Small donwstairs toilet advice

majorwally

Hi Guys,

I have a small d/s toilet with an old toilet & basin.

The basin has 2 taps, which I want to convert to a single one to fit my new corner basin. Is this a small job that maybe I could do myself?

Also, I have looked at the old toilet and I can't recognise the screws holding the pan onto the floor, are they special screws for this?

Ebe_Scrooge

Depends on your level of experience. Personally, any plumbing work like this where the new units are going in the same place as the old ones, I'd find a doddle. But I've been a keen DIY-er since the day the first cave-man decided he wanted a bidet installed :-)

Plumbing in a tap is relatively straightforward, especially if you "cheat" and use flexi hoses. I'm sure there will be any number of "how to" videos on youtube, have a look and see if looks like something you can do.

Make sure you incorporate an isolation valve. They cost pennies and will make life so much easier in the future when you inevitably need to change a washer or fix a leak at some point.

Regarding the toilet - usually they're just held down by standard screws, nothing fancy. There could well be a plastic cover on them, just for cosmetic appearance, and it's highly likely they'll be somewhat rusty, to make things a little more awkward, but I'd expect to find just a normal screw.

Hope this helps.

majorwally

I see what you mean by "isolation valves saving time".
I notice there are no isolation valves in any of the pipework.

Does this mean I will have to turn off main isolation valve under sink as that's the only one I can find in whole house?
And will that mean no water until job done?

cyclonebri1

majorwally wrote: »

I see what you mean by "isolation valves saving time".
I notice there are no isolation valves in any of the pipework.

Does this mean I will have to turn off main isolation valve under sink as that's the only one I can find in whole house?
And will that mean no water until job done?

No, just no water until you have fitted a local isolation valve.

It's not unusual, in fact it's usual in older properties, plumbing/plumbers are a bit more savvy these days, they fit service valves for each appliance

Prothet_of_Doom

majorwally wrote: »

I see what you mean by "isolation valves saving time".
I notice there are no isolation valves in any of the pipework.

Does this mean I will have to turn off main isolation valve under sink as that's the only one I can find in whole house?
And will that mean no water until job done?

Depends on your system design. Yes you turn off the main isolation valve, although in my case that was jammed, so had to turn off at street, fit another isolation valve in kitchen, turn it back on so next door had water (yep we share a valve in the street :mad: )

Then I had to turn on both taps to empty hot and cold water tanks, then cut the pipes to the sink, fit a hot and a cold isolation valve, then cut the pipe to the bog, and fit another isolation valve, then I can turn the water on in the kitchen and fill the two tanks again, so that the bathroom and kitchen can supply water.

That took me 2 hours.

Then I can do the down stairs toilet and sink at my leisure.

The screws holding the toilet down ? is it a concrete floor or wood. I ended up prising the toilet in my upstairs bathroom, as the toilet had been siliconed to the floor and the screws were not actually doing any thing.

Current instant hot water system, with no tanks. Just turn the valve off in the kitchen. :rotfl:

majorwally

So, I need to buy 3 isolation valves.
One for hot and cold taps, and one for water supply to toilet. Is that right?

Then I turn off water, take away old toilet and sink, and fit isolataion valves ready for floor tiles & wall tiles.

Once that's done I can fit new toilet and sink and attach flexi pipes to my isolation valves.

Bingo!

Just one more question, are the isolation valves plastic?

majorwally

Success!
It worked.
Thanks guys

I have now decorated and ready for floor tiles.

When standing at the door to toilet, where do I place whole tiles?
I think it looks better with 2 whole tiles from far wall then half tile nearest me or is there a proper way?

flashg67

I believe tiles should be centred to the room? I stand to be corrected but most of the 'how to' guides I've seen show it that way - may mean more cutting though...

pimento

I just so happen to have had my downstairs lavvy replaced and retiled. I asked for one central tile and equal sized tiles either side. I also asked for a small upstand instead of a skirting board.

I think it looks OK.

SailorSam

I'd always tile from the centre then when you're finishing at the wall it's easier to cut that final bit.
Lay the tiles out on the floor before you begin to see what looks best.