A flush toilet is an excellent method of keeping the bathroom clean while you can do what you should do every morning without messing yourself. The toilet bowl helps even old people who cannot sit properly to be comfortable with it.
Nowadays you have various accessories available to make the act even more comfortable. There are side rails you can fix to the toilets to help the elderly get up from it easily. You can place seats on the existing toilet seats to increase the height so that it is easy for people to get up without having to put too much pressure on their legs.
The toilet has been functioning in many bathrooms for many centuries now and has not changed a lot in so many years. Both the bowl and the flush tank have remained almost the same except for a little change in the appearance.
There has been a major change in the toilet tanks with most of them now being made using plastic instead of ceramic. But the toilet bowls remain mostly made out of ceramic.
What Are The Common Problems You Face With The Toilet?
There are few complicated mechanisms in a toilet. It is a simple function and there are no difficult repair works that occur in a toilet. The main problem that you face normally water leakage. There can be water leakage from the toilet tank due to a few reasons. Water can leak because the inlet pipe continues to feed the tank. This could be due to a faulty ballcock which can be easily repaired by replacing the ballcock.
Another reason for water leaking into the toilet bowl could be a worn-out flapper or a cracked overflow tube. The flapper can be easily replaced to stop the leak. If there is a crack in the overflow tube you may have to remove the toilet tank and replace the whole flush valve to solve the issue.
The important issue is a clogged toilet bowl. This can be easy or tough. If the clog refuses to clear, you may need to remove the toilet bowl which is a difficult task. Without removing the bowl, you may not be able to unclog. Without the clog being removed you cannot use the toilet at all.
Another problem that will force you to remove the toilet bowl is a leak from the bowl to the toilet floor. This can be very messy and make your toilet a very smelly place. The problem is usually a damaged wax seal. You must remove the toilet bowl to replace the wax seal or ring at the bottom of the bowl.
Why Is Removing The Toilet Bowl A Difficult Job?
Why are we discussing the removal of a toilet bowl at all? It is because it is difficult to remove it without making a mess of your bathroom. The toilet bowl is constructed in such a way that it always has water in it.
This is managed by the ‘S’ trap at the bottom rear of your toilet bowl. In certain bowls, you can see this and in others, it is covered. The ‘S’ trap as the name suggests is a double-bent tube which makes sure that all the water from your toilet bowl doesn’t get drained out to the sewer.
The ‘S’ trap is not new. It has been there for two centuries and it is the specialty of the water closet. It is this design that keeps the water in the closet. Why do you need to keep the water in the bowl? The water in the bowl seals the air on the other side of the bowl.
If the air was allowed to flow into the bowl your bathroom will smell as bad as the sewer below your road. This is because the smell from the sewer can travel up to your bowl through the drain pipe. It is to prevent this that the water is made to remain there. And this water is what makes removing the toilet bowl difficult.
Finding The Best Way To Remove The Toilet Bowl
The first thing to do is to stop the supply of water to the toilet tank. Once you have stopped the supply you must flush the tank. Hold the handle down until all the water has gone from the tank. You must flush the tank only if there is no clogging of the toilet bowl. If there is clogging flushing could result in more problems. If there is clogging you must leave the tank as it is and move to the toilet bowl.
The first thing to remove water from the bowl is to use the plunger to remove as much water as possible. You must place the flange of the plunger into the drain hole firmly. You must use up and down the action to push as much water through the drain pipe. The plunging will also help to remove clogging if there is any. Use the plunger to remove as much water as possible until only little remains at the bottom of the bowl.
You must now remove the rest of the water in the toilet bowl. The best way to do this is to sponge the water out. You can keep pressing the sponge and absorbing the water and then squeeze it in a bucket. Please take care to wear rubber gloves when you do this.
Conclusion
Though it is possible to remove both tank and bowl together for repair or replacement it is not advised as the tank can get cracked if you are not careful. It is better to remove the tank first and then remove the toilet bowl.
Before you can remove the toilet bowl you must remove the bolts that hold the bowl to the floor. There are possibilities that these are rusted and may need to be cut with a hacksaw blade. Both the bowl bottom and the closet flange on the floor will have wax rings that must be removed and replaced after the repair.
Even though you have removed all the water that was there in the toilet bowl you can expect some water to spill when removing the bowl. So, it is better to use some old towels or other cloth on the floor if you don’t want to make a mess on the floor.
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