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A toilet is the most basic of human needs. When it goes out, it needs to be fixed fast. Rather than waiting on a plumber and paying him lots of money, do it yourself next time and save! A convenience that most Americans take for granted is their toilet. In some countries, a lack of basic necessities, such as toilets has led to disease and death on a massive scale. If your toilet breaks, you have to make sure it’s fixed as quickly as possible to avoid having to use the bathroom outside or in a trash can. This can be unsanitary and just plain gross. In the unfortunate event that your toilet breaks and you cannot afford a plumber, you will know how to remove a broken toilet and install a new one. The first step in installing a new toilet is taking out the old one. The first thing to do is to shut off the water from the shut off valve. Coming from the wall behind the toilet, you will see a tube with a valve that can be shut. Turn it clockwise to close the water flow. Flush your toilet to get the water out of the tank. Next, take a crescent wrench and loosen the nut on the top of the tube that is connected to the bottom of the toilet bowl. You might want to have a bowl under the tube to catch any water that drips from the tube. With the water drained and disconnected, it’s time to work on getting the old bowl out. Start by removing the decretive caps from the bottom of the toilet. They are usually held on by plumber’s putty. Then loosen the bolts holding the toilet to the floor. Carefully lift the toilet off the exposed threaded metal rods and discard of it (the toilet will still have some water in it, so be careful when removing it.) The last thing you want to do is to completely clean the wax ring off the pipe and surrounding areas to prep the pipe for the new toilet. Now it’s time to install the new toilet. Start by assembling the tank and bottom together per the manufactures directions. Lay the toilet on its side and install the wax ring over the “trumpet” at the bottom of the bowl. The ring will ensure no water leaks, so it is essential that you are careful when installing it. After applying a roll of plumbers putty to the bottom edge of the bowl, you are ready to lift the toilet in place. Its best to be done by one person that can control their movement with another person guiding them. One person lifts the toile and positions it over the exposed drain pipe. If needed, a second person can help guide the person holding the toilet. It is essential that you get it perfectly over the drain hole the first time to avoid damaging the wax ring. Once installed correctly, you can press down firmly and twist the toilet a bit to set the ring into place. Then reinstall the nuts to hold the toilet in place and install the decorative nuts. Reconnect the water supply making sure to use plumbers tape to seal the connection between the pipe and toilet. Installing a toilet is easy. You will save hundreds of dollars by not calling a plumber and have the satisfaction of knowing you fixed something yourself. In Dallas, plumbing issues can come up at anytime, so it’s important for you to know which steps to take to solve the problem. For more information, visit http://www.angieslist.com
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