Secure the collar to the floor with stainless steel screws long enough to bite into the subfloor.(The closet bolts, which will be inserted into the slots, must line up parallel to the wall behind the tank.) Rotate the collar until its slots are positioned to the right and left of the hole.Twist and press the flange onto the soil pipe until the collar is seated on the floor. Prime and apply cement to the free end of the soil pipe and the inside of the closet flange.Apply PVC cement to those same surfaces and immediately twist the soil pipe into the closet bend. The next step to replace a toilet is to wipe PVC primer on the inside of the closet bend and on the outside of one end of the soil pipe.Install the Soil Pipe and Closet Flange Photo by David Carmack Dry-fit the flange to the soil pipe, and the soil pipe to the closet bend to ensure the flange's collar rests on the floor.ģ.Remove burrs by scraping the cut edge with a utility knife. Remove the soil pipe and use a handsaw to trim it to the measurement in the previous step.

Place the flange over the soil pipe, then measure the gap between the bottom of the flange's collar and the finish floor. Dry-fit the soil pipe into the closet bend.If the hole needs to be enlarged, trace around the flange's base with a pencil, then cut away the excess flooring with a jigsaw. Check that the hole in the floor is large enough to accommodate the closet flange up to its collar.Stuff a rag into the soil pipe to block sewer gas and prevent hardware from falling in.Prep the Floor and Soil Pipe Photo by David Carmack Toilet Parts: An Overview Illustration by Gregory Nemec 2.

The time required varies, but give yourself half a day if you’ve got a lot of experience with plumbing jobs, and a full day if you’re a novice. Here, we asked This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey to show how to install a toilet. It's not for the weak, since toilets are heavy and unwieldy, but if you have a strong back (or a sturdy assistant) you can save yourself the cost of a house call by installing it yourself. You might consider this a good time to put in a call to the plumber, but it can be all in a day's work for a reasonably handy DIY-er.

If your trusty toilet has developed cracks or leaks, uses far too much water per flush, or is simply a shade of baby blue not seen in 20 years, it may be time to replace it.

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