Cisterns can be cavernous and they can be small. You have at least one in your home: it's the tank of water behind your toilet seat, commonly called a cistern in the plumbing world. If you are replacing your old toilet cistern, you may be tempted to call in a plumber to make sure the job is done correctly. However, if saving a few dollars is important enough to you that you're happy to do the labor yourself -- with a friend or two for supervising -- there is no need to hire a professional to plumb your cistern. As long as you know what to do (and you're about to), attaching plumbing to a cistern is the kind of do-it-yourself project a handyman can look forward to accomplishing in less than half a day. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Locate the hole for the water supply valve. It will be in the base of most cisterns, but some models have it near the top. Remove the nut and washer from the end of the water supply valve. Push the valve through the valve hole from inside the cistern.
2. Push the valve washer onto the end of the valve outside the cistern, followed by the nut. Tighten the nut just enough to hold the valve in place.
3. Push the rubber flush valve washer onto the threaded end of the flush valve. Push the threaded end of the flush valve through the large hole in the bottom of the cistern, from the inside. Screw the flush valve nut onto the valve on the outside.
4. Ensure that the positioning of the water supply valve will not interfere with the flush valve inside the cistern. If it does, try rotating the valves. If that fails, you will need either a different supply valve or a different flush valve. Once the water supply valve is properly positioned, tighten the nut further with the adjustable wrench. Do not overtighten it.
5. Push the large rubber or foam flush valve washer over the flush valve nut. The weight of the cistern will compress this washer when the cistern is placed on the bowl, forming a watertight seal.
6. Lower the cistern onto the bowl and attach the various bolts to hold it in place according to the manufacturer's instructions. Attach the water supply line to the water supply valve by threading the collar on the end of the line onto the valve threads. Turn on the water supply and test for leakage.
Tags: flush valve, water supply, supply valve, water supply valve, onto valve, valve washer, flush valve washer