Does toilet bolt distance matter?

I've been reading this site on and off for a year or so when DH and I decided that we were going to buy a home. We've got the home and (of course) have decided to make some changes. The first is hardwood floors downstairs. My husband insisted on doing the bathroom which has led to a lot of other changes; paint, vanity and toilet. I ordered the Eco-Drake yesterday very excited that we were going to have this fabulous new toilet in our new home. My husband wasn't as excited and has gone out of his way to find ways to poo-poo the purchase. I think that he may have come up with something this time. He says that the Eco-drake bolts are 5 1/2 inches away from each other. The current water guzzling toilet's bolts are 8 inches away from each other. I've measure and we do have a 12" rough in (thanks to this site I know how to do this now). According to him, we would need to get the unifit (another $60) in order to put it in the new bathroom. I don't think that's true but honestly I have no idea.

So my question is, do we need to get the unifit in order to install this toilet into the new bathroom? And if so will this resolve the problem of the differences in the bolt width?

Flanges are what the bolts come out of and they are ALL standard size. I don't know what you have, but if the measurements you give us are accurate, they are not standard and no toilet will fit. You do need a unifit with the Drake, the unifit is for other models and is used to adjust the rough-in distance. Don't let him talk you out of the Toto. It's by far the best brand going. You may have to change the flange or whatever the old toilet is connected with, but that you will have to do with any brand. Every brand of toilet in this country has the same spacing for the flange bolts.

I hope the 5 1/2" measurement is not the distance between the bolt holes for tank to bowl. That number is inconsequential, since tanks and bowls are a matched set. SURELY you did not just buy a new tank and try to put that on an old bowl ( or vice versa)?

I could understand and sympathize with a homeowner making the mistaken assumption that you could do that. But any salesperson who would let you get out of the store that way should have his pipe wrench taken away!

Toilets are made to fit on standard flanges.

Unless your husband has ripped out the standard plumbing and done something funny, it will work fine.

We install the Toto Drake all over, it's a quick and easy replacement.

Fortunately, hubby hasn't ripped anything apart. He's smart like that. Just for clarification, the bolts are 8 inches away from each other. The only reason that we thought that there would be a problem fitting the bowl is that it is at least 30 years old (I think that it's around 50 years old) and we didn't know if standardization went back that far. I think what caused the confusion was the diagram given by Toto that showed a 5 1/2 inch difference between the two bolts. That prompted hubby to measure our toilet and deem the install "impossible without a plumber". At worst we'll replace the crappy master bathroom toilet at best we'll be having safe flushes in the powder room.

Thanks for all the help

toilet

The toilet standardization goes back a lot more than 50 years. I do not know what you are measuring,

ashrob123 said:

Fortunately, hubby hasn't ripped anything apart. He's smart like that. Just for clarification, the bolts are 8 inches away from each other. The only reason that we thought that there would be a problem fitting the bowl is that it is at least 30 years old (I think that it's around 50 years old) and we didn't know if standardization went back that far. I think what caused the confusion was the diagram given by Toto that showed a 5 1/2 inch difference between the two bolts. That prompted hubby to measure our toilet and deem the install "impossible without a plumber". At worst we'll replace the crappy master bathroom toilet at best we'll be having safe flushes in the powder room.

Thanks for all the help

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no such thing as smart or funnyx or not about it, cepux, do/can do any nmw and any can be perfx

quote; smart or funnyx or not about it, cepux, do/can do any nmw and any can be perfx

Now THAT just muddies the waters since no one knows what it says, other than you.

lyhendo said:

no such thing as smart or funnyx or not about it, cepux, do/can do any nmw and any can be perfx

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This is not a job for smart meters or "funny pipe". I can agree about the New Mexico wine. But I would also point out that this is not the place to use perforated pipe.

I did not understand the reference to the Central Puerto Rico stock exchange. https://markets.ft.com/data/equities/tearsheet/summary?s=CEPUX:BUE

Some old toilets had four bolts holding them down...only two of those bolts went into the toilet flange. Most only use two. Modern ones only use two. Even a Toto with a UniFit adapter (specific to a few of their toilets) still attach to the flange with standard bolts (but you can't see them). The ones you can see on them, do NOT connect to the flange.