Toilevator + ADA Toilet?

[tev9999]

I am currently in the process of renovating my mother's bathroom. She has very bad arthritis in her knees and has a very difficult time getting up from any chair. For years she has been using the over toilet commode raised pretty much to its maximum height, but those are quite unsanitary IMO, plus not very sturdy. Would much rather she had a solid toilet with grab bars on the walls.

We have an ADA toilet that will be going in once the tile is done, but at 16.5" it is still not high enough. She keeps the commode pretty much at the max height which I think is 20"+. I was thinking of adding a toilevator under it. Overall that is going to end up being around 22" with seat. Will the toilevator handle this without a problem?

The plumbing is a cast iron flange which looks to be in good shape. Floor is 3/4 ply + 1/4 hardibacker + full body porcelain tile if that matters.

[swannyriver]

Try the Centoco.com website. They have 2" and 3" toilet seats that attach to the bowl like any other seat and will probably work for her. They are very sturdy, look and work like any other toilet seat.
My American Standard bowl plus Centoco seat STF height is just over 20".

[hj]

An ADA toilet is still just a toilet, so anything that fits ON or UNDER a toilet will work with it.

[tev9999]

Things can never go easily... I determined the toilet is actually a 17.5" and was going to set it with a taller seat. I now discover that my toilet flange is too high - close to an inch off the floor.

Is the easiest fix to drill out the lead, remove the flange, cut down the pipe and install a Twist-N-Set PVC flange? What is the easiest way to cut down the pipe? I don't have an angle grinder, but do have a sawzall.

[Terry]

You should remove the lead bend and use either cast iron or plastic for the drain.
A twist and set is not an option with the lead.

http://www.terrylove.com/forums/show...ng-a-lead-bend


I normally just pull the lead out of the cast iron tee, and use a 4x3 flush bush into a insert rubber pipe donut.

[tev9999]

So I think you are telling me I don't have enough vertical drop for the twist and set connector to seal before hitting the bend? That makes sense.

I don't I have easy access to that bend. It is right near a main support beam and some built-in bookcases in the basement. Going all the way back to the stack, or cutting the horizontal pipe and mating PVC, might be easier to access. Can't quite picture it now since I'm not there.

Is there any way to attach a new flange after lowering the pipe a bit? I did pick up an angle grinder at lunch thinking I would have to cut something, plus I have had the need for one in the past.

Here is a rather blurry picture of what I am dealing with.

Thanks!

[tev9999]

Another wacky (or not) idea. What about just using the existing tile as a riser? I'm using 12x18 7/16" thick full body porcelain. One layer would be enough to level things out I think.

[Terry]

Lead is soft and it cracks. It doesn't play well with expanding fittings or compressing fittings.
For that reason, if they need extending, shortening, moving, replacing; we just pull them out and start over. I've seen people run a snake through a bowl, (closet auger) and punched holes through the lead.

If you need a spacer under the flange you have, you can build the floor up underneath it.

[Gary Swart]

I realize the photo is blurry, but that flange looks to be in pretty bad shape. I doubt it will last another 20 or 30 years. It will never be easier to replace it that now.

[tev9999]

The flange is rusty on the surface, but structurally seems OK. No breaks or thin sections.

I would typically agree that now is the time to replace it, but mom is due to be released from post-hospital nursing care next week, so getting this bathroom functional is priority #1. I'm going to see if a single tile thickeness will level things out. If so, I will trim it when I finish up the shower this weekend and mount the toilet that way. If something does not work, it is not a big issue to pull back up and should still look better than a plastic riser or trim plate.

[tev9999]

The tile is the perfect thickness to bring the floor up to the proper level. Since I'm renting a tile saw again anyway, I'll jut cut one to match the footprint of the toilet. Probably not the best solution, but the one that fits my time and budget at the moment.

Is silicone the best solution to join tile>tile>toilet?

[hj]

You have a cast iron bend, not a lead one. A plumber would "knock" the old flange off and install a new one in a matter of a half hour or so.