If there are brown stains or if water is dripping from the back of your toilet - where it connects to the outlet pipe - you need to replace the seal fast enough to avoid a wet and smelly mess.
To replace the damaged seal with a new wax seal, you will need:
- Wax seal
- Rubber gloves
- Clean Green
- Paper towels
- Clean cloths
Here's how:
1. Switch off the local stop valve next to the toilet. If you don't have a local valve, switch off the main water supply. The main stop valve is normally located outside the house but still on your property, and is situated closely to the water meter.
2. Flush the toilet to empty any water in the cistern and use a plastic cup (put on your rubber gloves!)to remove any remaining water in the 'U' trap - or bend in the toilet, otherwise you will end up with water all over the floor!
3. Place an old towel under the pipe to catch any remaining water and pull out the old seal. If you can't, do not worry too much - you can pack the new wax seal into the gap.
4. Gently remove the new wax seal from the container and start to pack this around the join between the back of the toilet and the outlet pipe (see image above). It is quite messy. Make sure that the wax seal is packed nicely all around the join and that there are no gaps.
5. Wipe any excess wax off with paper towels and then put some Clean Green on a cloth to remove the rest.
Janice Anderssen is Women24's DIY and Decor expert. Ask her a question here, or visit her website here.
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