help me fix my toilet

[Nate Nagel]

next home plumbing project...

replace fill valve and flapper in toilet and main bath. also remove toilet, replace wax ring, and reinstall PROPERLY so it doesn't wobble on the floor (I assume shims will be involved.) It's a Kohler toilet, although I haven't a clue as to the model. I had a thought of going to Kohler's web site and trying to get "genuine" replacement parts, as I know some aftermarket stuff is iffy. But that looks like a royal PITA. Are the "fluidmaster" parts that most hardware stores sell decent?

Any tips on the R&R of the whole toilet? I consider myself reasonably handy but I have never done this before.

nate

[Don Young]

important thing is to be careful not to shim and tighten so much that you crack the toilet. They are intended to be set on a level floor and snugged down good so they will not stand a lot of stress.

Don Young

[Manster]

In addition to other's advice, sometimes a double wax ring is helpful. One with the flange or horn that goes into the waste line and one without the flange atop that. Especially good when the waste line is a little lower than it should be. Old timers use plumbers putty sometimes as well.

[N8N]

I guess the reason for my question is all the web tutorials of doing this remind me of the Studebaker factory shop manual - showing two smiling gentlemen in white lab coats with step by step "instructions" on how to, say, replace the rear window on a '55 coupe. (next time you see a Studebaker Hawk or other C-K body, look at the back window and imagine trying to replace it without a) breaking it b) hurting yourself) The instructions generally show 3 or 4 pictures and at no time are the technicians a) not smiling b) sweaty c) dirty. I KNOW that it's not that easy in real life... is the same effect true for toilets? Or is it really as easy as the instructions imply?

nate

[Casual Observer]

I read here that there's a difference between installing the toilet on a tile floor added after the house was built versus installing on an original linoleum floor - something about the height of the tile and the need for something called an extended wax ring or something and not to just use two wax rings - and that tip about NOT over tightening was a good one, too.

[k]

[TD]

You better just use a pail.

[Oren]

I get your point, but I get the plastic shims in the plumbing department - designed for shimming toilets.

-- Oren

"If things get any worse, I'll have to ask you to stop helping me."

[Stormin Mormon]

When I did a valve replacment, it took about half an hour. Since it's just wobbly, pop the caps off the two bolts that hold the toilet down. Snug them, and see if that helps. If not, get some shims in the paint department of the hardware store. Cram them under the sides, and break them off, maybe score them with a utility knife at the edge of the toilet. Don't pull the entire crapper cause of a rocking problem.

[Joe]

Call Kohler customer servce. They are some of the most knowledgeable and helpful I have ever dealt with. Web sites are OK, but it's nice to have a live person to explain things for you. Plus they can send you original documents on parts for your model.

Yes, but not for Kohler. Tried one once, failed missrably, got the real deal from Kohler for about the same $$ and we're still working fine.

Read up on it, and just do it. Have a helper nearby, keep the mop pail handy. You'll be an expert in just a few hours. Good luck.

Joe

[Nate Nagel]

Turns out that the original Kohler part is a "fluidmaster 400" so I just went to my local big box and bought one. Have not replaced the wax ring yet but everything else was cake easy, and now it refills without hammering the pipes (the original problem, there was some debris in the old valve that was "fluttering" while it was filling, causing a hell of a racket in the basement. Had to replace the stop valve as well; old one (probably late 40's vintage) no longer stopped, $6 later all is good. (draining down the plumbing in this house is becoming a regular procedure, it seems.) Currently have flexible hose connecting it to fill valve, but I'll replace it with a proper chromed copper hard line when I get it set properly.

I found this funny... SWMBO wanted a new toilet seat while I was in there, so I dragged her with me to the store so she could pick one out. She apparently has been paying attention to me working on my old Studebaker, she insisted on buying a pack of stainless steel wood screws to attach the seat to the hinges because "zinc plated steel rusts."

Yes, I spent ten minutes replacing the hardware on a new toilet seat. I'm not sure if I should be proud or amused.

nate

[HeyBub]

As long as your current squeeze is involved in perfecting the toilet, you need to add one of these: