The Biggest Mistakes You May Be Making When Installing A Home Bidet

If you've decided you need a bidet toilet seat in your home, you will probably soon find yourself not only shopping for a bidet, but figuring out how to install a bidet in your bathroom for that extra clean feeling. Bidets are an effective and environmentally friendly alternative to toilet paper. (What's more, a bidet can even be gentler than toilet paper.) After using a bidet, you will typically need to use some toilet paper or a towel to dry off, but some bidet models include dryers that can practically eliminate toilet paper from your shopping list. With all of the benefits of bidets, it is no wonder that bidets are becoming increasingly popular in the United States.

Bidets are also fairly simple to install on your own, but there are some issues that may arise, depending on the type of bidet you choose. Bidet toilet seats, also called bidet washlets, are replacement toilet seats that have a bidet built in. They are fairly simple to install. The process involves turning off the water, flushing the toilet, attaching a T-valve to the base of the toilet tank and the water supply line, connecting the bidet, and turning the water back on. Although installing a bidet is a project you can tackle on your own, you may make some mistakes during the process that can cause problems, such as skipping the use of Teflon tape or improperly placing the bidet sprayer or seat.

Because bidets use water, installation mistakes can be messy and lead to water damage if they are not caught quickly. Skipping Teflon tape, or using it incorrectly, is one mistake that can lead to leaks and lower water pressure. During installation, it is important to use Teflon tape on all threaded connections to get a tight and secure fit. The best way to do this is by ensuring the pipe and threads are clean and dry before carefully wrapping the tape around the threads in the opposite direction of the direction that the pipe will turn. Also, make sure that you use enough tape. Five or six wraps around the pipe is usually enough. If done correctly, when you tighten the pipe in place, the Teflon tape should also tighten.

Another common mistake is improper positioning of the bidet. The first thing to consider when positioning the bidet is accessibility. The bidet itself needs space and should be easily accessible for regular use while still allowing easy water supply line access. Once you have decided on the position, you also need to make sure everything gets correctly aligned and tightened enough that they are secure but not so tight that cracks form in the connectors. Washlet bidets often involve installing a base plate that the bidet seat connects to. If this is the case for your bidet, make sure you slide the bidet seat far enough back that it clicks into place.

One final issue that might impact your installation is failing to check for compatibility. Not all toilets are the same size, so not all bidet toilet seats will be compatible. Additionally, some types of toilets, such as skirted toilets, can make installing a bidet a bit more complicated because some of the points you need to access are hidden. Make sure that the bidet you choose can work on the type of toilet you have. Some bidets also include features that require an outlet, and not all bathrooms have outlets that can be reached from the toilet. If your bathroom does not have an outlet near the toilet and you do not want to go through the process of adding one, then you may need to look for a different bidet.

Once your bidet is installed, you should also think about maintenance. For instance, you should find out if your bidet needs a water filter (and how often you should replace them). On at least a monthly basis, you should check the water lines and filters for wear and clogs that can cause leaks and other issues. Checking these more frequently in the time immediately after installation can help you determine if there were any mistakes before they worsen. While all of this may sound like a difficult process with lots of room for error, adding a bidet washlet to your bathroom really is a simple process that can be successfully completed by beginners.