One toilet 12" Rough-in, other 2 are 13.5"

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J_Tay1981

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I'm pretty sure I can replace one of our toilets in a straightforward manner because it has a twelve inch rough in. The other two, however, are a bit over 13". Would I be able to get away with installing a standard 12" toilet and have it just sit further out from the wall than the one it replaces, or should I use some type of flange modification to get it to fit? Or is there another alternative :confused: I'm looking at replacing the thirty-year-old A/S toilets with either:

Toto Eco Drake

Kohler Cimarron

A/S Cadet 3

All with round bowls.
 

Terry

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All with round bowls.
J_Tay1981

One question. WHY?
hj

I agree with hj,
I would never install a round bowl.

Most of my sales are for the elongated.
I found out years ago, that once someone had one elongated bowl, they would be coming back for more.

Round bowls are a joke.
 

J_Tay1981

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If I thought I could get away with it, i would definitely rock the elongated bowl. But my parent's house has tiny bathrooms, and the toilets are right next to the doors. The current round bowls are even with the frame of the doors. I'm concerned that an elongated bowl would stick out too far and people would run into them when they walk in, or it might just flat-out look weird. Do they make compact elongated toilets that might fit in the space of a round bowl?

But I could get a 12" rough-in toilet to mount well in all three bathrooms? Would I need a flange adapter of some sort to counter act the increased rough in
 

Jadnashua

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Using a 12" toilet on the 13.x flanges will just have them sticking out further from the wall. Now, if your measurement is 13.25" or more, if you purchased the 14" one (they normally have 3/4" behind them), it would fit, just. What you may find out is an elongated toilet that ends up close to the wall is no longer than a standard 12" one sticking out those extra 2". I think all except for maybe one of the TOtos that use the unifit adapter are 1.6g toilets, though.

Make sure you're measuring from the wall, not the baseboard.
 

J_Tay1981

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I double-measured my three loos. Here's what I came up with:

Utility room = 13.5" rough-in. Utility room walls are totally covered with wood panelling, so may actually be closer to 14" from the wall behind panels I think.

Upstairs toilet = 12" rough-in. I think I can get away with most 12" toilets here.

Guest toilet = 13" rough-in. From floor to 1/2 way up wall behind toilet, there is thick tile, so again, it may be a larger rough-in when the tile is taken out of the equation (it won't literally be removed. This is just going to be a new fixture installation).

So except for the one upstairs toilet, I'm not really sure what fixtures I could use. A 12" toilet would stick out from the wall noticeably, right? And you can't just hit the local Lowe's for a 14" rough-in toilet. Would the other two toilets have to be special-ordered? I wanted this to be something I installed myself to save my parents some money, but I guess if they have to hire a pro to do it, so be it. Thoughts?
 

Terry

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There is no good reason to order a 14" toilet.

They will use the same 12" bowl that sits in the middle of the bathroom.
What makes it a 14", is the thicker tank.
But if you are worried about space in front of the bowl, it won't really matter. It's a 12" bowl.


The "ONLY" manufacturer that moves the bowl back is Toto.
And you don't want to buy one of those.
You will be going to Lowes and buying one of their homeowner grade 12" with a fat tank.
 

J_Tay1981

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Hi Terry! Thanks for the response. If I had my way, I would replace all three toilets with Toto Drakes or Eco Drakes (maybe the regular Drake since I'd like to make sure that all our stuff goes down the drain). In fact, I've been trying to convince my parents Toto is the way to go. They are balking at the higher price, so I'm trying to be realistic and check into all options (including the local box stores). You're obviously passionate about Toto's products, and since you're a pro and deal with them daily, that definitely speaks to their quality. It's for that reason I WANT Toto in my home...

Regardless, does Toto make an elongated bowl that would fit in the space of the current round bowls? Again, elongated is what I WANT but I have to work with what I have...
 

Jadnashua

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Measure from the wall to where it would create problems, like hit the door, or similar situation. Then, compare that to what the length of the toilets are. Your existing toilets, if they have a big gap behind them now, with one using the Unifit, you'd gain some space back because it moves the whole toilet rather than just installing a bigger tank to fill the gap.
 

J_Tay1981

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Jadnashua,

Thanks for the advice. I'll compare the specs. I looked at the Unifit on (I think it was) Toto's web page. It looks like I would have to do some drilling to get it mounted into the floor. I know the floor for one problem loo is cement. Would I need a hammer drill to set some screw holes for that or would my regular corded drill do the job with special bits?

Since this project is fast becoming a bit more than my handyman skills (such as they are) can handle :eek:, I'm thinking of having a plumber install at least the two odd toilets. Here in Omaha, we have two supply houses that carry Toto. Would I just tell the plumber to go to one and order a Drake or do plumbers have their own makes they like to keep in stock and use exclusively? When shopping for plumbers, should I ask them about this up front or ask what brands they carry/recommend?

I really wanted to install these toilets to gain some practical experience but I also want the job done right. If it takes a lot of special steps to install a replacement, maybe I should let a pro do it. Sorry if I'm asking a lot of dumb questions or offending anyone.
 

Jadnashua

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A good carbide drill bit will make holes in the concrete...a hammer drill would do it faster. If there are tile on the floor, you will probably want a diamond drill. Lowes sells them. It's not really tough to do. If you can read and follow instructions, it's easy. In some ways, the Unifit is easier to install than a regular toilet...it's easier to align it to the adapter than it is to set a toilet down on the wax ring, and you won't ruin the wax ring if you do.
 
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