How to Replace Toilet Tank Washers

If your toilet tank is leaking it might be due to a worn washer or gasket. Here's how to replace the washers in the toilet tank

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Rubber tank bolt washers
• Ball-cock gasket
• Tank-to-bowl gasket (optional)
• Wrench
• Screwdriver

1. 
    
   Water valve

   Turn off the water
   
   Find the water supply to the toilet (typically on the wall behind the toilet) and turn the water off by turning the valve handle clockwise.

2. 
    
   Toilet diagram

   Drain the water in the tank
   
   Flush the toilet. Hold the handle open to allow as much water as possible to clear. Be prepared with rags or a towel to clean up water that doesn't drain when you remove the ball-cock assembly.

3. 
    
   Water supply

   Remove the Water supply and Ball-cock nuts
   
   There are two sets of nuts that need to come off now. The first holds the water supply line to the bottom of the ball-cock assembly; the second attaches the ball-cock assembly to the tank itself. The former is the larger of the two. Once these are removed you can lift up the ball-cock assembly and remove the washer from the bottom. Replace it with the new one you purchased.

4. 
    
   Remove tank bolts

   Remove the Tank Bolts
   
   The tank bolts secure the water tank to the seat. You may need someone to hold a wrench on the nut on the bottom while you turn the bolt on top. The tank will typically have 2 or 3 bolts. Remove them all. You will now be able to separate the tank from the seat (and replace the tank-to-bowl gasket but that's not part of this demo. If you replace this gasket, apply gasket sealant before reattaching). Replace the washers with the ones you purchased. Place washers inside as well as on the bottom. Replace the bolts and tighten.

5. Reattach Water Supply
   
   Reverse the process in step 3 to reattach the Ball-cock and water supply.

6. Turn the water on slowly
   
   Verify all the nuts you removed are replaced and tightened. Turn the water on slowly to verify there are no leaks. If there is a leak, tighten the nuts slightly and try again. (Be careful not to over tighten plastic nuts).

Tips & Warnings

• Don't over tighten plastic nuts