Courtesy Bill's Plumbing

Tools Needed:
Pliers
Vise Grips
Putty Knife
Adjustable Wrench
Tape Measure or Ruler

Materials Needed
Trim Plate
Stop Valve
Mounting Bolts         
Pipe Compound
Wax Ring Seal 
Toilet Seat and Lid 
Flexible Supply Line

Before You Start: Check measurements. The distance from the finished wall to the center of the waste outlet is the rough-in dimension.  The standard rough in dimension for two and one piece residential toilets has been 12 inches for more than 50 years.  There are also 10 inch and 14 inch models available.  If your old toilet is held in place by bolts screwed into the floor rather than with a toilet flange, check the position of the bolts to be sure they fit your new toilet. If they don't fit, remove and install new bolts or you may wish to install a slotted toilet flange.

Installing the Toilet Bowl and Tank

1) Clean the immediate floor area thoroughly. Screw hold-down bolts into floor or insert the new toilet bolts in the slotted flange, bolt heads down. Hold them in place with a bit of plumber's putty. The instructions on the wax seal box indicate the toilet bowl should be placed on the floor upside down on soft material to prevent scratching and to place the slightly warmed wax ring circular recess in the base of the bowl.  We have found that it is simpler to position the wax on the floor centered on the drain.

 2) Place the bowl, right side up, gently in position with toilet bolts protruding through the holes in the china base. Press down, with a slight twisting motion, on the top center, with your full weight. It is important that you feel the toilet being pushed into the wax ring. If you do not feel this, the flange is set too low and you will not get a good wax seal between the flange and the horn (waste outlet).    There are extra thick wax seals available for these situations.  If the flange is below floor level, there are plastic flange extensions available that can be stacked to raise the level of the connection to floor level.  If using these stackers be sure to caulk between them.  Put the washers and nuts on the bolts, tightening to a snug fit. Do not force tighten.

3) The tank should be inverted on the floor after removing the lid and parts bag. Place the large doughnut-shaped washer snugly on the threaded tank outlet.  Follow any manufacturers instructions involving other parts that may be used between the tank and bowl. Turn tank right side up and place it on the bowl ledge, aligning the tank bolt holes with those in the ledge. Place the rubber washers on the bolts and insert the bolts downward through the bolt holes. Position the metal washer on each bolt, then while pushing down on the tank so the doughnut washer is compressed, hand tighten the bolts until a firm mounting of the tank is achieved. Do not over tighten. Alternate the bolt tightening from side to side for proper tank leveling. Complete the tightening  process by using a wrench or pliers for about one more turn. 

4) Attach supply line to the straight or angle stop valve. Place the washer, then the plastic nut on the tank end of the connecting pipe and bend the pipe to fit into the inlet hole in the water inlet regulator. Draw the nut up tightly.   When using a ready made supply line, the washers will already be in place.

5) Connect the plastic tubing from the top of the water inlet regulator into its holding ring inside the overflow tube.

6) If the flush handle (trip lever) is not already installed in the tank, install the handle by inserting it through the opening in the tank.  One thing to remember is that toilet tank trip levers have left hand threads.  Fit the holding nut over the lever and thread it on the threaded portion of the handle. Tighten with wrench to a snug fit. Install chain from the flapper through the last hole of the lever arm. If necessary the hook can be relocated to shorten the chain so that there is a minimum of slack. Bend the hook closed to prevent it from disengaging.

7) Turn the water on by opening the angle or straight stop. The tank should fill to the "water line" marked inside the tank. If not, bend the brass rod that supports the float until the tank stops filling at the "water line". Place the lid on the tank. Snap the plastic bolt caps firmly in place, on top of the bolts projecting through the china base. If the bolt covers provided with the toilet do not snap on the mounting bolts, place a small ball of plumber's putty inside the cap to hold it firmly in place. If the bolts extend too far above the toilet flange to accommodate the bolt covers, carefully cut excess off above nuts with a hack saw. Install the toilet seat and lid.