What will it take to turn wall mount plumbing into floor mount?

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Dandilyun

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Okay, so we are in escrow on this home, built in 1971. I didn't notice until the inspection, that the toilets are wall mounted. This sort of freaks me out. Is there a weight limit on these things? I can just see one of us plopping our fannies on the toilet, and crash....ending up on the floor. We aren't tiny peoples. Although I have to say, they've made it this long. They flush funny. I mean, they work, but it's just not like the good 'ol fashioned white floor mounted toilets I'm used to. And one is baby blue, the other is yellow LOL.

What would it take to switch the plumbing for a floor mounted toilet? I was discussing it with the real estate agent, and her brother, a contractor (there helping the inspector with a stuck window) and he was explaining (in terms I'm really not familiar with) that everything should be there, but we would need to go into the concrete, and switch the plumbing to go down there. At first, this seemed like a major undertaking. But floor mounted back outlet toilets are expensive anyway. And the whole bathroom is eventually going to be redone. Has anyone done this? Is it a nightmare? Am I better off just spending the money on a floor mounted back outlet toilet?

There's a pic attached. Not the best one, sorry. What IS this thing? I know the toilet has been there since at least 86. I guess it's designed to use less water?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 

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Dandilyun

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No basement. No crawlspace. Just a slab foundation.

I had no idea toilets could cause such drama. I figure, I've only seen one or two models of floor mount back outlet toilets. And they run around $600. So that's $1200 for 2. Then, after I try to put them in, and something doesn't match up, and I've read my install toilets book, cursed and thrown things, and still can't get it done right, or lined up, then I will have to hire someone to do it. More money. So I wonder how much more it would be to have someome change the plumbing, and put in a cheaper toilet. I guess I need an estimate. I know it's impossible for someone to look at the pic and tell me how much something like that would cost. But I have NO idea what it would cost to put in a "regular" floor mounted toilet and dig in the foundation. Not even a ballpark idea.
 

Dunbar Plumbing

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Looks like a 4 bolt american standard toilet.


Best advice I can ever give you in this situation; DON'T F with it.


Don't worry about it, just use it. Those are notorious for not having issues with the seal to the wall. There's a cast-iron bracket that holds that toilet on the back, similar to a carrier used in commercial blowout toilets.


IF you want to burn a couple grand per toilet just because you don't trust what's been working for 30 plus years......go for it. But I promise....with the exception of finding the innards for that toilet, I'd leave well enough alone.

If someone in your house is overweight, make a small wood support for the underside of it if you're worried of someone breaking it.

GOOD LUCK
 

Dunbar Plumbing

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I have two customers with this type of toilet, owned the house from the go and this was a popular "breed" of toilet in the ritzy, more wealthy areas of urban settings in Cincinnati.

The rebuid parts for the inside of the toilet are hard to find, but attainable. Do not ever let a plumber go in there and start retrofitting those tank parts either, never throw away the OEM parts that came with it.

A 400A will not size down low enough to offer the right water height, hard to find an all brass fill valve short enough for that application.

Probably has a curtain flush valve in it that uses those large leathers.



Get rid of that blue goo container inside the tank (2000 flushes); that ruins anything rubber inside that tank. High levels of chlorine is what makes the bowl clean, destroys rubber and plastic parts as a result.
 

hj

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toilet

Outwardly, it looks like a Case 3000, but the fill valve looks like a Kohler. In any case, it must be bracket mounted, which means you will never find another wall mount that will replace it without some modification. If it were not for the color, I would keep them because one feature of that toilet is that it cannot overflow if it gets plugged up, which can save a messy cleanup job.
 

Jimbo

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If that is your leg in the picture, I can say that you are not big enough to worry about the issue of weight! As far as I know, most wall mount toilets are rated for 500 pounds. I never saw one damaged except by vandals.

And if you keep it a few more years, turquiose may come back in fashion, along with avocado refrigerators and harvest gold stoves!
 

Jimm

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What worries me is what you said---"but we would need to go into the concrete, and switch the plumbing to go down there". If this is on the slab and you have to go into the concrete that is a "lotta" work and bucks. There's a lot of bad that could happen when you take out a section of concrete slab. Leave it!
 

Dandilyun

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Thank you

Okay, that's one thing what I wanted to know...how many pounds this thing can hold. 500 you say? Then we are OK! That's my son's leg. Hubby is about 270, and this was my concern...hearing a crash, and finding him looking rather startled on the floor. I was snooping around the web, and cannot find any American Standard toilet that looks like this, but did find a Case toilet that looks like this. I know nothing about the innards of the toilet, but if it's a decent reliable toilet, than I will have to check around, and find a reliable person in my area to help find the appropriate parts to maybe update it a bit. Rugged, I don't completely know what you're talking about, but I hear what you are saying...don't F with it, no retrofitting, and no throwing old parts away. Nothing ritzy or wealthy about this particular street. This is Quartz Hill CA, the high desert.

You know Jimbo, I was thinking that this look may come back. You should see the beautiful light harvest gold one in the master bath....with matching shower of course. And complete with yellow and white marbled countertop. And PEACH walls.

What I don't get is that they painted every available surface light blue to match this here lovely toilet and tub/shower. I feel like I'm under water, and need to hold my breath. And sadly, the tile is pretty new. Don't like it.

Okay, no messing with it, just keeping it working and nice. No digging in the slab. Someday I will replace it. I have to. I can't have a blue toilet for forever, but it's good to know it will work for now.

hj - Really? Won't overflow? Awesome! Modified? What a pain. I will save my pennies to get a new wall mount and pay for modifications.

Thanks for all of your advice peoples!
 

GrumpyPlumber

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I've known inspectors to stand on the wall mounts to ensure they have no movement..I wouldn't suggest this on older installs, but if they are ok I wouldn't obsess over them.
You have enough to legitimately worry about with a new home.
 

Gary Swart

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But Grumpy, in reality there is no weight difference whether standing on the toilet or sitting on it. Well OK, ones feet on the floor would reduce the weight marginally. As far as the toilets are concerned, it seems to me the most reasonable thing to do is try to tone down the effect of the colors with the wall paint colors and live with it. You and yours will be the only ones that will really notice and in a short time you will have become accustomed to it and it will no longer be such a problem. Opening the slab to put in a standard floor drain would be quite costly and changing to different wall mounts just to get a more acceptable color would be just as expensive. Look at the positive side. It's much easier to clean under and around wall mounts than standard floor models, and as pointed out, they can't overflow.
 

GrumpyPlumber

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Gary, the image of someone standing and maybe wobbling up n' down gave me pause to suggest not trying it...specifically if it were a heavier person.
A dark, humorous image at that.
A thought, this guy could look into a Sani-Flo...as long as no kids will drop things in.
 

Master Plumber Mark

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weight can be an problem

those can be trouble ......


we had a public restroom where

their must have beena very large lady that slammed

down on one of those types of toilets... a few times every day

eventually she literally pulled the carrier out of the wall......


we rebuilt the wall and reinforced it as good as possible


but for extra measure,,,, I used a 3 inch PVC

pipe like a shim under the bottom of the toilet

down to the floor.. has not moved in 7 years.
 
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