Installation Toto Eco Drake Experiences

[hudson]

After reading these forums, earlier in the year, I installed a Toto Drake 1.6 GPF, elongated, ada, toilet. It was everything that you said…no clogs and a quality toilet in every way. ( I had a plumber install that one.)

I purchased a Toto Eco Drake (elon+ada) to replace my 3.5 GPF toilet. I figured that it would take 7 years to payback saving 2.22 gallons and 1.38 cents for every flush. I figured that the new toilet will cost .79 cents a flush counting water and sewer. (C744WL#01 DRAKE BOWL + ST743E#01 ECODRAKE TANK)

I purchased the self closing seat for each…very nice. I don’t care that much about the self closing feature, I just wanted a quality seat.

I drained and pulled the old toilet. I remembered that I had a dolly, so I quickly transferred the old toilet to the dolly…a great back saving move. I rolled it out the back door onto the deck. I’ll call Habitat Restore to see if they want it.

At this time, I noticed that I had an offset flange that was put in by a contractor 20 years ago during a remodel. How was I going to get a wax seal for that huge opening? You can see a pic in this thread http://www.terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?t=651 . Has anyone ever seen a flange so wide...no way to seal it???

I added a wax seal and installed the Toto on the flange…. kind of a challenge for me lifting and setting the heavy toilet…but got it OK…. hard to hit the closet bolts. I installed the tank…after reading the very nice directions on this web page…THANK YOU! I filled the tank and flushed…. of course it leaked around the base. I pulled the bowl+tank off of the flange…again a big challenge. I worry about screwing up my back. I came up with a plan to solve the offset flange problem…. I added lots of wax…especially to stabilize the closet bolts. I dreaded resetting the bowl+tank and trying to hit the closet bolts again, so I took a break. I got 8 short 2x6 blocks and placed them around the flange and put the toilet up on the blocks…above the bolts. I lined up the Toto over the bolts and took another break. I set out a flashlight shining on the bolts to help visibility. I had my wife move the blocks while I set the toilet. I will always use blocks and flashlights in the future! (I’m not one of the guys who can throw a Toto up on my shoulder and carry it up the stairs.)

I had to use a shim to keep the toilet from moving. Again the forums helped; several threads said shim from the back to pin down the front. I would have NEVER figured that out on my own. That worked! In the local Low*s, they’d never heard of the synthetic wedges, so I got the traditional soft clear plastic style in the plumbing section.

When I need help on a hard to find area, I open Terry’s forum and do a Google site search…very useful.

Has anyone invented a device that will hold a toilet up 3 inches over the closet bolts and lower it precisely?

Does everyone else struggle with a hack saw trying to remove old closet bolts and shorten the new ones...or is there a better tool?

DIY always an adventure! Now I'm ready to put one in for my mom!

The image is of the old 3.5 gpf toilet on a dolly.

[Gary Swart]

There is a very simple way to stabilize the flange bolts. You simple put a nut on them to hold them upright and steady. There is plenty of space under the toilet for them. I'm sure that setting a toilet quickly and effortlessly is one of the times that practice makes perfect. We DIYers sometimes struggle to do tasks that the experiences pros can do with one hand in their sleep, but that's one of the prices of living in DIY land.

[weaver]

"...hard to hit the closet bolts...

When installing my two ecoUltraMaxes I discovered that I could easily position the toilet over the closet bolts by sighting through the seat bolt holes which are exactly above the holes for the closet bolts. In addition, this toilet affords excellent handholds for the lift and is very well balanced. Don't know if other Totos are designed the same. I'm 71 and was nervous about being careful with an 80-odd pound one-piece, but Toto's design made the whole thing a breeze.

[Gary Swart]

I agree with you Weaver, but tightening those bolts with extra nuts solidifies them so if you bump one as you lower the toilets it won't tip out of alignment. 'Course those nuts will set you back about $.05 apiece and take up to 1 or maybe even 2 minutes to install

[Runs with bison]

Does everyone else struggle with a hack saw trying to remove old closet bolts and shorten the new ones...or is there a better tool?

When I replaced my toilets I discovered that there are shorter closet bolts available. I had an old cut set in my pocket and it just so happens that they were nearly perfect for replacing the old ones.

I still had a longer set that I needed to install on one toilet. I checked the required length by placing the toilet without the wax ring. Then I took the closet bolts to the vise, hacksawed the end, ground away the burr/edge, and chased the threads. This took a few minutes more upfront, but was preferable to doing the hacksawing in the narrow channel between toilet/tub/vanity.