Well... I don't actually need any advice, I just wanted to share the fact I've just finished fitting my first ever toilet

Had a wee problem with the inlet valve leaking from around the plastic nut, but plonked some silicon around the fitting before putting it together seemed to cure it.

And then there was the fact the inlet valve thing blocked my access to the hole to screw the "toilet tank" to the wall...

I managed to get the pan into place about a week ago, but its taken all this time to get the tiling done, and get a replacement rubber washer for the inlet valve... which feckin leaked anyway! Anyway, her indoors enjoyed flushing with a bucket of water  

I was dead chuffed to have cut through the old cast iron soil pipe and find that one of those multikwik doophreys made the new modern WC fit a treat! The old one was sort of "mortar'd" in place.

If it wasn't for forums like this, and other such useful guides on the net I'd have got someone else to do it, but I'm now a mega chuffed confirmed DIY plumber  8)

Without a doubt, I've got a million miles to go to catch you guys up, but I've just taken my first step up the ladder  

I'm off for another flush

What a feckwit I'm going to look if it's developed a leak in this time  

PS my pan in the house still has a leak!!!! The hardwood panel behind it has turned blue from the blue loos in the cistern! lol

I'm mortified...  

I've just noticed water peeing out under the cistern when it flushes....

...gotta go out now, but will check it out later  

Yeah, it is close coupled.

It's only when the "big flush" button is pressed, the smaller flush is okay.

I've read that its worth dropping the donut washer onto a bed of sanitary grade silicon, some more silicon on top of the donut, and then connecting up the head.^***

Would you guys agree?

GAh... I am NOT looking forward to taking it all apart again to get at it  

LOL! Just read your comment about CPW suggesting a big fat rubber one!!

^*** what is the head part of the bog called? I keep going to call it the cistern, but isn't that the gubbins inside?

i've had the bolts leak before too, bloody close couplers, give me a good old flush pipe any day! lol

The "tank" is called the cistern, the "gubbins" all have their own names

Ballcock (more precisely float valve)
Syphon (new regs mean these are often not there at all, as with your system)
Handle (if theres a syphon, or some types of...)
Flush Valve (if theres no syphon then theres one of these operated with the...)
Push Button(s)
sometimes you even get an.... Overflow stand pipe.


btk

Take note - close coupled cisterns.

If the bolts are steel (rather than nylon) I highly recommend a smear of grease (or maybe candle wax?) on the threads before tightening the wing nuts which pull the cistern onto the pan.

Reason being that I know from personal experience that the wing nuts weld themselves onto the steel bolts over a period of time via corrosion. And can then be impossible to release at some later point in time.

Basically you need to stop these bolt threads from corroding. Not sure if grease is the right solution but someone here will suggest the right option.

On a close-coupled cistern I did a while back I ended up having to grind off the wing nuts. Once I'd done that I found that the pan had cracked around the bolt, I think someone else had been there before me and used a bit too much welly.

HM

Use Plumbers Mait instead of silicone, as you say, before and after the donut washer.

Just lower the cistern onto the pan and tighten up wing nuts, then screw cistern to the wall, if you really need to tilt the cistern back to reach the wall then either your pan is too far forward or your walls and floor arent square. Whatever you do dont force the cistern back to the wall as this is a probable cause of the leak.

keep at it markos, these are a total bastard, i wish they had never been invented. What kind of doughnut washer is it? a big black rubber one or a big grey foamy one? If it's a foam one go to B&Q and get a rubber one.

good luck...

btk

Indeed, it is a flush valve and the donut is more or less as thick as a womans finger - but rubber, deffo not foam.

I'm a bit busy with work so I keep putting the cistern off, but I'm going to try it with plumbers mait - when I get some