While this handy little spring-loaded bar makes removing the old toilet a snap, it’s even more useful for setting the new toilet in position. Photo: DO lift and position the new toilet bowl using the Pick Up Stix. Avoid these mishaps when replacing a toilet by simply setting the lid aside and carrying it out separately. Not only do porcelain tank lids break easily, they can chip and dent flooring as well. While professional plumbers are wise to this, household DIYers often make the mistake of leaving the tank lid on and end up having to clean up a shattered lid or repair damaged flooring. The tank lid is not fastened to the top of the tank-tilt the commode to either side while carrying it, and the heavy porcelain lid is likely to slip off and fall. For more information, check out this video that shows how Pick Up Stix makes moving toilets a whole lot easier on your back-and more hygienic as well.ĭON’T leave the tank lid on when you move the toilet. Use your free hand to stabilize the back of the tank as you lift, and then place the toilet on the prepared cardboard or in a utility pan. Once the Pick Up Stix is in place, you can grab the center of the bar and lift the toilet straight up and off the bolts. “A big spring keeps it extended normally, but when you push it down it compresses, letting you put it into the bowl.” “The Pick Up Stix is basically a little pogo stick,” O’Brian explains. You can position the Pick Up Stix from side to side of the bowl or from front to back, whichever works best for your grip. To secure it to the toilet, just fit one end of the bar under the rim of the toilet bowl and then compress the bar enough to slip the other end under the rim on the opposite side. The Pick Up Stix Toilet Installation and Removal Tool (available from for $29.95) is a lightweight, spring-loaded bar with nonslip rubber end caps that provides a sturdy handle for lifting the toilet from its base. “ Pick Up Stix offers a quick way to move a toilet without grabbing that inner rim.” And, odds are you will end up touching a part of the toilet you would rather not,” he continues. “Moving a toilet isn’t the end of the world you get in there, grab it, and get the job done,” O’Brian says. DO protect your back when lifting a heavy toilet.Īfter you’ve disconnected the water-supply line from the bottom of the tank and removed the decorative caps, nuts, and washers from the T-bolts that secure the toilet to the floor, it’s time to lift the old toilet. If you don’t have a pan, it’s a good idea to put heavy cardboard down on a dolly and cover it with old towels to prevent a mess. When they replace a toilet, they’ll set the old one in the pan and then roll the whole thing out of the house. To deal with this, plumbers will often place a large utility pan on a flat dolly. Any little tilt or wobble of the toilet as you move it will cause that water to drain out onto the floor. Be thorough: Any water that remains will usually end up on the floor when you remove the toilet.ĭON’T forget to prepare a spot nearby to set the existing toilet once you remove it.ĭespite your water-removing efforts, the toilet’s internal P-trap (located below the bowl) will contain water. Some water will remain in the bottom of the bowl bail it out with a cup or sop it up with a large sponge. DO get rid of as much water as possible before attempting to remove the toilet.Īfter shutting off the water-supply valve to the tank, flush the toilet, holding the handle down to drain as much water as possible from the tank. Armed with a Pick Up Stix and the following advice on best (and worst) practices, you can minimize the mess and hassle and have that new toilet in place in no time. Daniel O’Brian, the technical expert for the online plumbing retailer, has the secret to making this job easier: a simple new tool called the Pick Up Stix. This handy tool is designed to assist professionals as well as savvy do-it-yourselfers in lifting and carrying a toilet. Replacing a toilet is an unpleasant task, not because it’s technically difficult-it’s not-but because toilets are heavy and unwieldy, and no one really wants to get up close and personal.
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