Tag Archives: toilets

A clean toilet is necessary!

Do you put the right chemicals in your toilet to clean it?

If you put the store bought little toilet fresheners in your toilet tank then you are asking for a service call from your neighborhood plumber! We have all seen the little blue thingy hanging inside the toilet tank before somewhere or another maybe even in your own toilet tank.

Do yourself a favor and take them out or don’t buy the next one. If you have multiples in the closet then throw them away or sell them at the yard sale. The chemicals in these things almost always contain some sort of chlorine or bleach chemical which will certainly cause premature failure of your toilet tank rubber parts and very likely end with a service call to your friendly neighborhood plumbing company.

The chlorine in these magic blue water making sanitizers affects all of the essential interior parts of your toilet tank by deteriorating them quite quickly. I know, this is something that is not written on the package when you buy these things at your local supermarket but if they did that they wouldn’t sell any would they?

If you like the blue water then add blue food coloring to the tank every time you flush or you can simply add a hanging toilet bowl sanitizer in your toilet bowl to freshen the appearance of the water after you flush. Of course these too can create a possible problem by being dislodged and falling into the toilet creating a clog! Once again call the neighborhood plumbing company.

The best means of keeping a toilet clean is to physically clean the toilet bowl and the fixture itself the old fashioned way with toilet bowl cleaner and a brush! Trust me I know it isn’t pleasant. I do it myself at least once a week in my own home.

Call your neighborhood Cincinnati Plumbers at (513) 383-4242

How to install a toilet.

Follow these Easy Steps to install a toilet.

Below is a list of steps you should follow when attempting to replace a toilet at home.

  1. Make sure all old wax is removed from the toilet flange.
  2. Place the new toilet bowl over the old flange to get an idea where the new bowl will be  when it is square from the wall and installed permanently.
  3. Using the toilet seat holes on the bowl measure their distance from the rear wall to the center of the holes making sure that they are equidistant from the wall thus making the bowl square with the wall.
  4. Next trace around the bottom of the bowl where it meets the floor to make an outline.
  5. Remove the toilet bowl and set aside.
  6. Prepare your new flange bolts by inserting them into the toilet flange bolt slots.
  7. Place a new wax ring over the center of the existing toilet flange.
  8. Prepare either plaster of Paris mix or a sanded grout mix that matches your flooring if tile.
  9. Apply the mix using the previous outline you traced around the toilet bowl being careful not to go outside the line.Do this all the way around the line about an inch tall depending on the height of your flange to floor distance.
  10. Grab the new toilet bowl and place over the toilet flange bolts.Apply steady downward pressure while rocking back and fourth slowly until the bowl seats against the flange.
  11. Place your toilet flange bolt nuts and washers along with the plastic cap washers right side up and tighten snugly.
  12. While using a level to adjust the side to side and front to back leveling of the toilet be prepared to adjust the tightness of the bolts as needed to compensate.
  13. If using plaster of paris then simply wipe your finger around the perimeter of the base of the toilet to leave a caulk like finish around the edge.Leave the leftover ring of plaster to dry for easy removal later.
  14. If using grout then follow the manufacturers instructions.
  15. In either case you need to let the mixed base that you set the toilet in dry.With Plaster this will only take about ten minutes.
  16. Place the toilet tank on the rear of the toilet bowl and fasten it with the bolts provided by the manufacturer.
  17. Install a new water supply line to the toilet fill valve per instructions.Usually this is the opposite of how you removed the old water supply line however you may want to make it easy on yourself and use a new flexible supply line for toilets.Remember that longer supply lines are better than one that is to short so measure first.
  18. Put the tank lid on and turn the water shut off back to the on position to check for leaks and proper flush.
  19. Last but not least. Cut off any length of toilet flange bolts that won’t allow for the plastic nut covers to snap onto the plastic washers you put in before in step11.
  20. Snug down the nuts at the flange bolts again before covering.

Wait one minute I forgot to tell you to put your new toilet seat on. OH WELL, I guess you would have figured that out on your first sit down use! Enjoy your new toilet!

Any Questions call a licensed Cincinnati Plumber at (513) 383-4242

As always. Why be Wrong….When you can Flow-Rite!

How to remove a Toilet

Below is a list of steps you should follow when attempting to replace a toilet at home.

  1. Turn off the water supply valve or the water valve to the house if there isn’t one at the toilet supply.
  2. Flush the tank and hold down the flush lever to remove as much water as possible.
  3. Remove any additional water in the tank and bowl with a wet vac or sponge.
  4. Remove the water supply line at the toilet side connection by hand or with a wrench.
  5. Loosen the two nuts(one on either side at the base of the fixture.Sometimes these are covered by egg-shaped plastic caps  which can be removed by slightly prying with a flat-head screwdriver. If you cannot unscrew the nuts by hand you may need to remove them by some means of cutting such as a saws-all or hacksaw.
  6. After the nuts are removed and the tank and bowl are empty you can then grasp the toilet underneath the point where the toilet seat bolts down on either side of the fixture.With two hands and a steady rocking motion side to side while pulling upward you should be able to remove the toilet from it’s flange at the floor.
  7. Set the old fixture aside or discard.
  8. Remove all old wax from the toilet flange at the floor and dispose in the trash.
  9. You have now removed the old toilet and are ready to install a new one.
  10. Call Cincinnati Plumbers to install a new toilet!