Am wondering if it is at all possible to flush or drain a toilet without the tank installed?
I first thought I just needed to replace a faulty flapper, so I just drained the tank and not the bowl. But came to find that the tank has a hole in it that slowly leaks.
The only fix is a new complete toilet as replacement parts for mine are not found.
But my bottom bowl is still full of water. Can I drain this thing or am I stuck reassembling it just to flush it:clonk:
Thanks...Eric

use a plunger and push the water down through the trap that will get most of it out.

You should have called me Eric.
I've never seen a tank with a hole in it, did it leak onto the floor?

I bet I can fix it.

913 238-1496

Dump a bucket of water into the bowl, it will all go down.

Dump a bucket of water into the bowl, it will all go down.

No it won't, that would flush it but the water will still have to be sponged out.

No it won't, that would flush it but the water will still have to be sponged out.
Not true, dump about 1/2 of a five gallon pail down the bowl, almost all of the water will go down the drain..

I have done this countless times in my tile setting days..


Scott

Not true, dump about 1/2 of a five gallon pail down the bowl, almost all of the water will go down the drain..


+1

turkey baster. If it has a leak around the flapper seat, the part he flapper seals to, they make a kit to epoxy a new seat onto the old one. Any other leak would have to be though the overflow tube or through the tank bolts, the latter leaking onto the floor.

Scott is correct:thumbsup: We have done it many times here when we dont have power from the hurricanes. I use a bucket and get water from the swimming pool and use it to flush the toilet, workes like a charm.
Not true, dump about 1/2 of a five gallon pail down the bowl, almost all of the water will go down the drain..

I have done this countless times in my tile setting days..


Scott

Never seen a toilet with a hole in just the tank?

You can flush it with a 5 gallon bucket, but you will still have some water in it. Not as much as when you started, but you will have some.

You guys are talking about flushing with a bucket, not taking all the water out to pull the stool.

I've been doing repair plumbing for over 40 years and I'll BET YOU that you can not get ALL the water out of a normal toilet bowl by pouring more water into it.

Like I said there will still be water left to sponge out OR spill on the floor when the water closet bowl is pulled up.
Heck it's hard to even get it completely dry with a sponge.
BTDT many many times.

huh guys, once the water is shut off, just use a shop vac......

You guys are talking about flushing with a bucket, not taking all the water out to pull the stool.

I've been doing repair plumbing for over 40 years and I'll BET YOU that you can not get ALL the water out of a normal toilet bowl by pouring more water into it.

Like I said there will still be water left to sponge out OR spill on the floor when the water closet bowl is pulled up.
Heck it's hard to even get it completely dry with a sponge.
BTDT many many times.

In all fairness I never said it would get all of the water out of it, but it will get enough of it out so you could pull it without spilling water all over the place.. Just make sure to keep it as level as possible..

In all fairness I never said it would get all of the water out of it, but it will get enough of it out so you could pull it without spilling water all over the place.. Just make sure to keep it as level as possible..
But I think that was the question.. "drain the water" as in ALL the water.

And no you can't pull it without spilling some of it on the floor so if you have to sponge it up off the floor anyway why not sponge it ALL out of the trapway in the first place.
OH well who cares what DIY'ers think anyway :D :)

Give me a call Eric if you want a professional plumber's help (no charge for fellow Chevelle lovers)

But I think that was the question.. "drain the water" as in ALL the water.

And no you can't pull it without spilling some of it on the floor so if you have to sponge it up off the floor anyway why not sponge it ALL out of the trapway in the first place.
OH well who cares what DIY'ers think anyway :D :)

Give me a call Eric if you want a professional plumber's help (no charge for fellow Chevelle lovers)

You know what Dean......... I guess I should let it go, but I have been pulling toilets as part of my JOB since 1986..I have done MANY the way I described.. So please save the DIY comments for people it that fall into that category!!

Well I was just joking, thought you would realize that by the ----> :D :)

But yeah, I know what you mean Scott, I've met a lot of tile setters in the last 40 years that thought they knew how to do my job but most of the time I had to go back and do their work over to make it right after they were long gone and they never ever even knew it had to be done over 3 months later.











But seriously (the above paragraph was just to rile you up a little more in case you didn't know) you probably have done a good job with the small percentage of resetting water closets that I have done since 1960 and I really don't doubt the quality of your work but I would like to know one thing.
How you were able to clean off (or even check) the bottom of the bowl while being so carefull to keep it level so the water don't spill out of the trapway onto the floor.
I lay them over on their side to clean the bottom off.

1BLACKHARLEY
A sponge and bucket is sooo much easier to carry in from the truck, does a better job, is easier to empty and needs no electricity.

Anyway I'd bet Eric doesn't need a new toilet or even a new replacement tank for that matter but if a new tank is needed the bowl doesn't need to come up.

PS: Oh by the way Scott, you started it when you said "Not true" to my post. :clonk:

eeeewww sponging out a toilet
last time I pulled my toilet
I flushed it
removed it
set it in the bath tub
drained it the rest of the way out
went to home depot
bought a new one
installed it
threw old one away
enjoyed dropping gods work in a fresh bowl
while watching the garbage men tossing the old one in the back of the truck
and did it all for less than a hundred dollars
when I broke down the cost over the ten years the first one was in use
it cost me less than 10 dollars a year
and the new one is so nice and shiny
makes it easier to pray to the porcelain gods after a night on a date with the mezcal worm

Funny stuff :D

You know what Dean......... I guess I should let it go, but I have been pulling toilets as part of my JOB since 1986..I have done MANY the way I described.. So please save the DIY comments for people it that fall into that category!!
And seeing how Scott drinks.... I bet he's had a close look INTO a lotta toilets too:D

Dean,
Sorry but I put in a new toilet. No offesnsive but am sure my toilet was older then you:) I just got to the point where I said "F" it. And almost 300 bucks later I got a nice shiney toilet that flushes with an attitude.
But I sure will keep that number handy in case it starts leaking.

Scott, thanks for the pointer on the dumping more water in. It didnt drain it fully but did remove most of the water out.
I really didnt want to sponge it out as the night before, as I was heading to bed I forget the toilet was out of service til I did my business:clonk:
Really was not to keen on the idea of sticking my hand down in day old pee water

No no no you flush it with CLEAN water a few times FIRST then plunge it and sponge it.
(then wash your hands)

If it was older than me it would be an out house :)

hmmm
I wouldn't want to sponge out an outhouse :D

But yeah, I know what you mean Scott, I've met a lot of tile setters in the last 40 years that thought they knew how to do my job but most of the time I had to go back and do their work over to make it right after they were long gone and they never ever even knew it had to be done over 3 months later.:


And likewise, I have repaired quite a few damaged floors that were caused by careless plumbers (and all other trades for that matter).











How you were able to clean off (or even check) the bottom of the bowl while being so carefull to keep it level so the water don't spill out of the trapway onto the floor.
I lay them over on their side to clean the bottom off.:

Easy, you carry it outside the house & tip it over in the grass or just dump it into the bathtub.. I try to keep my hands out of peoples toilets whenever possible;)


PS: Oh by the way Scott, you started it when you said "Not true" to my post. :clonk:

Now you sound like my kids "But mom, he started it" :D

FWIW, I think we just need to agree to disagree.....And for the record, when you say something to purposely rile somebody up, that's exactly what happens..

.And for the record, when you say something to purposely rile somebody up, that's exactly what happens..

I figured it would do as intended. :D
I bet it would also rile you up if you gave professional advice about the proper way to lay tile and some plumber replied "NOT TRUE"

Reminds me of back in the old CB radio days, there was a guy the would give everyone on the channel a hard time saying things like "aww go change your diaper" or what ever he could think of then set back and LHAO.

Thing is I was usually always resetting toilets in million dollar homes, many times on the second or third floor and not removing the tank from the bowl so carring it out carefully was WAY harder than sponging it dry and I would have been fired on the spot if I ever set it in the customers tub.
I would GUESS that in your case the bathroom was already a mess anyway if you were doing a tile job and yes, on a bath remodle/tare out I didn't need to be quite as clean.

Many of the tile companies have us come and pull the toilet then go back and reset it for them because they have had too many water leak through the ceiling damage claims and learned the hard way that they are not plumbers.
I have heard many say "I'm never going to do that again"

now shake hands, boys

I bet it would also rile you up if you gave professional advice about the proper way to lay tile and some plumber replied "NOT TRUE"



Fair enough, maybe I shouldn't have used those words but I was just trying to make the point that pouring a pail of water down the bowl was all that was necessary to pull a commode as long as you are careful not to tip it..

Nor did I realize that you were a professional plumber when I made the statement..

Now I think we need to let this topic get back on track, as we have completely hijacked it.. Sorry for that..

Scott

:thumbsup:

And here I thought to be a plumber you just needed to know **** don't flow up hill, and show a generous amount of ***crack:D

And here I thought to be a plumber you just needed to know **** don't flow up hill, and show a generous amount of ***crack:D
And payday is on Friday AND NEVER bite your fingernails. :D

3 kinds of plumbers..

New construction plumbers don't need to know much more than the above.

Service-repair plumbers have to know everything about everything including how to handle customers and keep up on it all.

ME - Old farts who are behind times or else try to teach because they can't do it any more. :)

And here I thought to be a plumber you just needed to know **** don't flow up hill, and show a generous amount of ***crack:D

Hey you've never met Dean have you? He doesn't have a generous amount of ***crack to show :D if memory serves me right;) Pete

Hey you've never met Dean have you? He doesn't have a generous amount of ***crack to show :D if memory serves me right;) Pete
Maybe back in his younger days??? MUCH younger;)