Shut off the water before you begin, then flush the cistern and cut through the pipes, before removing the lid and lifting the cistern clear of the wall.

Fix new brackets to the wall and then position the replacement cistern before marking, drilling and plugging its fixing holes and screwing it to the wall.  Next, connect overflow pipe to the cistern.  Lead the overflow pipe through an outside wall or to a nearby shower tray or bath.

Leaning above the open cistern, mount the siphon assembly into its base and fit the flush lever, connecting it to the flushing mechanism.  Fit the ball-valve assembly and ensure that the sealing washers are in place before fitting the flush pipe between the pan and cistern and connecting a 15mm supply pipe to the ball-valve inlet.  Finally, reconnect the water supply and give the toilet a good flush.

There are a few upfront clues to a possible blockage. A toilet with a high water level before you use it is a sign of probable blockage. Plunging beforehand is a good idea to avoid the ever-familiar flush and overflow situation once you have used it.

Slow drainage and no drainage also indicate a block someplace in your WC. Whether it is in a sink, bath or toilet, the inevitable full-blockage is just around the corner. If, however, you have already gotten to the full-blockage stage, here are some tips on rectifying the situation.

You will obviously be wearing rubber gloves for this task. Fetch a large rubber plunger. Plungers with tapered inner lips tend to work better because they offer a greater seal around the drain. The head of the plunger must be big enough to cover the entire flush drain inside the toilet.

Once you have it covered, apply slight pressure to adhere it firmly to the area before beginning the big push. Sometimes they slip out of place, creating an unwanted splash. If the toilet is already at its peak with dirty water, it will be necessary to scoop out some water before plunging to avoid backsplashes.

Once everything is firmly in place, begin to quickly push the centre of the plunger down into the flush hole in the toilet. A firm seal over the hole is the secret to an effective plunge. Repeat pushing the centre of the plunger into the toilet drain hole until the water begins to drain away.

If the toilet runs constantly, it may be that the ball-cock seal is worn and needs to be replaced.  If the seals are in good repair, then the ball-cock valve is probably faulty.  This will result in a flow of water continually running into the tank.  The end result is that the water runs straight out through the overflow pipe.  If this is the case, it is probably best to buy a new kit and install a complete new ball-cock assembly.

If the water level in the toilet is either too high or too low, it can be adjusted by gently bending the float arm, which should move freely and stop of its own accord.  Some models have self-regulating water levels, so be sure you know what you are dealing with before bending the float arm.

If the toilet fails to flush, it may be that the flapper seal is damaged or corroded, so it cannot seat properly.  Check for and clean out, any build-up or rust around the flapper seal.  You can adjust the flapper or tank ball by adjusting the chain that connects it to the handle rod.

Most toilet repairs are easy to perform.  However, it is also easy to crack porcelain, so avoid over-tightening locknuts or screws.

Begin with a large toilet plunger: you can buy some WC plungers with pump handles which literally surges a jet of water into the U-bend. These are usually effective in shifting blockages in the toilet bend itself or nearby in the soil stack. A more compacted blockage, though, may require a sterner approach. This is where you’ll need a special instrument called a toilet auger (don’t panic, they cost under £10 from plumber’s merchants). It’s a flexible metal wire, which you feed into the bend until it meets the blockage. As soon as you’ve hit the obstacle, just turn the handle whilst pushing and then pull the blockage outwards (hold your nose – it’s probably not going to smell very nice, but this piece of kit does drag compacted blockages out very effectively).

If the blockage is still there, you can try a chemical cleaner. These are available from plumber’s merchants and they’re extremely powerful. You must be sure that there is no bleach in the pan or a violent chemical reaction can ensue. You’ll definitely need to use thick protective rubber gloves and eye goggles for this. If all this fails, call that plumber!

Close coupled means that the toilet pan and cistern are connected when they are fitted. The term high or low level refers to traditional toilets which have the cistern fixed to the wall and connected by a long pipe to the pan. A ‘concealed’ cistern is hidden behind fixtures in the bathroom or even behind a wall so that it cannot be seen.

The most popular WC or toilet suite is the close coupled cistern type which can have a flushing lever on either side, or button flush on top. If space is at a premium there is a range of compact WC suites available that will allow installation in minimal space.

It is certainly not necessary to know anything about WC fittings when you are buying a new bathroom suite, but it can be interesting to know what some of the things on the packaging mean and it can also help in making a more informed choice. The easiest way of all is to ask the advice of an expert but with this small amount of information at least it will be easier to know what questions to ask.

Fortunately, there are many different types of lavatory to choose from. So whether you want to create a contemporary or traditional look to your bathroom a good look around to see what is on offer is vital.

A Close-Coupled loo has the water cistern (often referred to as the tank or closet) sitting directly over the top of the toilet pan. The pan is fixed to the floor and the cistern to the wall. Depending on the style you choose, the cistern may be tall or short, narrow or wide, and operated by a lever placed on the front or side of the cistern. Some cisterns also favour a push button located on the top of the unit.

A Back-to-the-Wall Pan is secured to a furniture unit or false wall. The cistern is concealed within the unit or boxed into a wall. It is connected to the pan by means of a flush-pipe, which, like the cistern, is likely to be made of plastic as none of the mechanism is visible. Most furniture units are fitted with a removable lid to allow ease of access to the cistern.

A High-Level toilet describes where the cistern is fixed to the wall above the pan and operated by a pull chain and handle, which gives it a powerful flush. The flush-pipe is often complemented with decorative support brackets under the cistern and is available in various finishes.

Washing is far more effective than using toilet paper and offers a greater degree of comfort to those suffering from ailments such as haemorrhoids. As such, bidets are highly recommended by health practitioners and doctors.

A bidet stands around 40 cm high – about adult knee-height – and is connected to a hot and cold water supply and waste outlet in precisely the same way as your bathroom sink.

The most popular way to do this is to fit a single mixer tap and pop-up plug. However, some bidet taps also have a variable fountain spray.

The bowl area is longer than it is wide and fairly shallow. This allows you crouch over the fixture with both feet placed on either side to comfortably wash yourself.

When choosing the right tap for the bidet be sure to remember that there are two types of mixer, the so-called monobloc mixer and the three-hole appliance.

The monobloc basin mixer provides a hand-operated multi-directional swivel nozzle, whilst the three-hole mixer combines a spray douche with a built in device to clean the underside of the surrounding basin rim, switching between functions by means of a diverter.

And also have a good look around for bidet taps. These come in a wide variety of metals and designs and should be chosen to complement the rest of your bathroom fittings – particularly those on the lavatory, sink and bath.

Victorian-style bathrooms always look better with this sort of toilet installed, and more shapely and sculpted bases will give a more classic look. However, low-level options can also be considered, and will prove a lot easier to install. Low-level cisterns are more popular for Edwardian-style bathrooms, but if you are trying to recreate a Georgian look, a high-level unit will be required.

Traditional toilet pans will usually come with a wooden seat, either in an oak or beech finish, so it is important to take this into consideration when choosing your bathroom furniture, or accessories, such as towel rails or bathroom mirrors.

High-level cisterns were originally made out of metal, but today they are nearly all manufactured from ceramic. There will be a few suppliers selling the metal variety, but these will not come cheap. Brass or wooden pulls are the more popular choices for the cistern chain, while the pipe work can be finished in either brass or chrome.

Where your toilet is to be installed may have a large impact on whether you go for a high-level or low-level design. If you find that the toilet is going to be close to the bathroom sink or shower cubicle, a higher cistern will give a bit more room.

To make a bathroom even more aesthetically appealing, there are firms that specialise in making bathroom accessories such as flush handles that can match everything else in the bathroom from soap dishes to towel bars to the bathroom fan.

Toilets come in different shapes and sizes. There are the round front bowl toilets as well as the elongated bowl toilets. In terms of cost, round front bowls are more affordable than then elongated bowls. There are also different flushing mechanisms in use ranging from a gravity flushing mechanism to the pressure flushing mechanism. Round front bowls are mostly installed in bathrooms where space is at a premium. Elongated bowls provide more comfort and are suitable in roomy bathrooms.

But aesthetic appeal of a bathroom can not only be achieved by having a uniform decor. One other way is by installing concealed toilet cisterns. With a concealed cistern the water closet unit, where the cistern is hidden, the hidden plumbing results in an extremely neat bathroom. And because access to the concealed cistern must be provided, the majority of the concealed toilet cisterns possess a front panel that is easy to disassemble and assemble.

One of the advantages that come with a concealed toilet cistern is the fact that they are not visible to the eye and this not only releases a lot of space creating room in the bathroom but also makes the bathroom look very neat. Another advantage is that the noise that results from flushing a toilet is greatly reduced since the flushing action and refilling of the water closet is happening inside the bathroom wall.

When concealed toilet cisterns are mentioned to most people, the misconception they have is that should a plumbing problem arise, it will be very difficult to solve – probably even requiring bringing down the wall. The truth is that any plumbing expert can easily service the cistern. This though is dependent on how the installation was done. In situations where the cistern is hidden in the wall of the bathroom, all that is required for servicing and repairing is opening the access panel. If the cistern is hidden in bathroom vanity units or atop the ceiling, the access panel is not necessary since external access is the obvious option.