View ChannelsFeatured: Finance
View ShowroomsFeatured: Radiantec - Radiant Solar Heating

BobVila.com

Home

Replacing a Toilet

Get Adobe Flash Player to see this content.

Clip Transcript For:

Replacing a Toilet

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. Because it s one of the things we use the most, there are lots of reasons to replace an older toilet. Even if you don t mind that outdated shade of avocado, you re probably paying for twice the water you need for each flush and Old Faithful will inevitably fail when you least expect it. But never fear: Toilet replacement is usually a simple job for the do-it-yourselfer with basic skills. Here s how: First, close the water supply valve, then flush, bail and use a sponge to completely empty the toilet and tank. Uncap and remove the nuts from the base of the toilet. Then, detach the water supply line, starting with the tank end. If your toilet is a real antique, you may need to unbolt the tank from the bowl. Lift the old toilet off its bolts and check that the waste line is still attached to the floor flange. Make sure to repair any water damage to the subfloor. Clean out the remains of the old wax ring. And don t scrimp on a new one because that wax ring is what seals and stabilizes your toilet. Then follow the manufacturer s instructions to install your new water-saving toilet. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

More Videos »Related Videos

Money-Saving Toilets

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. Did you know that you could save 20 percent on your water bill just by replacing your toilet? Most conventional toilets use 3 1/2 gallons or more of water. And the U.S. flushes nearly 5 billion gallons of this precious resource every day. But this is the dawn of a new generation. Low-flush toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush, and now high-efficiency toilets (or HETS) using 1.28 gallons per flush are fast becoming the standard. They re a little more expensive, but in some thirsty places like California, homeowners can get big rebates for replacing their old toilets the job can pay for itself in a couple of years. To make sure they re up to any challenge, low-flush toilets have undergone some serious design changes to the bowl, trap and water flow. Some have pressure-assisted flushing, a glossier trapway finish to reduce drag and even a dual flush option: two levels of water use for liquid or solid waste. Replacing your old toilet s a great idea, but if you can t do it right away, there are other ways to conserve. Make sure your toilet doesn t run unnecessarily by keeping the flush mechanism in good repair. To reduce the amount of water needed to fill the tank, fill a plastic soda bottle with sand, cap it and set it inside the tank to take up some of the volume. And it s hard to believe, but if everyone flushed just one fewer time, we d save the equivalent of a small lake each day! Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Toto Ultra Low-Flow Toilet Installed

Lenora Campos from Toto, USA, is with Bob for the installation of the Nexus two-piece, porcelain toilet. The design is inspired by nature, with distinct lines that hide the plumbing and suggest a rock outcropping. All Toto toilets are 1.6-gallon flush models. They flush effectively the first time because a special G-Max flush system is designed to clear waste completely through the bowl and the fully-glazed trap way. This Washlet 6300 has a wash feature and a dryer to completely eliminate the need for toilet paper. A remote control system enables homeowners to set the water, seat, and dryer temperatures and to automatically clean the wand. The system also has an energy-saving mode that powers down during periods of infrequent use. These washlets sell well throughout the world, including Japan where washlet sales outpace those of microwave ovens.

Installing the Toto One-Piece Toilet

Bob looks at the Toto one-piece, 1.6 gallon toilet that will be installed in the lavatory. Unlike other toilets, the Toto model hides all obvious workings within a sleek exterior. Installation is simple, with the special flange that is provided by Toto to reconfigure the traditional drain setup. The one-piece flange is set directly on the wax ring then pressed down to form the seal. It is then bolted to the floor and given bolts to receive the toilet that is simply dropped on top. The flange bolts fit into the toilet casing and the toilet is bolted to the floor to hold it securely in place. The interior flange changes where the toilet bowl drains, making the low-flow flush more powerful. The low-consumption tank adds to the sleek, low profile design of the toilet.

Toto Low-Flow Toilet

Bob Vila meets with Lenora Campos from Toto USA, the largest toilet manufacturer in the world and a leader in water technology. Several years before the U.S.-mandated introduction of 1.6 gallon toilets, Japanese companies were perfecting the their use. Toto�s latest introduction is the dual flush Neorest 600. A tankless toilet with a built-in warm-water washing unit, the Neorest 600 has the ability to sense when only liquid waste has been deposited, and uses an even further reduced 1.2 gallons flush. The washing feature is similar in function to a bidet. The aerated, massaging water stream cleans with either a front- or rear-facing spray, and a deodorizing air dryer automatically removes the water. All the features of the toilet, including the raising and lowering of the lid, can be controlled by a handheld or wall mounted remote control.