anally retentive toilet

mr218

we had a closer look last night (could not really bring myself to empty the loo) and actually the brown stuff is not uniformly spread at the base. there are some areas (about 4 cm diameter circles) which are white and it indeed looks like the enamel has worn off and we need to replace it

thanks a lot for all your suggestions. it gives me more confidence in what i want to do

my husband is reasonably competent in diy and i am a good helper. but do you all think we can change the toilet ourselves. is it really as easy as it sounds.

i think the toilets are pretty cheap the labour costs may be more

cazzamau

hilstep2000 wrote: »

Get some "Spirits of salts" from your local chemist or hardware shop. Use rubber gloves, get rid of the water, and ppour some down. DO NOT stick your head anywhere near it, (the fumes are choking), so make sure you've left the window open. Two minutes later, all that limescale will be gone, Guaranteed!

Spirits of salts did the job easily. Thanks hillstep2000 :j

TimBuckTeeth

mr218 wrote: »

anally retentive toilet

I was going to suggest butter to free yourself, but it seems I misunderstood the problem.

Emptying the water then using limescale remover or sulphuric acid should remove any deposits.

Ebe_Scrooge

mr218 wrote: »

we had a closer look last night (could not really bring myself to empty the loo) and actually the brown stuff is not uniformly spread at the base. there are some areas (about 4 cm diameter circles) which are white and it indeed looks like the enamel has worn off and we need to replace it

thanks a lot for all your suggestions. it gives me more confidence in what i want to do

my husband is reasonably competent in diy and i am a good helper. but do you all think we can change the toilet ourselves. is it really as easy as it sounds.

i think the toilets are pretty cheap the labour costs may be more

Yes, as long as you're not changing the position of the toilet then it's a dead simple job. It's when you want to move things around that it gets a bit more tricky.

Essentially it's a case of remove the old one and slot a new one into place. The only things you may have to fiddle with are the water inlet to the cistern, and the position of the waste pipe. Many cisterns have alternative entry points for the water, so you can choose an entry point that matches pretty much with what's already there. And with the waste pipe, have a look at what's already there - does it go straight down, or is there a short horizontal run before it goes down ? You may be lucky and find that the new toilet is in the same configuration, in which case it will slot in pretty easily.

But either way, the parts you'll need are readily available from most DIY stores or plumbers merchants, and if you're reasonably confident with simple plumbing jobs it won't be a problem. As always, don't try and rush it, take your time to make sure all the pipework and connections are clean, watertight and not being strained, and it'll be fine.