Toilet removal

Why a toilet gets removed

• Before installing a new one. The most common case.
• Before a bathroom renovation. If tile is being replaced, walls painted, or screed laid — the toilet has to come out.
• During a layout change. Moving the bathroom, swapping toilet and bath positions.
• Before unblocking the drain stack. Serious stack blockages are sometimes cleared through the toilet location — the unit is temporarily removed.
• Before selling the apartment empty. Rare but happens — the new owner wants their own.

How removal goes

1. Shut off water at the angle valve under the tank. If there isn't one — the apartment shutoff.
2. Drain the tank fully — press the button, let the water out. Residue in tank and bowl trap — bail with a cup or sponge.
3. Disconnect the supply line from the tank.
4. Remove the tank from the bowl — two bolts off, lift off the gasket.
5. Cut the silicone seal around the base — utility knife.
6. Unscrew the floor bolts. Common issue — seized bolts. Techniques:
   • WD-40, wait 10–15 minutes.
   • Torch heating (carefully, away from tile).
   • Cut off with an angle grinder.
7. Carefully lift off the sewer outlet. Sometimes the toilet is stuck to the flex pipe — rock it side to side, don't yank straight up.
8. Plug the sewer opening — with a rag, a trash bag, or a dedicated plug. Mandatory, otherwise the stack will fill the apartment with smell.
9. Clean the floor of silicone residue and the old gasket.
10. Assess the condition — tile under the toilet, anchor holes, the sewer stub.
11. Carry out and dispose of the toilet (by arrangement).

What is left after removal

• Open sewer pipe — 100 mm diameter, protruding from floor or wall.
• 2 anchor holes in the tile — 10–12 mm, patched with filler or cement mix before a new install.
• Water supply exit — the angle valve (or its remains) sticks out.
• "Ghost" on the tile — color difference where the toilet stood vs. exposed tile.
• Silicone residue on the tile — scraped off with knife and softener.

Sealing the sewer stack

This is a critical step if more than a couple of hours pass between removal and installing the new toilet.

• Temporary plug — a bag with a rag, tied on top. Holds for a couple of hours.
• Inflatable plug — a rubber bladder pumped up inside the pipe. ILS 40–80, convenient for 1–3 days.
• Threaded 110 mm plug — if removal is for days/weeks (renovation). ILS 30–60.
• Special valve cap — lets you drain water (other toilet, plumbing fixtures) without odor bleeding through. ILS 100–200.

How much it costs in Israel

• Floor-standing toilet removal — ILS 200–450
• Wall-hung removal (frame intact) — ILS 250–500
• Removal including frame and wall finishing — ILS 600–1,500
• One-piece removal (two workers, heavy) — ILS 350–600
• With old toilet disposal — +ILS 100–200
• With long-term stack plug — +ILS 80–200 (plug)
• With stack clearing/flushing — +ILS 200–500

What to prepare

• Clear the bathroom — move out rugs, brushes, anything in the way.
• Cover the floor with cardboard or plastic — to protect tile when moving heavy porcelain.
• Know where the main shutoff is — if the angle valve doesn't work.
• Ventilate — odor will come from the stack during removal.
• Spare bucket/rags — residual water has to go somewhere.

What the plumber brings

• Angle grinder — for seized bolts.
• Gas torch — to heat the thread.
• WD-40 and brush.
• Inflatable or threaded 110 mm plug.
• Vacuum for fine tile dust.
• Trash bags for toilet debris.

Typical complications

• Bolts "fused to the floor." Nothing but a grinder works. Adds time, dust, and debris.
• Flex pipe glued to the outlet. Tears on removal — a new flex pipe is needed anyway.
• Fresh tile under the toilet. Remove very gently — old tile can crack from vibration.
• Stack open for several days. If the new install is delayed, the stack seal must be airtight or the apartment smells for a week.
• Downstairs neighbors. If removal drags on, odor may travel to them. Warn them.