Toilets: Who Should Replace the Seat?

Unless your parents enjoyed fixing things around the house, you probably don’t know what repairs are worth trying yourself versus calling for help. My rule of thumb:

• Will you need (and want) to do this job more than once as a home owner?
• Are the tools needed affordable, and even better, useful for many different jobs?
• Are the materials needed easy to find? and inexpensive so buying a second one is affordable?
• Can the job be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time? For instance, replacing a toilet seat will take a handyman or plumber between 10 and 30 minutes but could take you several hours.

So what does it take to replace a toilet seat?

Replacing a Toilet Seat

• Buy a new seat the right size and color. To be safe, make a template of your current seat and take it to the store as there are long, oblong seats and short, round ones and …
• Inspect the hardware used to attach the seat to your toilet. You’ll find a real (metal) screw, nut and possibly a washer. Newer toilets have a plastic screw and nut (no washer).
• If the nut underneath doesn’t have a wing to prevent the screw from spinning, you’ll need a wrench to hold the nut in place.
• From the top, you’ll unscrew (counter clockwise) the screw while holding the nut in place. Be careful to catch the nut and washer when they come off so you can reuse them.
• Remove the old toilet seat and lay the new one in place.
• Put the screws down through the holes and screw by hand until the nut is secure. Then use the wrench to hold the nut firm, and finish screwing with the screwdriver from the top.

Hopefully that will work but unfortunately, with plumbing we always expect to run into problems. With the metal screws, they can rust in place making it difficult to remove them. You can try using penetrating oil to help loosen the screw. Be careful with the wrench as a small slip might mean buying a new toilet.

If you are unsuccessful loosening the screw(s), then you need a hacksaw to cut off the screws. If you already know how to do this great, or it’s time to call for help. A handyman will complete the job quickly. Ask them to use plastic screws so next time, you can replace the toilet seat yourself.