How to Install a New Toilet Seat

Installing a new toilet seat can be one of the easiest household maintenance and minor repair jobs that many homeowners can tackle independently. Not only can this save money over hiring a professional plumbing service, but it is also a relatively straightforward process that Mr. Rooter Plumbing covers here in this guide, ensuring a functional seat quickly!

Gather Your Tools and Materials

Before beginning, here is what you will need to replace your toilet seat. The process is far easier than a toilet installation:

Make Sure the Seat Fits Properly: Choose a new toilet seat that complements its shape and size for optimal use in your bowl. Various varieties, such as round and elongated toilet seats, are available - select one according to what works for your toilet!
Screwdriver: A screwdriver will be necessary to dismount and install a new seat.
Adjustable Wrench: An adjustable wrench may come in handy for fasteners like nuts and bolts that need tightening or loosening.
Plastic Bags: Keep some plastic bags on hand to dispose of your old seat and any packaging from a new one.
Rubber Gloves: Wearing rubber gloves during installation helps maintain cleanliness and hygiene throughout the installation process.

Toilet Seat Installation

Now that we have everything needed let's install our toilet seat. Here are our step-by-step installation instructions:

Step One: Prepare Your Area

To prepare the area around your toilet bowl for work, ensure it is clutter-free. Make sure there is sufficient space around its perimeter so you can comfortably move around it while working around its bowl.

Step Two: Remove an Old Toilet Seat

To begin this step, locate and unsnap both plastic or metal caps attached to the rear of the toilet seat where it connects with its bowl.

Lift these caps carefully using either your fingers or a flat-head screwdriver to reveal the nuts that secure the seat into place underneath.

Use a screwdriver or adjustable wrench to gently loosen and remove these nuts without harming the toilet bowl or seat. Take care not to cause permanent damage!

Once the nuts have been unfastened, remove and dispose of the old seat/cover assembly from your toilet bowl.

Step Three: Prep Your New Toilet Seat

To properly prepare a new toilet seat and prevent it from shifting during use, ensure all rubber or plastic bumpers on its underside have been installed to stop shifting and provide stability for proper seating position. This step also applies when choosing new commode seats as part of the step.

Step Four: Attach Your New Toilet Seat

Follow these instructions to securely fasten a new toilet seat onto the holes on a toilet bowl.

Insert the bolts provided with your new seat through holes in your toilet bowl from its top side.
Secure the bolts provided with nuts on the underside of the toilet bowl using them and tighten them evenly; be careful not to overtighten them as this could fracture its porcelain shell.
Once your seat is safely in place, ensure it doesn't move or wobble by tightening up any loose nuts until it remains secure. If that occurs, tighten them until your chair remains level and secure.

Step Five: Give Your Seat a Test

Conduct a comprehensive trial run to complete the installation of the new toilet seat. Open and close it several times to check its functionality while sitting on it to assess for comfort and stability. Once everything appears satisfactory, you have successfully installed your new seat!

Step Six: Clean-Up

To complete this step successfully, properly dispose of any remnants or packaging from your old seat in plastic bags before cleaning around it to eliminate dust or debris collected during installation.

Mr. Rooter Plumbing

At Mr. Rooter Plumbing, our mission is to deliver superior plumbing services tailored to your needs. Our professional plumbers can assist with anything from minor repairs to complex installations - our plumbers have you covered for every plumbing-related need!