To permanently remove a toilet, you need to first remove the toilet from the floor. Start by closing the water line and flushing the toilet to empty it. Then, disconnect the water line. Once this is done, remove the caps and nuts from the toilet flange bolts and lift the toilet off the floor. Next, remove any wax ring residue. At this point, it’s simplest to use a temporary plug to cap the drain temporarily. Before proceeding, consult a professional plumber. Permanently capping a drain line involves removing the flange and properly installing a drain cleanout or cap.
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Can You Permanently Remove a Toilet Yourself?
It’s best to hire a professional plumber when permanently capping a toilet drain line. An improperly capped line can cause clogs to your drain line. It’s also possible for an improperly sealed drain line to leak toxic, even explosive, sewer gas into your home.
- Permanently capping a toilet drain line is a job for a professional plumber.
- An improperly capped drain line can cause plumbing problems or leak sewer gas into your home.
- Rather than permanently capping the drain, consider removing the toilet and fitting the drain line with a removable plug.
If you wish to remove a toilet permanently, consider your options carefully. For homeowners, it’s best to remove a toilet and seal the drain line with a temporary plug. This allows you the flexibility to reinstall a toilet at a later date. Or, you can consult with plumbers about permanently capping the drain line while the temporary plug keeps your home safe.
10 Steps to Permanently Remove a Toilet
Removing a toilet once and for all can be necessary during a home renovation. However, it is a plumbing job with some degree of difficulty. Below, we’ll walk through the DIY process and point out which steps are best performed by a professional. Here’s how to get started:
Turn Off the Water
Turn off the water supply that fills the toilet tank. The control valve is the handle on the line that feeds from the floor or wall to the toilet tank. Close the valve by turning the handle to the right. This will stop water from flowing through the line.
Flush the Toilet
Even with the water supply closed, your toilet tank will still be full of water. To reduce the weight of the toilet and prevent spilling water all over the floor during removal, flush the toilet to empty the tank. This may require several flushes. It’s a good idea to take the lid off the toilet tank to observe the water level in the tank and make sure it is empty. Follow these steps if the toilet you’re removing is missing the handle.
Detach the Water Line
Find the place where the water line attaches to the toilet tank. It is usually held in place by a plastic nut. Loosen this nut until the water line comes free. You may need to use a wrench to accomplish this task. With the water line closed and the toilet tank empty, there should be minimal water spillage when the line is detached.
Uncap and Loosen the Toilet Flange Bolts
Use a screwdriver to remove the plastic caps from the bolts that connect the toilet to the floor. Then, use a socket wrench to remove the nuts from the exposed bolts. If the toilet flange bolts are rusted, you may need to perform a few extra steps to remove them.
Remove the Toilet
With the nuts fully removed from the flange bolts, you can now uninstall your toilet. To do so, lift the toilet straight up off the flange bolts and set it aside. To make lifting and moving the toilet easier, enlist an assistant. Some water that is contained in the toilet’s trap may spill onto the ground at this point. If you wish to avoid this, you can use rags to soak up the water inside the toilet bowl or use a wet/dry vacuum to vacuum out the water before removal.
Remove the Toilet Gasket
After removing your toilet, a gasket will remain in place on your toilet flange. If you used a rubberized gasket, remove this in one piece. If you used a wax ring to make a waterproof seal between the toilet and the flange, follow our tips to remove wax from a toilet flange easily.
Install a Temporary Plug
At this point, you will have completed toilet removal and will be left with an open toilet drain. An open-drain hole will release noxious sewer gas into your home, so you should plug it. Measure the diameter of your drain pipe. Use this plug for 4-inch drains. It is also available in a size for 3-inch drain pipes.
- Measure your drain pipe before purchasing a properly-sized drain plug for your drain.
- Install a plug by inserting it into the drain pipe and tightening the wingnut.
- Before moving forward to permanently cap your drain, consult a professional plumber.
Before proceeding, it’s important to note that you have successfully removed your toilet and plugged the drain properly. You can reverse everything up until this point if you wish to reinstall the toilet later. The following steps will permanently cap your toilet’s drain pipe. A professional plumber should only perform them. A plumber can ensure your home remains safe and the drain is capped properly.
Remove the Toilet Flange
To permanently cap a drainpipe, you must remove the toilet flange. You can follow our guide to safely removing a toilet flange by yourself or hire a plumber to do so. Most toilet flanges are glued to the inside of the drain pipe and must be removed carefully to avoid damage to the drainpipe itself.
Determine the Type of Drain Cap Required
Work with a professional plumber to determine what sort of drain cap should be installed. Can the drain be capped, or should a drain cleanout be installed? A cleanout allows access to the drainpipe to troubleshoot clogs and other issues. In most cases, installing a drain cleanout is the best failsafe when capping a drain.
Install a Permanent Cap or Cleanout
Once the type of drain cleanout needed for your drain has been determined, contact a professional plumber to fit the cap or cleanout on the pipe. A drain cap must be sealed professionally to completely and permanently prevent sewer gas from infiltrating your home. It is not safe or advisable to cap the drain yourself, cover the drain with concrete, or attempt to build over the drain if it has not been capped by a professional.
How Do You Permanently Remove a Toilet Drain?
Permanent removal of a toilet requires the assistance of a professional plumber to cap the line fully. However, you can remove the toilet and plug the drain line to make capping the line simple. Here’s how:
- Close the water line feeding into the toilet.
- Flush the toilet to empty the tank.
- Disconnect the water line from the toilet.
- Uncap the toilet flange bolts and remove the nuts.
- Lift the toilet off the flange and move it aside
- Remove the rubber or wax gasket from the toilet flange.
- Use a temporary plug to seal the drain.
Before continuing, hire a professional plumber to assist in permanently capping your toilet drain. To cap the drain, you must remove the flange, and the drainpipe should be fitted with a cleanout or cap. Then, the permanent toilet removal is complete.
