Be Your Own Plumber

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Sit on the toilet to apply downward pressure while rotating the toilet an eighth of a turn in both directions. When you feel the toilet make contact with the bathroom floor, reinstall the nuts and tighten them, but don’t overtighten — the base of the toilet may crack.

If you bought a two-piece toilet, now you can place the tank on the new base and attach the water supply line. If you’re upgrading from a copper supply line to a flexible one, cleanly cut off the copper pipe, then install a new valve that connects to the copper with a compression fitting. Test your toilet with at least three flushes, using a flashlight to help you inspect all the connections around the tank and bowl perimeter for leaks.

Does your toilet wiggle slightly from side to side, even after you have tightened the bolts? This is common, especially in bathrooms with tile floors. If you do not correct this wiggle, your toilet will leak, and the bowl may crack eventually. I tap wooden wedges into the widest part of the gaps, and then trim them flush with the edge of the bowl. Work some tile grout or silicone caulking into the gap around the perimeter of the toilet. Once this has hardened, your new toilet will sit rock-solid and work leak-free for years. (Although new toilets use less water than older ones, some models work better than others. For help choosing the best low-flow toilet for your home, read “Half the Water, Twice the Flush!”— Mother.)

Installing Drains

New faucets and toilets are just half of the bathroom plumbing basics. Installing a wastewater drain in a sink or shower involves a different set of skills. (As you read these directions, refer to this illustration.) The work here can take a few hours or a few days, depending on your situation. Installing a wastewater drain is simple if you’re just tapping into an existing drainpipe in its original location. But the task can become substantially more complicated if you need to move a drainpipe, especially when you don’t have open access to the pipes from below.

In the case of simple drain replacement, you need only a few basic tools: a can of drainpipe cement for bonding the pipe joints, something to cut the plastic pipe — an electric chop saw works well — and a tape measure. The trick is arranging the pipes so they drain water properly and keep sewer gas at bay. You can anchor the drainpipe to floor joists and framing using a combination of wood framing and flexible metal support straps.

When you plan a drain installation in your bathroom, count on using 1 1/2- or 2-inch-diameter plastic drainpipe for sinks, showers and tubs, and 3- or 4-inch-diameter pipe for toilets. Local plumbing codes vary, so check details before you begin.

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