How to Replace a Toilet Lever
The toilet lever on your toilet was built to last. The life expectancy of a toilet lever can be well over 10 years, providing that you take care of it. The purpose of the lever, as you may already know, is to flush the toilet by way of a chain that is hooked to the back of the lever and down to a rubber stopper which holds the water in the tank. Replacing the toilet lever isn't difficult, and, depending on the dedication of the homeowner, it can be done in less than an hour. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Remove the lid from the toilet tank and then remove the chain from the end of the lever rod. There will be a chain that runs from the end of a 1/4-inch by 16-inch rod that extends into the tank and from the back of the lever handle. The chain simply clips into one of three holes on the end of the lever rod. Remove the chain and droop it over the tank back. See the attached drawing for an illustration.
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2
Remove the nut that is attached to the back of the lever inside the toilet tank. Use a thumb wrench to loosen the nut located on the back-side of the lever. Hold the lever in place while you loosen the nut. Once it is loosened, then you may continue to remove the nut with your fingers.
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3
Slide the lever through the hole in which it was installed. The rod that is attached to the lever may require some additional effort to loosen.
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4
Remove the nut and plastic washer from the new lever and slide them completely off the lever rod. Insert the lever into the existing hole--the lever has a square flange on the back-side that will fit into the tank hole, which is also square. Make sure that the lever rod is horizontal with the plane of the top of the tank. You will be a few inches below the top of the tank; however, the lever rod should be level with that plane.
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Slide the plastic washer and nut onto the lever rod and tighten them into place. The lever should move up and down with no restrictions. Re-attach the chain to the end of one of the three holes located on the lever rod.
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Tips & Warnings
Becareful when working with a toilet tank as they are very fragile and can break easily.
