How to Drain Water From a Commode

Remove the water from your commode before making repairs.

When you need to repair the flange bolts or toilet drain line, it is necessary to remove the commode. You will want to have as little mess as possible, so you will want to drain the water from the commode, as well as the toilet tank. Draining the water from the toilet takes a combination of methods to get the majority of the water out of the basin of the commode, but it will make the repair process less difficult.

Things You'll Need

• Bucket
• Flange plunger
• Rubber kitchen gloves
• Large sponge or towels
• Wet/dry vacuum (optional)

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Instructions

1. Turn the water supply off to the toilet tank. The water cutoff valve is behind the toilet on the water line coming out of the wall. Turn the cutoff valve handle clockwise to turn off the water.

2. 

   Use water to drain water.

   Fill a bucket with water using the tub faucet. Place the bucket near the toilet bowl.

3. Remove the lid from the toilet tank and set it on a flat surface out of the way. Flush the toilet, holding the handle down to allow most of the water to drain from the toilet tank.

4. 

   Let gravity work for you.

   Open the toilet lid and pour the bucket of water into the commode. The force of gravity from the water will drain most of the water from the commode.

5. Insert a flange plunger into the commode and push the remaining bulk of the water down the drain. This will leave you with only a small amount of water in the commode basin.

6. Put on a pair of rubber kitchen gloves and use a large sponge or towel to soak up the remaining water in the commode. Wring the sponge or towel into the bucket, and continue soaking up the water until the commode is empty.

7. Use a wet/dry vacuum, if you have one available, to suck the water from the commode after pouring the bucket of water down its drain. Remember to pull the filter out of the wet/dry vacuum before vacuuming water.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a flange plunger to plunge the toilet bowl. Cup plungers do not seal well around the bowl drain.

References

• Ron Hazelton's HouseCalls: How To Replace A Toilet
• Bob Vila: How to Replace A Toilet
• TrueValue: Replace Your Toilet