chris on silicone top part to pan, i have not done. I have not used it on anything so far as i had to finish off to come to work.

Anyway a new soil pipe was bought and extened the piping as the inlet was on left hand side of cistern as oposed to right hand on the old one. Used pushfit for these with an isloation valve as someone told me to do. Bit wary at first as to put together is easy, but so far so good.

We have not decided on the flooring yet but im going for vinyl incase in future the floor has to come up. Caramic is better choice for asphetics but vinyl will save time and money and any future problems so guess will have to cut around toilet which shouldnt be a problem..

However, this is where your help comes in....
I have a soil pipe connected o the toilet on one end and metal pipe at the other leading to drains. At this end is a slight leak.
I bought the soil pipe and each end has a rubber band/seal on it. I could not get the rubber seal in the metal and found the old one was still in there. So took the new seal off and fitted soil pipe, this went in much easier with a degree of pushing and shoving etc. All connected and works properly but at this joint with the rubber seal it is leaking slightly. nt noticable at first but an hour later it is wet.
My question is will it be ok to use a good dose of silicone all around the joint from soil pipe to metal pipe to help seal the joint and not let any water through....Hope so as all my handy work gone to pot.

Thanks again

 

[acurachris]

Not that my advice was taken nicely by some, although works, i think you can get a non setting putty to seal around the soil pipe. I remember it being called something like "non setting putty". Used for sanitry.

I have always siliconed when installing toilets, can't see the silicone it's hidden and seals well. I have never ruined a seal!

 

[jackpot]

Thought i would work backwards and do it properly. Removed elbow from soil pipe and took off old rubber seal and put new one half in soil pipe and then pushed albow back in. Whilst in was all dry i did use silicone around where the plastic meets the metal... So far all is well. Quite proud of myself.

Next is sink and bath in seperate bathroom in couple of weeks.

Thanks for advise