Do you have a loose toilet seat or a pool of water around the toilet? In this article, we will look at how to replace the toilet seat and fix a leaky toilet.
A loose toilet seat might seem like a funny problem, but it’s no laughing matter. Not only is it unpleasant to look at but it’s also uncomfortable to use and can result in water spilling out of your toilet, which can increase your water bill.
Cause Of Leaky Toilet
If there is water around the base of the toilet then it’s safe to assume that the leak might be caused due to the crack in the seal under the toilet.
The toilet is screwed onto the floor using bolts known as tee bolts. If these bolts loosen, they can cause the wax seal to break.
In some cases, it might also be true that the water around the base is due to a loose tube or a faulty fixture. Limescale deposits in the gaskets are another common factor that contributes to a leaky toilet.
How Do You Fix A Leaky Toilet
Depending on what is causing water to pool around the base of the toilet, you can perform the following actions to fix a leaky toilet:
- Tighten the tee bolts
- Replace the wax ring with a new one
- Try and figure out if there is a loose tube or fixture and then replace it
The information above is enough to help you get started on how to fix leaky toilets, however, consider reaching out to an experienced professional for more complex issues.
What Tools Can Help Change A Toilet Seat?
The toilet seat is screwed to the toilet bowl using special nuts called wingnuts. You will need pliers and a wrench to remove these nuts.
Sometimes the nuts are covered using plastic covers. The plastic covers can be removed using a flathead screwdriver.
When you buy a toilet seat, it usually comes with a kit that can be used to replace the old toilet seat with a new one. But if you are just trying to fix a skewed toilet seat, you may have to buy separate parts yourself.
Some of the newer toilet seat designs may come with a slot rather than having the conventional screw. So, when you go to buy a replacement toilet seat, make sure you check which kind you need to buy first.
How To Replace The Toilet Seat
- Access the nuts that hold the toilet seat to the toilet bowl. Sometimes these screws may be covered by plastic covers. For clear access to these nuts, you may have to get on all fours and crouch.
- Use a flathead screwdriver to remove the caps off the nuts. The caps should pry away easily. But if the toilet seat is old, then the chances are the caps may need a lot of force to be removed.
- Removing the caps will reveal the screws that are actually securing the toilet seat to the toilet bowl. Most often these nuts are made of plastic but sometimes the nuts can be made of metal. The pliers can be used to loosen the nuts and then the nuts can be removed using your hands.
- Once the screws have been removed, it should be easy to remove the seat. If the toilet seat is rusty or stiff, spray a lubricant like WD 40, wait a few minutes and then lift the seat away. In case the lubricant also fails, you can use a pry bar to lift off the toilet seat.
This procedure can be followed for most toilet seats. But if your toilet seat is different, close observation of the fittings can help you figure out how to remove the seat.
Safety Measures To Take When Replacing An Old Toilet Seat
Toilet seats can be a breeding ground for germs and can be the cause of various infections. Therefore, when you start to change the toilet seat the first step should be to clean the toilet thoroughly with an anti-bacterial solution. Also, you should use rubber gloves to change the toilet seat so that there is minimum contact with the toilet.
How To Put A New Toilet Seat On
Most new fittings come with instructions directly from the manufacturers on how to use the fittings to assemble the toilet seat.
The first step is to line up the new fittings and then attach the toilet seat to the toilet bowl using the bolts. Do not tighten the bolts till you are absolutely sure that the seat sits perfectly over the toilet seat. Only once you have determined that the seat is positioned correctly should you secure the seat to the toilet bowl.
Plastic bolts are easier to adjust as compared to metal ones. Once the nuts are in place, the plastic caps can be inserted by pushing the caps onto the bolts.