Fixing a Toilet

Our toilet was leaking, so we looked into what it would take to fix it. 

At first we thought that we would have to replace the entire toilet, but after some researching we realized that we could try to replace the parts first, and if that didn't work, then we'd have to replace the entire toilet.

My husband "D" and I were both a little bit daunted by the idea of taking on this project (don't ask me why, it wasn't that tough).  Maybe it was because we have a to-do list that's a mile long. 

Anyways, I replaced the nuts and washers and tightened them.  That didn't work.  Then we bought a new wax ring.  We sponged out the water from the toilet, unscrewed the nuts, and pulled the toilet up.  It was super heavy (and is super old).  I was glad to have my hubby to do the lifting.

We then removed the old wax ring with an old putty knife, cleaned the floor and toilet surfaces that touched the floor, and then proceeded to put the new wax ring on.  We tried squishing the wax to the toilet like the picture showed, but it kept falling off.  We opted to put the wax ring on the floor (where the drain pipe is) and place the toilet on top of it.

Placing the toilet on the floor and lining up the bolts was not as easy as it should have been.  Our bolts were crooked, and the toilet was so heavy (I think they make the newer ones a little lighter, but I'm not sure), that it took several tries before everything was aligned.  After that, we applied pressure (entire body weight) to ensure a good, tight seal.  The next step is to screw on the washer and nuts tight (but not so tight that it breaks the porcelain.  The last step is to check the nuts periodically for the next couple of days and make sure that they are snug.  Sometimes the wax settles in and requires a little more tightening.

There you have it!  If you have to replace the entire toilet, then the proceedure is the same except for you'll have a clean, new toilet to work with.  :)