Installing a Toilet Tank

A How to Guide about Installing a Toilet

Installing a new toilet can usually be done in two steps – First step = The bowl, Second step = The tank. The most difficult part of the installation will be putting the bowl in place. It's heavy, and you'll have to place it so the floor bolts are directly lined up with the holes in the toilet base. Once that part is done, the toughest part of the installation is complete. When working with heavy porcelain items such as toilets, avoid banging them into anything. Porcelain is tough – up to a point. If it cracks, it can't be used.

You're going to need a few tools for this job:
Pliers
Wire brush
Screwdrivers

	There are two, or three, holes in the bottom of the tank that you need to line up with two, or three, holes on the top of the bowl. Shift the tank gently until your mission is accomplished; then put a rubber washer on each of the tank bolts and set the bolts through the matching holes with the bolt heads on the inside of the tank.
	From underneath the bowl, attach the washers and the nuts to these bolts. You'll want to tighten them with a ratchet wrench or basin wrench until snug but remember, don't over-tighten!
	Cut a piece of supply tubing to fit between the shutoff valve and the toilet tank. Attach the line to the valve first, then to the ballcock tailpiece. Tighten the coupling nuts with adjustable wrenches until they're snug. It'll help if you hold the ballcock while tightening the coupling nut. Turn on the valve to fill the tank.
	Your last task is to mount the toilet seat. Set the seat bolts into the toilet's mounting holes, screw the mounting nuts onto the seat bolts, and tighten them by hand. Note: toilet seats are usually not included with the toilet.

Here is another utility to help finish this repair and install a toilet bowl.

• Fooling around with plumbing can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. View our Plumbing Safety Tips to make sure you don't do anything you might regret later.
  
  
• If you dont know how your system works, please check out our Plumbing Basics page. It shows you how your pipes run through your house, and also explains about how your system should be setup.
  
  
• In a plumbing emergency, you'll need to stop the flow of water quickly. To do this, you and each member of your family needs to know the location of the shutoff valve for every fixture and appliance, as well as the main shutoff valve for the house, and how they operate. Check out our Plumbing Emergency Info to better equip you and your family with the knowledge of how to handle a plumbing emergency.