Toto for big paper users

[Trouthead]

My wife would like a commode that sits higher than our 1980 5 gal. American Standard. She is a "big paper user" and we get our water from a cistern that we fill with local city water. This is pretty common where we live in Wyoming, and we have a 450 gal. tank which we fill up and dump in our underground tank about every 5-6 days.

The "boss" would also like a one piece unit, with the elongated super smooth coated bowl. I know I will have to haul less water if we go from 5 gallon flushes to a modern low flush unit. I just want the potential of less hauling, and less potential plunging. Looking at the Toto site I come up with the Carlye II, the Drake II and the Ultramax II. All one piece all Tornado flush, all elongated smooth surface bowl. Anyone that stands out? Should I also be looking at two piece units with different flush systems and larger gallons of flush?

 

[Terry]

Any of those three would work for that.
It's going to save you a lot of trips to be sure. We had a farm in Eastern Washington, without a well and we had one truck dedicated to hauling water. Most of the time we used the outhouse on the property, the one without the roof on it. It hardly ever rained anyway.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

Drake II is 2-piece.

 

[WJcandee]

All three are very good toilets. The Drake II is a two-piece, and probably the best deal of the three. If you're going to install yourself, measure the "rough-in" between the center of the closet bolts and the finished wall to make sure you have 11.5-12" of space there. If so, then the Drake II would be an easy install. If not, come back to us and we'll make suggestions. The Toto web site has "list" prices; you should be able to do a lot better at your local plumbing supply house with a little negotiation. You can check Terry's prices at the link above to see a range of what's fair.

 

[Trouthead]

Thanks for the opinions guys. Also does anyone else find the Toto USA site is not that great to use, and does anyone wonder why Toto makes so many different models with little differences. It sometimes seems like they never "drop" a model.

 

[Trouthead]

Is there any good reason to expect that the rough in of my circa 1980 American Standard Elongated bowl will not be a standard 12" ?

 

[Terry]

Thanks for the opinions guys. Also does anyone else find the Toto USA site is not that great to use, and does anyone wonder why Toto makes so many different models with little differences. It sometimes seems like they never "drop" a model.

Their models with the 3" flappers are all pretty similar. It makes it easy for me to carry parts, and the performance level is very similar.
Like choice on style is a bad thing?

Most toilets from the 50's on were 12" rough, and maybe 5% were 10" rough's
Toilets from the 1920's were often 14" rough.
Measured from the finished wall (not the floor molding) to the center of the drain. Normally where you see the bolt caps.

 

[Reach4]

Is there any good reason to expect that the rough in of my circa 1980 American Standard Elongated bowl will not be a standard 12" ?

It is easy enough to check. Measure from the wall (not the molding) to the middle of the bolt cap. See if it is about 12 inches as expected.

 

[Caldezrat]

I'm going to suggest something. If your wife is a big paper user, give some consideration to a washlet. At our household, our paper consumption was cut drastically. No more money down the drain! I felt like we were buying toilet paper by the boxcar. Plus they are a perfect match for a Toto toilet.

TOTO SW2034#01 C100 WASHLET Electronic Bidet Toilet Seat, Elongated, Cotton White

 

[Trouthead]

Good advice on the washlet. I will end up with one on my own toilet, but I can't imagine my wife liking it. Maybe after I get one and she tries it she would like it. I broached the subject once and got a look like "surely you jest", so I don't think it will happen, but I would like one. Almost booked a night at the Noku or Nobu part of Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas to get to try one.

 

[Terry]

Some woment love the Washets.
In the Seattle area, if nothing else, it's so nice to sit on a warm seat in Winter. A lot less paper is needed too.