How to Replace a Toilet, Continued

• Ron showed them how to pack pieces of plumber's putty into the slots on the flange.

• The putty helped hold the two new bolts upright that were placed in the slots in the flange.

6. Replace new toilet:

• Next, Kelly and Ron carefully lowered the new toilet into place so that the two bolts extended through the two holes in the base of the toilet.

• Once the toilet was in place, they pressed firmly down on the bowl. Ron cautioned them not to rock or wiggle the toilet but to just press it straight down with as much weight as possible. The weight would compress the wax ring and give them the seal they needed. If the toilet was rocked or twisted then the seal may easily break and they would have to remove the toilet and start all over again.

• Next, Kelly slipped a nut cover base over each bolt…

• …followed by a washer…

• …and finally a nut.

• The bolts were pre-scored, so that the excess could be broken off easily with pliers. If the bolts had not been scored then they would have had to cut them off with a hacksaw.

• Finally, they snapped the decorative caps in place over the bolts.

7. Water tank:

• There were three bolts on the underside of the water tank. These would be dropped directly into the three holes that were behind the toilet bowl.

• Ron helped line up the bolts with the holes while Kelly and Kate carefully placed the tank on the bowl and gently dropped it down into position. The tank was designed to fit on the bowl with a watertight seal.

• Ron reached inside the tank and pushed the bolts down so they extended all the way through.

• With the bolts fully extended, they slipped on the washers and nuts and then tightened them with a socket wrench. As they did this, they also checked to ensure that the tank was level.

• They kept tightening each bolt and compressing the rubber grommet underneath until the toilet tank was level.

• It was simple to install the toilet seat. It attached just behind the bowl with nylon bolts.

• The attachment was made with a cylindrical nut, shaped so that it can jam itself into the hole and it won't spin around as the bolt is tightened. Ron began by screwing a nut on the bottom but he explained that you couldn't finish tightening it from the bottom. There was a slot on the top of the bolt. Ron used a screwdriver to tighten the bolt from the top. The nut below did not spin because of the way it was shaped.