Installation of a Toilet & Bidet

Drain Location

• Toilets normally have a drainpipe, called a soil pipe, located in the bathroom floor. Bidets, on the other hand, may have a drain on the bathroom floor or in the wall. If the bidet’s drain is in the floor, then the installation process closely mirrors that of a toilet. You must use a flange that is anchored to the floor around the drainpipe to anchor the toilet or bidet in place. With bidet drains that are in the wall, the setup is similar to a bathroom sink. The bidet has a drainpipe setup, complete with the curving portion of pipe called a p-trap, which transports the waste water out of the bidet and into the drainpipe in the wall.

Preventing Leaks

• Toilets and bidets may leak either at the drain location or where the bidet or toilet received their water supply. If the bidet or toilet is mounted to the floor, a large wax ring goes around the drain in the floor. This wax ring compresses and seals up any small gaps the waste water would otherwise seep out of. You must also tighten the nuts on the bolts at the base of the toilet or bidet so it does not move or rock in any direction, or else water may still leak out onto the floor. With wall-mounted bidets, you must wrap plumber’s tape around the pipe sections’ threads so help prevent leaking later. If the pipe joints leak, tighten the compression nuts a quarter turn with a pipe wrench before running water down the drain again.

Water Supply Valve

• You must connect your toilet or bidet to the water supply valve on the bathroom wall. The valve has a handle you turn clockwise to close and counterclockwise to open. You use a flexible line made of plastic or braided metal to connect the supply valve to the port on the underside of the toilet’s tank or the bidet.

Damage Potential

• Since toilet and bidet bowls are made of porcelain, you need to exercise caution during the installation process. Porcelain may crack easily if you hit it with your tools, your feet or any other object. Over tightening the nuts on the bolts at the base, or where the toilet’s tank attaches to the bowl, can crack the porcelain. Once you crack the porcelain, you must replace the bowl with a new one.