I would add to what others said that with a wet=dry vac getting the water out of the syphon will be much easier than with rags or sponges.With a little luck, the vac might even suck up that pesky vial.
Good luck
On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 19:31:11 GMT, "John Smith" wrote Re Pulling a toilet?:
I just pulled & replaced mine a few weeks ago. I wouldn't try it by myself, not because the commode is so very heavy, but it is awkward to handle. My wife was able to help me so the pickup/replacement was easy with one of us on each side. But then she has gotten quite strong after many years of beating me up :-)
That should do it. Make sure the replacement hold-down nuts/bolts are not missing from the ring box.
see above.
You will need the proper wrench. You will need a wax ring just in case the old one has been mashed down too much. Personally I like the ones that have a built in plastic funnel. Depending upon your floor you may need a double length wax ring. I put caulk around the base after I was done to help match the grout I used for the tile job.
Good reference sites:
A pill vial got caught in my toilet and it looks like removing the toilet is the only way to get it out. I replaced one 10 years ago, so I know it is not all that hard, but I really don't remember much about it.
Can one person do it, or will I need help? What supplies will I need? (I am 25 miles from a store, so I would like to have everything...) Presumably a wax ring, are they one size fits all? Anything else?
I vaguely remember that the nuts and bolts were rusted into one piece and I had to break the base up with a hammer. Fortunately these nuts look brand new so it should be much easier.
I'd suggest a new set of bolts as cheap insurance, you know just in case.
They are ALWAYS mashed down too much.
The wax ring I got at Home Depot had replacement bolts. And instructions. Much less dificult than I'd thought. I also like the one with the plastic "funnel" atached. Found it's easier to put the wax ring down (funnel down) and the plop the toilet on top of the wax ring.
Oh, please buy a pack of "wood shims" incase the toilet rocks a bit. One able bodied man can do it single handedly. I'm 40+ years old, and defitely not an athlete. I've had a couple toilet out, working alone.
Hint: To get the water out of the bowl before moving the toilet, sponge and bucket works. Dip sponge, squeeze into bucket, repeat. Nonfood turkey baster works, too.
Turn off the water, flush the toilet (keeping the handle down to empty the tank), then start plunging the bowl with your plunger to pump most of the water out of the bowl. Now disconnect the water hose from underneath the tank, take off the tank lid, crouch over the toilet, facing it, reach down and grab it on the flat portion of the bowl that's between the tank and the bowl (so you're actually grabbing the bowl--this point is the middle/balance point of the toilet) and lift up. You'll have to do a bit of a "crab walk" with it to move it (so make sure no one's watching you...). If you have a shower in that bathroom, carefully lay the toilet in the shower (maybe put some towels down first). If no shower, lay some towels or newspapers on the floor...there won't be that much water splashing out when you lay the toilet on it's side. Now put on your latex gloves, get a flashlight (and a small mirror if you have one) and start looking in the top AND the bottom of the bowl for the obstruction. If it's stuck in the middle of the toilet you may or may not be able to snag it with a wire coat hanger. If not, you're going to have to buy a new bowl (they're not too expensive) and change out the old bowl with the new, because short of breaking out the porcelain, sometimes there's just no way of getting things out of a toilet bowl.
When replacing the toilet on the flange, check to see if the bolts have a nut securing them to the metal flange. If not, put the NEW bolts from the wax ring package on them to secure them (due to the wet environment under the toilet, the new bolts will last longer than the possibly rusty ones that were holding the toilet down). That way, when you put the toilet back over the bolts they won't move around and when you go to tighten down the bolts securing the toilet there's no possibility that the bolts will come loose and you'll have to pull off the toilet and start all over again. Reconnect the hose (hand-tight is usually enough), turn on the water and feel around the bottom of the tank for leaks as it fills with water. BTW, rub the black washer inside the end of the hose with your finger when it's off. If the rubber rubs off on your finger, it's time to replace the hose ($3-$4).
Unless a customer specifically requests it, as a rule I don't caulk around the base of the toilet for the simple reason that if the ring compresses enough to let water leak underneath the toilet, I'd much rather see it on the floor surrounding the toilet almost immediately than have it sit there, soaking through the floor and causing all sorts of floor damage for who knows how long before the leak is discovered (can you say "wood rot" and "mold damage"?).
Hope this helps.
I would like to add that I have always poured plaster of Paris on the floor where the bowl sits on. This makes for a solid footing to prevent any rocking back and forth. It does not have to be perfect. Just pour it on the floor along the same outline as the bowl. Then when you finish mounting the bolts, just take off the excess around the bowl with a putty knife since it will probably been dry.
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