Be Your Own Plumber

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Start by shutting off the water supply valve to your existing toilet. Remove the water from the tank and bowl by flushing to expel most of the water, and then soak up the rest with a sponge. The drier you can get the tank and bowl the better.
At the back of the toilet, undo the pipe connection either by unscrewing the flexible water supply hose or by cutting the copper supply pipe with a pipe cutter. If you haven’t done so already, upgrade this old system to a flexible screw-on line that will make future disconnects a snap.

Now pry off the two domelike caps on the toilet base near the floor. You’ll see two nuts that secure the toilet to bolts that extend down to a flange around the waste pipe. These nuts and bolts are typically made of brass, so they shouldn’t be seized with rust and corrosion — but that does not always mean they turn easily. If the nuts don’t loosen with moderate force from a wrench, then cut them off with a hacksaw blade.

Toilet drains are never pretty, and here’s your chance to see for yourself. As you lift up the old toilet with the help of a partner, be prepared for some odor and an ugly sight. Most of what you see will be the dirty old wax ring seal between your toilet and the drain.

Move the old toilet out of the way (preferably outside), then grab a 2-inch putty knife and begin scraping the old wax ring off the flange. Scrape the flange clean so the new wax ring seats properly. To keep the floor clean, drop the sticky blobs of wax into a plastic bag.

Unless the bolts that anchor your toilet to the drainpipe flange are in good shape, you should replace them. New brass flange bolts are inexpensive and will last for a long time. The bolt heads slip into holes at the ends of the slots that run around the flange on the drainpipe.

It’s now time to install your new toilet. If it has two pieces, you’ll find the job easier if you temporarily leave off the tank. Now flip the bowl upside down and press a new wax ring in place over the toilet exit port. One wax ring probably will be sufficient, but you’d better double-check. Flip the toilet upright without letting the bottom touch the floor, then carefully lower it onto the drain flange with the flange bolts extending up through the two holes in the sides of the toilet bowl base. Have someone help you lower the toilet into place, and don’t let your helper leave until you’ve taken a close look at everything. Make sure the toilet is resting on the wax ring and not on the floor.

Ideally this ring should compress under the weight of the toilet, creating a solid seal. Because the toilet is now sitting on the wax ring, the toilet also should have a squishy feel when you rock it back and forth. If not, lift the toilet off again and look at the wax ring. If you don’t see evidence that the entire ring was in contact with the flange, then you need to add another layer of wax. To fill a wide gap, press a second ring over the first one. If you’ve got a narrow gap, slice a second ring in half lengthwise like a bagel, then push it into place before lowering the toilet down on the flange.

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