Need toilet advice please

[ChickenGirl75495]

We are replacing two commodes which have that engineered, impossible to retrofit flushing mechanism. They leak. So we are going with the gravity type. Yea! I am having trouble locating a "comfort height" (which I am guessing is the same as ADA compliant? it is negotiable at any rate, husband just likes it), 11 inch rough (and I understand that if I am willing to accept a little space behind the tank, a 10 inch rough will also work), elongated bowl, low profile tank (although this is negotiable), gray commode. The other one will be black, and I can find lots of very acceptable black commodes.

I am pretty good with googling, and have not had a lot of luck. Anyone have any sources that might be helpful?

I have also been told that the Toto Drake is an exceptional toilet, but alas, no gray.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

[HotinOKC]

Take a look at Terry Loves page regarding toilets. He has one of the best sources of information regarding anything plumbing, specially toilets.

I know he recommends the Toto's.....

http://www.terrylove.com/crtoilet.htm

[jadnashua]

Toilets in the USA (and most places) are available in 10", 12", and 14" rough-ins. Pretty much all of them will have some space behind when installed on a properly installed flange. Whether one designed for 12" would fit on your 11" (note this is to the finished wall, do not include any baseboard or trim unless it goes up as high as the tank), would depend on exactly how close to 11" you have. ANY 10" rough-in toilet will fit, but will have more room behind it (by 1") than if it was installed at the designed 10" flange position. There are SOME 12" rough-in toilets that have more than an inch behind them as designed, so they would work, but would have less room behind than design.

The brand mentioned, Toto, is the largest manufacturer of toilets in the WORLD, and they have a factory in Georgia where they make some of them. I've got some in my home, and installed some in my mother's house. They work, have a low return rate for defects, and there's lots of choices (fewer at 10" than at 12", which is the 'standard'). Check out www.totousa.com to see what's available. The spec sheets are there which show the 'normal' space behind the toilet, which will help you decide if it will fit. Terry Love's site has lots of info on 'real-world' use and evaluations, so it is also a good source of (not only Toto) toilets. The prices shown at the Toto website are suggested retail, and most places discount them (often considerably) from that, so don't let that scare you away. This is typical of manufactuer's website - the retailers decide what to sell it for except for some brands like Apple, Bose, etc where the manufacturer feels they have a monopoly and won't allow a dealer to sell at other than the specified price.

[tile dummy]

The toto toilet is a great choice and if they don't make one to your liking you could also try kohler,i have one in my house and it works great but probabley not as nice as the toto but also not as pricey!good luck!

[ChickenGirl75495]

Thank you for your replies. I learned a lot, researched more and was able to understand more.

Now for the stupid question.

If there are only 10, 12 and 14 inch rough in toilets in the US, and ours is a Kohler, and it seems to measure 11 and a little bit more from the bolts to the wall (there is no baseboard, just tile from the floor on up the wall), and the toilet fits fairly closely, may I assume (there's that word) that is is really a 12 inch rough in? I found the toilet I want (Toto Drake CST744SL), but it comes in 12 in only (it appears, I have not been able to find any information to the contrary), can I assume this will work? There is no way the current toilet is a 10 inch.

Thanks, for the first answers and in advance for the next one(s).

Christine

[Edthedawg]

Yes Christine - almost certainly a 12" rough. It's measured from the framing (studs / plate) to the center of the closet flange.

[jadziedzic]

Rough-in is measured from the finished wall surface, not the framing. A measurement of a bit more than 11 inches to the tile suggests the plumber who roughed in the closet flange didn't know the wall would be tiled.

[ChickenGirl75495]

I decided it must be a 12, tile or no. I noted there was a little play in the position of the bolts when I reset the current commode (we were hoping to repair it but alas it has that power flush thing it it--disposable commode, essentially).

Thank you, guys, for all your support. Wish me luck! I am off to drop a grand on two commodes.

[Edthedawg]

Hmm, I always was shown to go from the framing, not the finished surface, but that is indeed true so I defer to the better knowledge, and apologize for the mistake.

That said, it seems most toilet mfr's have a bit of excess space built into their designs anyways.

I'd still consider what you have to be a 12" rough, as it's far and away the most common, and they appear to give you +/- 1/2" easily...

[WendyHMN]

Just to be sure, go to the Toto USA site and look up the specification PDF for your model of choice. All the various measurements of the parts will be there so you can make sure it will fit before you order.

[jadnashua]

Consider the Toto Drake II. It has their newest enhancements. Instead of the holes under the rim, it has two angled holes (one on either side) that point slightly down so the water swirls around the bowl to better clean the sides during the flush. They call it Double Cyclone, and is on many of their newest designs (all of mine are 'older', and work fine, too). The spec sheet says it will work as close as 10-3/4" space. http://admin.totousa.com/Product%20D..._G,%20V.07.pdf

[Boilermaker 98]

The Kohler Cimmaron (sp) is a comfort height toilet (Approx 16" rim height).

Kohler should have a gray color available. You want it with the Class 5 flushing system. It is a gravity flush toilet.

[jadnashua]

Many, not all, Kohler toilets use proprietary guts, so be cautious of that - it can get expensive and time-consuming to get the thing working again (while the rubber parts in a toilet can last a long time, they ALL need some eventually).

Personal opinion, Kohler is resting on their laurals...pretty stuff, but they're infected with not invented here, and they strike out to figure out a new way to do things. This means that they are always changing things, and it is hard to stock repair parts for them since they create so many. Because Toto sells to an international market, their parts are usually generic, and readily available.

[ChickenGirl75495]

I cannot thank you enough for the education you ALL have given me in the past three days or so.

I was a little limited in what I was able to order--I am very trusting, the thing looks good, the price is right, it can get here fast, that works for me. Not so for the DH. The engineer in the house is very picky, and he would only go with one that some other human (not the manufacturer or retailer) said was great. A friend of mine is still thrilled (really) with a toilet she bought over a year ago, a Toto Drake. She gave me the model number and the retailer info.

Once we figured out the fact that if there was more than 10 inches between the wall and the bolts, it HAD to be a 12 inch rough in, I had it made. (Looking back I cannot imagine why that became such a huge issue, except for the engineer in the mix. I fantasize that one day I will just buy whatever it is, have it installed and he will have nothing to criticize. I guess anything's possible, lol.)

I am thinking a lot of what I got was a whole lot of expert info and understanding that let me make convincing arguments in order to get the job done.

I ordered two commodes yesterday (one for his bathroom). I do have this to share, our local place had good prices, less than the MSRP by a hundred dollars or so, but I am (obviously) an internet kid, and I searched, and the site my friend bought hers from was the best bet. I saved close to $350, and that was over the local company.

So sometime next week, I'm going to have a flushable commode in the master bath. If you hear cheering and fireworks from the direction of Dallas, it shall be moi.

Thanks, so much!