In this post, we will cover how to remove an existing toilet or water closet. The proper tools that you will need are as follows:
- flat tip screw driver
- slip joint plyers
- a small cup
- gloves
- putty knife
- utility knife
Before you begin the removal of the toilet, you must first turn off the water supply to the toilet. Most toilets have a shut off valve under the left hand side of the tank. If your toilet doesn’t have this valve, you must turn off the main house water supply.
Once you have the water shut off to the toilet, you should now flush the toilet one last time to empty most of the water out of the tank. Hold down the flush handle, allowing more water to drain. Using a small dish or cup, scoop out most of the remaining water from the bowl and tank. This is important, because once the toilet is lifted, water will splash all over the place.
After most of the water is removed from the tank and bowl, you can now start to remove the toilet from the water supply and floor. Firstly, remove the water supply line from the bottom of the tank with a pair of pliers.
The next step is to remove the toilet mounting bolts, which are located at the base of the toilet. These bolts are normally covered by white plastic caps, but were not on the toilet at this time. To remove them, simply slide your flat tip screw driver under the cap and pry up. The cap should easily unsnap from its washer, exposing the nut and bolt. To remove the nuts, use your pliers again in a counter clockwise motion.
Note: As you may have noticed from the pics, this procedure is quite dirty and in some cases, disgusting. My advice is to wear gloves when doing any type of renovation, such as this.
If the toilet has been sealed on the bottom with a bead of silicone, this needs to be removed. This can be done by using a utility knife, scoring the silicone, allowing the toilet to be moved. Being very careful not to injure your back, the next step is to lift the toilet off the floor. My preferred way to do this, is to straddle the toilet facing the tank. Using both hands, lift the toilet vertically at the point where the seat bolts to the bowl. You should be able to stand straight upright and walk the toilet where ever you want.
The final step of the toilet removal is to clean the toilet flange. There will be a wax seal stuck to the toilet flange (on the floor), and this needs to be removed. Simply use a putty knife and scrape most of the wax from the toilet flange, wiping it on an old rag or paper towel. This wax seal should not be used again, and will have to be replaced before you install the new toilet. Stay tuned for many more do it yourself posts. Happy Renovations!
To find out how to remove a bathtub, visit our post “How to take out a Bath-tub“.
If you are interested in learning more about the details of plumbing, I recommend visiting: http://plumbinghelp.ca/
