Can you disassemble a 2-piece toilet and reassemble without leaks?

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papakevin

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Asking because the wife insisted we get a round toilet for our main level 1/2 bath which is small. After a couple days she has admitted she hates it and now wants an elongated toilet. FML. I have a full bath upstairs with an older toilet, so thinking I can move this one upstairs as it doesn’t get a lot of use. The toilet is heavy fully assembled, so wondering if I can disassemble and move it up in two pieces and reassemble upstairs without any leaks. Toilet is an American Standard Champion. Thanks.
 
Depends on how long it has been down and how corroded things are. If it were me I would get my Harbor Freight hand truck and strap it on and take it in one piece. If you don’t have one I would recommend one, they are 59 bucks I got mine for 19 bucks years ago and they always have 20% off coupons. That and a couple cam straps and you can haul so much stuff you will wonder how you got along for so long without it.



If you don’t like round bowls, I don’t also just toss the one you have and buy what you want. Sooner or later you will regret moving it. But I get the saving money part. Buy a dolly.



600 lb. Capacity Hand Truck
 
Yes. But, as others suggested, you might want a new bolt and washer kit & possibly a new seal. We've taken apart toilets to make transport easier.
 
Yes.

Buy new tank/bowl and bolt rubbers. Take the old rubber with you to the hardware store --- there are a few different shapes.

I take the tank off when painting a bathroom, just to get better access to the wall.
 
OP,
In your place, I'd move it in two pieces. It will be clumsy to move as a single unit and after the jostling from the move you may have to replace the gasket and seals anyway.
 
I agree do not take it apart. empty tank and bowl with sponge. the install rags in the discharge hole. then carry it upstairs, get a buddy if needed. but i always did it by myself .1645558949605.png
 
Thanks everyone. The toilet is an American Standard Champion which cost around $250 at Home Depot. It’s only been installed for about a week. I did purchase a new seat for it (it came with a cheap plastic seat) and the wife seems to be slightly happier, so thinking we will keep it where it is for now. If I’m another week she is still not happy, I will take it apart to move as the assembled weight is over 100# and I’m too old to carry upstairs. Note to self, next time I won’t won’t let her talk me out of the elongated bowl. Live and learn.
 
Two things:
The toilet has only been assembled for a week, so no new parts needed.
All washers and tank to bowl seal are still new and good.

More importantly, you can buy a COMPACT elongated toilet for your tight main bathroom.
Sell the old new one on Craigslist or Nextdoor or Facebook for $150.00, assembled.
Take the hit and move on.
 
Is the flapper on a tower so the water doesn't completely drain from the tank when you flush? That's how my American Standard China Mexico toilets are, which causes Mold on all the internal parts. You might get lucky, but I would check the tank monthly or so.

Also, if you move it, that would be the time to never again use a wax ring and opt for a Fluidmaster Better Than Wax Gasket. I can dig up pictures of what my floor looked like when my wax seal failed.
 
I actually used the Fluidmaster Better Than Wax gasket and it seemed to work fine. Better than messing with the wax stuff IMHO.
 
Good, only one way to figure out if it worked, but they must be better than wax.
 
Sometimes the holes on better than wax rings have to be widened if you have thicker bolts but its simple enough to put a tiny slit in (as I've seen people do when the had the problem of the ring stretching and deforming bc of the size of the bolts). If you don't have any movement or have to use a plunger or just have cold weather, wax will hold up well. But once it breaks its game over. I had plywood that turned to mud under the carpet under my toilet (yeah, idiots installed carpet in the bathroom & thought it would be a great idea to set the toilet on top of the carpet and padding which let the toilet have too much movement on top).
My tower flush system actually empties the tank all the way if I hold the lever down. Haven't had a problem with it yet. The old flapper system I had to mess with all the time because the flapper would get askew.
If you decide to change your toilet, FB Marketplace is another option.
 
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