We are going to end the week with a lesson on how to replace the toilet tank lever on your bathroom commode. I know this is not very glamorous, but it it something you need to know how to do. Wouldn't you rather be able to do this yourself for just the cost of a new handle than to have to rely on a plumber? You would. So let's get started.
This was the handle on the commode when I moved into the apartment. You can see that it is not level, which should have been an indicator that there was something wrong.
Now here's the ugly part of this post - I lifted the top off the water tank on the back of the commode and this is what I found. This is the arm that lifts the flap that flushes the water. I would say this is probably the original arm that was installed when they finished construction of the building in 1964. It was rusted and needed to be replaced. The chain that hooked to this kept falling off and getting caught in the drain and the commode would run and run until I fixed it. I got tired of doing that, so I made a trip to Home Depot.
Where, ... I picked up this replacement toilet tank lever. This looked "doable", so I thought I'd give it a try before calling the maintenance department in the building.
I removed the chain from the existing lever and used a pair of adjustable pliers to remove the nut holding the handle and lever in place.
Then I laid the two levers side-by-side and adjusted the new lever to the exact length of the previous lever.
Reading the instructions (as we should always do but we sometimes think we do not need to), I discovered that this little contraption needed to be pulled apart. The back half of it goes inside the tank, the front half on the outside. Then you tighten the two parts together with the plastic nut attached. The little square plastic part with the arrow pointing to it goes into the square opening on the tank and serves to hold this connector snugly in place.
The two parts separated, I inserted this front connector with the square washer into the opening. This will hold the new handle in place.
This part of the connector is inside the tank and will hold the lever in place.
I connected the new lever onto the connector and adjusted it to the perfect level so it did not hit the tank lid.
Finally, I attached the new brushed nickel handle, and voila, we have a new toilet tank lever and handle.
It was just easier for me to do this than to call downstairs and set up a time for one of the maintenance guys to stop by. I've still got that "homeowner" sensibility and that will likely stay with me for some time. Just know that you can do this too! It is not nearly as difficult as you may think.
This was the handle on the commode when I moved into the apartment. You can see that it is not level, which should have been an indicator that there was something wrong.
Now here's the ugly part of this post - I lifted the top off the water tank on the back of the commode and this is what I found. This is the arm that lifts the flap that flushes the water. I would say this is probably the original arm that was installed when they finished construction of the building in 1964. It was rusted and needed to be replaced. The chain that hooked to this kept falling off and getting caught in the drain and the commode would run and run until I fixed it. I got tired of doing that, so I made a trip to Home Depot.
Where, ... I picked up this replacement toilet tank lever. This looked "doable", so I thought I'd give it a try before calling the maintenance department in the building.
I removed the chain from the existing lever and used a pair of adjustable pliers to remove the nut holding the handle and lever in place.
Then I laid the two levers side-by-side and adjusted the new lever to the exact length of the previous lever.
Reading the instructions (as we should always do but we sometimes think we do not need to), I discovered that this little contraption needed to be pulled apart. The back half of it goes inside the tank, the front half on the outside. Then you tighten the two parts together with the plastic nut attached. The little square plastic part with the arrow pointing to it goes into the square opening on the tank and serves to hold this connector snugly in place.
The two parts separated, I inserted this front connector with the square washer into the opening. This will hold the new handle in place.
This part of the connector is inside the tank and will hold the lever in place.
I connected the new lever onto the connector and adjusted it to the perfect level so it did not hit the tank lid.
Finally, I attached the new brushed nickel handle, and voila, we have a new toilet tank lever and handle.
It was just easier for me to do this than to call downstairs and set up a time for one of the maintenance guys to stop by. I've still got that "homeowner" sensibility and that will likely stay with me for some time. Just know that you can do this too! It is not nearly as difficult as you may think.
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