Increase Your Flush with a New Toilet
Installing toilets
Most toilets in the low-to-moderate price range are two-piece units, with a separate tank and bowl, made of vitreous china. One-piece toilets with integral tank and bowl also are available, but the cost is usually two or three times that of two-piece units. A new toilet installation is an easy homeowner plumbing DIY project.
According to the expert Fort Worth plumber, code regulations requiring low-flow (1.6 gallons per flush, i.e. gpf), toilets have been on the books for years. After some initial problems with inadequate flush force, manufacturers have re-engineered the toilet traps and flush mechanisms to maximize efficiency.
These new models work considerably better than first-generation low-flow toilets from 1980s to mid ’90s. Most are reasonably priced and well worth the cost for eliminating aggravation (and double flushing).
Plumbing Pro Tip of the Week
Tip #1 Turn the bowl upside down, and place a new wax ring and sleeve onto the toilet horn.
Tip #2 Apply a ring of plumber’s putty around the bottom edge of the toilet base.
Tip #3 Waxless rings (inset) are clean and easy to install and are endorsed by most codes.
Tip #4 Position the toilet over the toilet flange so the floor bolts fit through the holes in the base of the toilet.
Tip #5 The flange should be clean, and the floor bolts should point straight up.
Tip #6 Press down on the toilet bowl to compress the wax ring and plumber’s putty.
Tip #7 Attach washers and nuts to the floor bolts, and tighten with an adjustable wrench until snug.
Tip #8 Do not overtighten.
Tip #9 Attach trim caps.
BONUS TIP: Install a toilet by anchoring the bowl to the floor first, then mounting the tank onto the bowl. China fixtures crack easily, so use care when handling them.