Bathroom

Installing A Toilet

How To Install A Toilet By Yourself

Learning how to install a toilet is not difficult. You don’t need any special tools beyond what you probably already own. This is a single person job that takes under an hour to finish. Take a look below for a list of tools, and the complete steps to successfully install a new toilet.  Some toilet installs do not require all the tools below. This is dependent on what toilet installation kit you are using. Some kits require a hacksaw to cut the bolts that secure the bowl to the flange. Jump to the Secure the Toilet section below to see if you need a hacksaw.  You may also need to replace the supply line (the water line that connects the toilet to the water valve on the wall. If your supply line is deteriorating a great deal you may want to buy a new one for this installation. You want it to be the same length as the one you have now. Measure the size of the connection attached to the valve on the wall, and talk to the people at the hardware store for help finding the exact one. Most times the existing one is fine to use again. We both know the best accessory for a toilet is a bathroom exhaust fan. If you are in the market for a bathroom fan i recommend visiting the article on The Best Bathroom Exhaust Fan will walk you through the steps on picking the right fan for your bathroom.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbMmGao_0Ug How To Install A Toilet Step-By-Step The steps listed below will guide you through the process of removing the old toilet and installing the new one. I have a video for you to check out if that’s an easier way for you to learn how to do this type of project. The video has the same steps outlined in this article. Click on the video above for that tutorial. The most important thing to remember during this process is to not overtighten any of the bolts during this project. You will be working with porcelain which is susceptible to cracking if too much pressure is put on it. The amount of tightening should be up to where the bowl, tank, or seat does not wobble. Once you get to this point you can stop tightening. Shut Off The Water Supply To The Toilet I like to start this job by putting on rubber gloves. It makes me feel more comfortable when working with a used toilet to start by wearing gloves. Make sure you have extras handy and they are the right size because they may break during the process of this job.  The water supply line is a water valve that sticks out of the wall near the ground. It’s usually somewhere behind the toilet to the left of it. Turn the valve to the right until you can’t turn it any more.  You will need to get on your knees to find it. Remove Old Toilet Removal of the old toilet happens in a series of steps. With the water shut off you can flush the toilet to remove the water from the tank. There will still be some water in the bowl that can spill out when carrying it. This is why we use the garbage bag. Loosen the bolts at the base of the toilet. There is one bolt sticking up on either side of the bowl near the floor. Oftentimes there is a smooth cap covering the bolt. You can use the putty knife or the flat screwdriver to pry the caps off.  Once the caps are off use the crescent wrench or the channellock pliers to loosen and remove the nuts. Take the nuts and washers off. Once the nuts are off, the toilet is free and loose from the floor. Open up the garbage bag and place it on the floor next to the toilet. When you lift the toilet straight up and off the bolts, place it on the garbage bag so any spills go in there and not all over the house. We use the contractor garbage bag for this because usually the kitchen garbage bags are too small to fit the toilet. If the toilet is too heavy to lift alone, you may want to get someone else to help you lift it. If you don’t have someone to help you, remove the tank from the bowl. This can only happen if you have a two piece toilet. You may need to lay on the floor to loosen the tank from the bowl.  To remove the tank there are some plastic bolts that connect the tank to the bowl. Loosen the nuts with the channellock pliers. This can be brought directly outside when it is removed. Remove the Old Wax Ring The wax ring is used to prevent any sewer gasses from filling up the bathroom and causing a nasty smell in the house. It’s important to remove as much of the old wax ring before we can place the new one.  Use the putty knife to scrape the wax off the flange. Any pieces of wax that are removed can be put in a disposable bag. A shopping bag is the perfect size for this stage of the job. Some wax rings have a funnel shaped gasket that faces downward into the toilet flange. This gasket needs to be removed from the flange along with the majority of old wax. Not all wax rings have this part. You won’t be able to get every last bit of wax off the flange, but do your best to scrape as much off the flange as possible. The toilet flange is the circular hole that is in the floor of the bathroom. It’s the hole that the water goes down when the toilet gets flushed.  Disclaimer: Do your best to not drop anything down the flange hole, including chunks of wax. You may want to stuff a large rag in the

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Installing a bathroom fan

How To Install A Bathroom Fan Where One Doesn’t Exist

Installing a bathroom fan where one doesn’t exist can be a major improvement in a bathroom. This project can be completed in a short period of time. But major problems can happen if you cut corners. This article will show you exactly how to install a bathroom fan where one doesn’t exist.  Disclaimer: This project involves working with electricity,  which can be dangerous if not done correctly. If you are uncomfortable with this type of work I recommend seeking help from a professional. If you are handy with tools this project won’t be hard for you to complete. On average this job is around 1-2 hours. It’s best to do it all at once because the power will be turned off to your bathroom while you are working.Here is a list of the required equipment and tools for the job. Equipment Bathroom Fan Ducting Vent Cover Pipe Clamp Tools Electric Drill Drillbit Extension Drill Bits Multi Screwdriver Hole Saw Drywall Saw Drywall Saw Will Adding A Fan Overload The Electrical Circuit? There are ways to tell if the circuit is safe to add a bathroom fan. This is important to know because you don’t want the circuit to trip every time you turn the fan on.  This article does not cover the process of checking the circuit’s load capacity. A certified electrician can help you with this if needed. Steps For Adding A Bathroom Exhaust Fan Below are the main steps to installing a bathroom fan. They don’t need to be done in this order, but all these steps need to be completed in order for it to be completed properly. And one of the steps cant be done without preceding another step.  Choosing the placement Attaching the vent properly Installing the electrical Securing the fan in place How To Choose The Bathroom Fans Placement There are a few factors that go into choosing the fan’s placement. Below are some of the key factors that go into mounting and running the duct. The consideration of running the power to the fan will be covered in the “Installing The Electrical” section below.  The fan needs to be secured to a joist in the ceiling. Joists are pieces of lumber that run parallel to each other, that the sheet rock on the ceiling is secured to. One of the edges of the fan box will be flush against the edge of a joist for securement.   Use a stud finder to find a joist that is relatively close to where you want the fan to be. The joists should be running in the direction of an exterior wall to help with future steps. You will run the vent in that direction without drilling through the joists.    You want the fan to be somewhat in the middle of the bathroom. This generally looks good because its more symmetrical.    Placing it closer to the toilet or the shower will assist in moving unwanted air out of the bathroom quickly. Don’t place it tight against one of the walls because this will be worse for airflow.   If your fan has a light, keep that in mind when deciding on a location. You may want to have it slightly closer to the sink to cast the extra light in that area.    It helps with the installation process if you place it close to an arms length from the exterior wall. But this isn’t set in stone because there are drill extensions that can help with a future step if needed.    Hold the vent box up to the ceiling where you want the fan to go. Make sure one edge of the box is touching a joist before you trace its border with a pencil.   Use a drywall saw to cut the opening for the fan. You want to have your safety glasses on and a dust mask for this part. There will be quite a bit of drywall dust that will fall. Run The Vent Duct Once you have a hole cut in the ceiling, you now have access to work in the ceiling cavity.   Find the location the duct will vent outside. Get on a ladder and peek inside the opening to see what you are working with. Find a spot that is roughly equal distance from the top and bottom on the exterior wall.    Drill with a pilot hole in the exterior wall midway between the top and bottom of the cavity. You may need an extender on your drill, depending on how far your opening is from the wall. I am using a one foot drill extension for this part of the project.   Once you have a pilot hole you can take the drill outside. Here you will use the four inch hole saw to make a larger opening.    Use the pilot hole to guide your drill placement. Once this hole is completed you can move to the next step.  Install The Electricity The fan will need its own designated switch to be hooked up to. Some fans have extra features that can be used by other switches. If your fan is one of these you may want to consider a switch that has multiple functions on it.   We covered fan placement above. But there is one thing to consider on the fan’s placement when considering the electricity. The electrical wire will need to be run from the switch to the fan. It’s easiest if the fan is in direct alignment between the joists with the switch. But you still can mount the fan where you want it even if it’s not lined up with the switch.   Any joist will need a small hole drilled through it for the wire. To do this you will need to cut a hole in the drywall near the joist. Usually this is done with a hole saw. I recommend a 4 inch one, because this is the same bit that is used for

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stop a toilet from running

How To Stop A Toilet From Running

Knowing how to stop a toilet from running is a quick and simple process. You don’t need any special tools, and replacement parts are inexpensive. If you are not a diy, hands on type you can still fix a running toilet yourself. Follow the process in this article instead of paying an expensive plumber. There is a chance that after you try all the options in this article, your toilet is at a point that it needs to be replaced. You will know this after you fix it and another problem comes back a little later.  The good news is changing a toilet is not difficult. Take a look at this article on How To Install A Toilet By Yourself. I walk you through the steps on switching out your toilet yourself. This is another project that isn’t complicated. Contents Diagnosing The Problem Parts of a Toilet Toilet Keeps Running Randomly Toilet Runs Constantly Toilet Keeps Running After Flushing How To Stop a Running Toilet In Seconds How To Fix A Running Toilet How To Fix A Running Toilet With A Button Flush Frequently Asked Questions Diagnosing The Problem Toilet Runs After Flush Toilet Runs Constantly Toilet Runs Randomly The reason for a toilet to run after being flushed is the flush valve is not going back down after the flush. There can be more than one reason for this, but they are easy to find. A constantly running toilet happens when the float is sitting higher than the overflow pipe. If the float is unable to do its job properly, it will not turn the water supply off.  Randomly running toilets happen because the flapper/flush valve gasket is faulty. There are more than one reason for this, and there are more than one solutions to this. Parts of a Toilet There are more than one type of toilet out there. They all have similar parts, and work basically the same way. Once you understand the components that make a toilet work, you will understand more about how they may fail and cause the toilet to run. Most of the parts below are in every toilet style. The flapper and fill valve gasket serve similar functions but are different parts. And the other parts can look different but have the same functions.  Fill Valve The fill valve is a vertical pipe with a valve at the top. It regulates the water flowing into the tank. It is designed to shut the water off when the float gets to a certain height. Float The float is a piece that rises with the water level. As it reaches a certain height it shuts off the water flowing out of the fill valve. The height of the water level can be adjusted by raising or lowering the float.  Float Adjustment All floats have a way to adjust them. The floats on a newer fill valve generally have an adjustment screw. If turned to one direction it raises the float height, and the other direction lowers it. If your float is the type that is connected to a metal rod you will grip the rod with both hands, and bend it in the direction you want it to go. Overflow Pipe The overflow pipe is a requirement for all toilets. In the event of the fill valve malfunctioning, the overflow pipe transfers water to the toilet bowl instead of overflowing the tank. The height of this pipe should be below the tank rim. The water level height should be between one quarter of an inch and one inch below the top of the overflow pipe. Flapper The flapper is a rubber piece that is connected at the base of the overflow pipe. It is used for some toilet designs to create a watertight seal in the opening of the bottom of the tank. It is connected with a chain to the handle, which raises the flapper whenever the toilet is flushed. Flush Valve Gasket The flush valve gasket is a piece that has a similar function to a flapper, but on a different toilet design. Flush valves are a more compact stack that the gasket goes around, unlike a flapper that is offset.  Handle The handle is the portion of a toilet that we use to flush when necessary. Inside the tank the handle is connected to the flapper or flush valve with a chain. Toilet Keeps Running Randomly There are a handful of reasons why a toilet keeps running randomly. You can narrow the investigation to a few key parts. All of these parts will be located in the toilet tank. This is the rectangular portion that is closest to the wall and higher than the bowl. Begin by taking the lid off the tank.   Inside the tank are several parts designed to work together. If one of these parts stop working right it may be the reason for the toilet running. Let’s take a look at the different parts of a toilet, and what their functions are. This can help you understand what you are looking for. Toilet Runs Constantly The number one reason why a toilet runs constantly is because the float is set at a higher level than the top of the overflow pipe. This causes the water to spill into the bowl, keeping the water flowing and not shutting off. The fix for this is simple and does not need replacement parts.   The solution to this problem is to adjust the height of the float so that the water level in the tank is below the top of the overflow pipe. The way to do this depends on the style of float your toilet uses. You want the water level to sit ¼ to 1 inch below the top of the overflow pipe.    If it’s a ball float you can adjust the height with your hands. Grip the bar holding the float with both hands and bend the side closer to the float towards the

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