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Replacing a bathroom suite

Replacing a bathroom suite requires only the most basic plumbing skills and a bit of common sense. At Focus, you'll find everything you need to give your bathroom a fresh new look - from baths to bath taps, basins to vanity cabinets. We also have an excellent range of bathroom accessories, shower screens and curtains - and all the tools you need to get the job done.

It is recommended that your installation is checked by a plumber or electrician to ensure your bathroom suite is correctly earthed *

Always consider 'safety' before you start any DIY project. Look for the 'Be Safe' sign and read the safety advice.

    Essentials:
    All available at your local FOCUS store

  • Basic wrench
  • Long-nose pliers
  • Tape measure
  • Spirit level
  • Screwdriver
  • Two adjustable spanners
  • Damp cloth
  • Club hammer
  • Cold chisel
  • Pencil
  • Trimming knife

* Warning, care must be taken with these items

Replacing a washbasin

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

The materials for the job are: basin and pedestal, taps with washers, two 12mm tap connectors, bottle trap, waste outlet plus two flat plastic washers, plug and chain, non-setting mastic filler, PTFE tape, fixing screws.

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

1 Start by connecting the taps to the new basin. Remove the back nut and washer from each tap tail. Note which side the hot and cold taps were connected to the old basin and push the new tap tails through the corresponding holes in the new basin.

Replace the washers and back nuts and tighten with a spanner, then screw a tap connector to each tail.

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

2 Fit the waste outlet to the new basin. Start by smearing silicone over the top of the outlet hole, then wrap PTFE tape anti-clockwise around the threaded tail of the waste outlet fitting. Push the fitting into the top of the outlet hole, bedding it into the silicone.

3 Turn the basin over and secure the outlet by screwing the nut. Attach the water trap to the tail of the outlet fitting. Fit the plug and chain.

4 Turn off the water supply to the old basin and drain the system, as necessary.

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

5 Disconnect the supply pipes leading to the old taps from underneath the old basin by simply unscrewing the two cap nuts. Next, unscrew the old trap from the waste pipe. Use a sponge or cloth to mop up any water.

6 Remove the old basin from the wall by undoing the fixing brackets or screws. Then attach the new basin and pedestal, using a suitable length screw.

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

7 Join the connectors on the tap tails to the supply pipes using PFTE tape to seal the joint. Then, connect the outlet at the bottom of the bottle trap to the waste pipe.

8 Reconnect the water supply, and tighten up any leaking joints. Cover the joint between the wall and the edge of the basin with waterproof sealant.

Replacing a bath

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

The materials for the job are: bath, taps and washers, 22mm flexible tap connectors, 40mm waste outlet with plug and two plastic washers, bath trap with flexible overflow, mastic filler, PTFE tape, bath sealant.

1 Attach the support frame and feet to the underside of the bath.

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

2 Turn the bath up the right way and fit the taps using the same method you used for the basin.

3 Fit the waste outlet into the waste outlet hole. If the outlet has a tailed grid like the basin fitting, it should be bedded into mastic as previously described, and have its tail covered with PTFE tape. If the outlet has a simple flanged grid, it should be fitted into the hole with a washer either side and fixed to a tail at one end of the flexible overflow pipe with a screw.

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

4 Insert the top of the overflow pipe into the rear of the overflow hole, and attach the overflow outlet.

5 Attach the other end of the overflow pipe to the waste outlet tail, and fit the bath trap to the waste outlet.

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

6 Turn off the water supply to the old taps. Disconnect the old taps, either by unscrewing or cutting through the supply pipes. Then disconnect the waste trap from the waste outlet.

7 Remove any wall brackets. Unscrew bath feet from the floor. Pull the bathaway from the wall and remove it from the room.

8 Position the new bath against the wall. Use a spirit level to check the bath top is horizontal and adjust the height of the feet if necessary. Fix the bath to the wall using the brackets supplied and screw all the feet to the floor.

9 Join the tap connectors to the supply pipes using PTFE tape to help seal the joint. Also connect the waste pipe to the trap outlet.

10 Turn on the water again, and tighten up any leaking joints.

11 Fill the bath with warm water to simulate its position in use, then fill the gap between the bath edge and the wall with waterproof sealant. Then, attach any bath panels.

Replacing a W.C.

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

The materials for the job are: lavatory pan, seat and cistern, no.12 brass screws with washers, rubber cone connector.

1 Start by pouring a liberal dose of bleach down the W.C. pan and leave it to stand for half an hour before flushing. Then cut off the water supply, and give the toilet a final flush to drain the cistern.

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

2 Now you are ready to dismantle the old toilet, starting with the cistern. Protect the floor against water spillage.

If you are replacing a high level cistern with a low level one, simply saw through the pipes and remove the cistern. Otherwise, unscrew the nuts joining the cistern to the pan, along with those fixing it to the wall.

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

3 Then, if the pan is fairly new, undo the screws fixing it to the floor. If you have an older type of pan, break the ceramic joint around its base with a cold chisel.

4 If the soil pipe is made of plastic, simply pull the pan clear of the wall. If the soil pipe is ceramic, break the top bend of the trap with a hammer, then pull the pan away.

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

5 Cover the soil pipe hole with a cloth to prevent debris falling down into the drains, then make sure the whole area is clean and tidy.

6 Position the new toilet pan against the wall and check that the plastic push-on connector will fit between the soil pipe and the new pan outlet. Use a spirit level to check that the top of the pan is horizontal.

Fix the connector between the pan and the soil pipe using a rubber gasket. Screw the pan to the floor.

Replacing A Bathroom Suite

7 Lower the cistern onto the pan and secure using rubber washers, metal washers and wingnuts. Then fix the cistern to the wall, making sure it sits horizontally.

8 The cistern must have an overflow pipe leading out through the wall.

If the existing pipe cannot be used (note: the overflow pipe must slope slightly downwards from the cistern), you will have to drill a hole for a new one. Use 22mm polypropylene pipe and push-fit connectors.
Sizes of parts outlined in this guide may vary.

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