Buyers are beginning to revert to older looking plumbing fixtures for their bathroom remodels. The classic small white-checkered tile floor, tiled showers, fiberglass clawfoot tubs, pedestal sinks, chrome fixtures, washstands, vintage hardware and retro wallpaper.
Another trend is purchasing antique plumbing fixtures and having them installed. This can be tricky to the modern plumber since they aren’t used to installing them.
This month I am going to explain how to install the most common antique water closet — the “standard” wall-hung water closet with flush ell.
These were made from the 1890s to the mid-1900s. If you are nostalgic, like the customer who purchased this item, you should install the “close to” original parts which include brass ballcocks, flush assemblies, lift rod assemblies and mermaid-style plungers, which can still be found and ordered through certain plumbing supply companies. The most important thing to remember before you get started is that most of these water closets require a 14-inch rough.
PREPPING THE BOWL
The first thing to do is get the old 2-inch closet spud out of the back of the bowl. If you can fit a spud wrench into the spud and spin the spud nut out, great. More than likely, it won’t come out. If that’s the case, use an oscillating saw with a carbide blade and cut the nut loose without touching the china. Then pull the rubber out with needle nose pliers and the closet spud will pop out.
Install the new 2-inch closet spud and tighten it using the appropriate internal spud wrench. It is important to use a smooth-tooth pipe wrench when tightening the nut, so you don’t leave tool marks on the brass. Especially if you don’t have spud escutcheons — which are hard to find — since the closet spuds will be visible on the finished product.
SETTING THE BOWL
There are two types of bolt configurations; the traditional two-bolt toilet flange bolts that you’re already used to and the four-bolt configuration. The four-bolt configuration consists of the traditional two closet bolt holes that tighten onto the closet flange, and two additional bolt holes closer to the front of the bowl.
More than likely, you’ll be bolting the bowl down to a tiled floor. Set the bowl down dry (without a wax ring) leveling and making the bowl plumb to the wall. Mark the location of the front bolts through the bolt holes and mark the floor with a pencil.
Drill the floor in preparation for closet screws with a hex chrome cap. Also make sure you purchase oval closet bolt caps. The front set of bolts won’t accept modern closet bolt caps because the shoulder of the china has a very slim profile.
PREPPING THE TANK
Remove the old ballcock and flush assembly. This may require cutting the brass nut holding the flush valve to the tank as described above using an oscillating saw. Once you have the fill valve and flush assembly removed, clean the inside and outside of the tank and assemble the brass ballcock.
If you ordered the adjustable brass ballcock, make sure you have it at the right height and install the copper fill tube, set screw and float arm. Be sure not to forget the locking washer on the ballcock side of the float arm to prevent the float ball from pivoting when filling up with water.
Install the flush assembly making sure not to bend the lower float rod during the process. Install the mermaid ball, the lower lift rod, the upper lift rod, the tank handle and the guide rod. Make sure the ball pulls easily up and down naturally. Don’t install the float ball yet; wait until you have the tank installed.
INSTALLING THE TANK
Once you have the tank ready to install, carry it over and sit on the bowl facing the wall holding the tank in your lap. The flush ell is the 2-inch chrome 90-degree elbow that goes between the tank and the bowl.
The easiest way to set this is to install the flush ell in the bowl first, and then gently lower the tank onto the bowl sliding it onto the top of the flush ell. Make sure you gauge how far the flush ell goes into the flush valve. You don’t want to lower it too far as it will slide completely through the flush assembly and push the mermaid ball up.
Once you have the correct depth of the flush ell, make sure the flush ell is plumb, put a level on the tank and mark the holes on the wall with a pencil. Make sure that every hole has an anchor and anchor the tank to the wall. It’s preferable to use stainless steel or brass lag screws that can handle the weight of the tank plus the weight of the water. It is also heavily recommended to screw these lags into wood bracing behind the tile wall.
Once you have the tank set, secured and level screw the float ball onto the float arm and hookup and turn on the water to the tank. Bend the brass float rod to adjust the float ball to the required water level and tighten the float rod jam nut where the float rod connects to the ballcock. Now make your final adjustments to the flush ells by tightening the nuts and testing the unit.
This isn’t a toilet that you flush twice, collect and leave. You’ll need to flush and adjust a dozen times to ensure proper operation.
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Anthony Pacilla has been in the trades since he was 9 years old (family business). He started cleaning toilets, mopping floors and putting fittings away in the warehouse. As he picked up skills, he would add becoming a groundman and laborer. When he was ready, Pacilla became an apprentice and then a journeyman plumber. He graduated college with a business and economics degree and immediately wanted to come back to work in the family business. A few years ago, Pacilla become a licensed master plumber. To contact Pacilla, email editor@plumbermag.com
