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Over time a toilet seat either
breaks, cracks, or becomes unsightly due to chipped paint. To be honest I am
not sure why toilets seats have the tendency to eventually break. It may be
related to repeated stresses or even more likely, increased repeated
stresses as we age and put on additional weight. Oh well, I digress.
Fortunately replacing a toilet seat is easy to do and there are many
replacement toilet seats to choose from.
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To replace a toilet seat first
start by determining what type of toilet you have. Check for the brand and
model. Also make a note of the toilet bowl style. Is it round or elongated?
Finally pull out your measuring tape and record the depth and width of the
existing toilet seat. In addition, also measure the on center distance
between the toilet bolt snap covers.
| With your information in tote visit a local home
improvement center and select a toilet seat that meets your
specifications. Make sure the toilet seat comes with bolts, as you
should plan on replacing the old toilet seat bolts, particular if they
are metal. Unlike plastic bolts, metal or brass toilet seat bolts have
the tendency to rust and decay over time.
Replacing the Toilet Seat
To replace the toilet seat,
snap the toilet bolt covers off using either a utility knife or a thin
common screwdriver. |
Photo by Mark Donovan |
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Next, use a wide tip common
screwdriver to remove the toilet bolt screws. Normally you can use just your
fingers to hold the nuts while you unscrew the bolts, however it is possible
that you may need an adjustable wrench. Sometimes, particularly with metal
or brass toilet seat bolts and nuts, they can become fused together and a little
more torque is required.
Once the bolts have been removed,
you can then discard the old toilet seat.
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Next, clean around the toilet
bolt area removing rust or green discoloring that may have formed if brass
bolts were used.
Now position the replacement
toilet seat over the toilet bowl and install the new bolts. Attach the nuts
to the bolts on the underside of the toilet bowl and gently finger-tighten
them.
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Inspect the toilet seat to make
sure it is centered over the toilet and then tighten the bolts with your
screwdriver and wrench. Make sure however that you do not over-tighten them
as over-tightening could crack the toilet bowl.
Finally snap the toilet seat bolt
covers down over the bolts and you’re done.
Additional Home Plumbing Resources
Replacement Toilet Seats from Amazon.com
