Tips for replacing and installing a new toilet in your Milwaukee home

Replacing your old toilet or resetting your toilet in your newly remodeled bathroom doesn’t need to be a major headache. By following these easy toilet installation tips, you can virtually have the new toilet installed within an hour. If you have no intentions of taking on such a task, simply call the Milwaukee Handyman at 262-439-8620 to get your new toilet installed quickly and hassle-free without any plumbing trip charges.

Everything you will need to install your new toilet in your Milwaukee home can be found at your local hardware store. Things you may need before you begin:

• pliers
• hacksaw blade
• wax ring
• brass bolts
• toilet shims

If you haven’t bought your new toilet already, you will first need to check the "rough-in" measurement of the old toilet to make sure you get the right size. To take the rough-in measurement you will need to measure from the wall to the toilets hold-down bolts. Measurements vary from 10 inches to 14 inches, with the majority of toilets measuring at 12 inches. If you have a 14 inch measurement, you may need to special order your toilet, as most hardware stores and home centers do not carry such large models.

Don’t be surprised if the bolts on your old toilet won’t budge. Don’t get discouraged; just simply use a hacksaw blade to cut the bolts off. As most toilet nuts and bolts are brass, this task will be fairly simple. If the bolts start to spin while cutting, simply hold them in place with a pair of pliers.

If you are having trouble setting your new toilet onto the bolts, an easy solution is to buy a new set of bolts and washers to lock down the bolts tightly in place. Before you tighten them down, you will want to make sure they are in the correct position by setting the toilet and checking the height and position. To make the bolts easier to find after placing the wax ring, you can mark their position with masking tape.

As an uneven floor can break the wax ring seal and cause the toilet to leak, you will want to fill any floor toilet gaps with toilet shims. For minor wobbles, you can simply slip stainless steel washers into the gaps between the floor and the newly placed toilet. Or in some cases, simply tightening the bolts will eliminate any present wobble.

Don’t over tighten the water connections. Hand tightened connection followed by one twist of the pliers is all you need, as a connection that is too tight make cause leaks or even spin the fill valve inside of the toilets tank.

Save the bolt cutting for last. In case you come across any problems installing your new toilet, leaving the bolts their full length until the toilet has been completely tested will save you a headache of trying to remove and replace the toilet later.

After reading these basic toilet installation tips, does installing your new toilet yourself sounds like too much of a hassle? If so, call the Milwaukee Handyman, your Milwaukee toilet repair and installation professionals.