If you find your toilet getting clogged more often than it should, or perhaps you are often having to change parts to do with the flusher, or worse, have noticed a fine crack in the porcelain then it may be time to consider replacing your toilet. If your toilet is in perfect working order but you are redoing your bathroom, replacing the bath and sink, you may want to get a toilet to match the rest of the bathroom suite to achieve an overall style in the bathroom. Replacing a toilet does not have to be a daunting task, especially with HaMuch having a list of professional plumbers ready to take the job on for you.
Like most projects, when it comes to removing and installing an upgraded product, a like-for-like will always be a quicker job completion and therefore cheaper. The same goes for a toilet. The cost will be dependent on what style toilet you are replacing. The cheapest toilet is the standard close-coupled toilet (cistern in view directly behind the toilet). The next more complicated aka (pushing the price up slightly) to fit would be a low-level or high-level cistern toilet. A hidden / wall-hung toilet will be more expensive as it requires more labour time, especially if it is replacing a traditional close-coupled toilet. Of course, if the job requires moving the toilet to a different location, extending a waste pipe or installing a macerator for a plumb free fitting, this will all impact the price of the job.
|
How much to install a toilet |
Per |
Average cost |
|
Removing the old toilet and replacing like for like |
Per job |
£150 |
|
Removing the old toilet and replacing close-coupled with wall hung |
Per job |
£200 |
|
Removing the old toilet and replacing a toilet in a different area of the bathroom |
Per job |
£400 |
|
Repairing a part on the toilet |
Per hour |
£80 |
Majority of the time the new toilet will be replacing an old toilet which means the gravity-fed system to remove waste and the water inlet will already be set-up. If you live in an old property, you might have lead pipes that will need to be replaced or pipes from years of deterioration, first need to be repaired before the new toilet can be installed. Once the pipework is confirmed to be in a decent condition, the plumber can get on with replacing the toilet. So, the first step is to remove the old toilet, capping off the waste / soil pipe to avoid any nastiness dripping onto the bathroom floor. The floor might have had flooring cut around the old toilet which might be a different size and layout to the new toilet, so the floor will need to be cleaned and prepped with the flooring, including covering old bolt holes on the floor and cleaning off old silicone marks.
The new toilet goes in place, with a wax ring attached to the soil cover that connects the new toilet to the soil pipe. If this is a close-coupled toilet, next would be for the plumber to secure the toilet to the floor, but if your choice of toilet is wall-hung then the plumber will need to fit and secure it to the wall.
Once the toilet is connected and secured, the next job is to install the cistern tank and connect the water pipe into the cistern, then turn on the water. This is a good time for the plumber to double and triple check that there are no leaks and that all is in perfect working order before completing the finishing touches.
If you need a toilet installed in a different area of the house, an area that does not have a waste pipe, you can do so if you opt for a brand of toilet like the Saniflo. Saniflo toilets come with a built-in macerator (sewage pump) that grinds waste into smaller pieces which are then able to be flushed upwards or sideways in an anti-gravity direction without the need of relying on gravity. This means a toilet can be installed without being connected directly to a drainage pipe. The water supply is contained to avoid any nasty flood in your home and you can convert a big wardrobe into a guest toilet or add a toilet to a basement extension.
A clogged toilet or a toilet that will not stop running (or perhaps the opposite of not filling up) is among the common toilet repairs needed. Most of these issues, whether needing a new valve or vent to be replaced, only require a call-out with an hours labour charge on top of the cost of materials. The minute you notice the potential for an issue with your toilet, like bubbling water or the toilet ghost flushing, best to call out the plumber immediately to take care of this before it turns into a more serious issue resulting in the replacement of your toilet. Replacement parts are not too costly, e.g. a bottom entry flush valve will set you back £15 and a new cistern from £50.