Whether your toilet handle is corroded or loose, or you simply want to refresh the look of your bathroom without draining your wallet, replacing a toilet handle or lever is a common, surprisingly easy DIY task – but there are a few things you’ll need to know to make sure you’re doing it the right way, or you may cause more harm than good to your bathroom.
Ready to swap out your toilet handle without breaking a sweat? Here’s how to handle this DIY job like a pro:
1.) Prepare Your Toilet
While draining your toilet tank isn’t necessary to replace your lever, it will make life easier. Locate and shut off the water valve to your toilet, then flush it in order to drain away the water in the tank. At this time, you’ll also want to take the lid off of your toilet tank in order to be able to work on the inside. Be gentle – though heavy, the porcelain of your toilet is surprisingly brittle and easy to break.
2.) Remove the Old Handle
As you look into your toilet, you’ll notice that your current toilet handle is attached to a long arm in the tank, which in turn attaches to the chain responsible for lifting your flush valve. Take careful note of how much slack the current arm gives the chain, then unhook the chain from the arm.
Now, you can remove the actual handle mechanism by unscrewing the nut inside of the tank that holds the lever in place. A couple of things to keep in mind: First and foremost, note that in most toilets, these nuts have “left-handed” or “reverse” threads, meaning that you’ll want to turn the nut clockwise to remove it. You may be able to remove this nut by hand; if not, you’ll want to get a wrench for a secure, safe grip.
Once this nut is removed, put it aside and carefully slide the handle and arm out of the toilet.
3.) Locate a Replacement Handle
Now, you may well have already located your replacement (typically called a “toilet trip lever” in hardware or plumbing supply stores) already. In many cases, though, homeowners like to take the current part, along with the model number and brand/make of their toilet, to the store, in order to really make sure that the replacement part will be the right fit.
4.) Attach the New Handle
Once you’re satisfied with the look, feel, and fit of your replacement part, it’ll be fairly easy to install. First, remove the nut from your new handle, and gently slide the arm through the hole. Once it feels like it’s in position, replace the nut by sliding it over the arm and screwing it onto the handle base by hand or with a wrench. Remember that you’ll likely need to screw it on counter-clockwise, and take care not to over-tighten, as this may damage your toilet.
Next, attach the handle to the flush mechanism chain, taking care to line it up so that the flush valve will be able to open and close properly.
5.) Test Your Handiwork
At this point, you can turn the water supply back on and allow your tank to refill. Do some test flushes to make sure that your flush mechanism is neither too loose (which will cause your tank to not drain fully) nor too tight (which may cause leaking).
Looking for a little hands-on guidance? Trying to diagnose a tougher toilet mystery? Whatever your Red Oakland plumbing needs, Combat Plumbing is here to help, day or night. Drop us a line today!
