Toilet Selection???

[driftpin]

I'm all for a bidet seat, but so long as you stick with a standard shaped bowl (elongated, or round if you hate yourself), you'll have no problem finding much more affordable bidet seats, and there's no need for a special toilet to go with them.

Wow! 4500.00, I don’t think my retirement home will do Toto justice. But I can dream little, Penguin is in my budget. Thanks for all suggestions

I chose the Gerber but endorse the TOTO.

Like anything else, you choose your stuff based upon your criteria and your budget. We planned a whole-house re-model just before we both retired, including an addition for an 'en suite' master bedroom (we now have two of them). Phase I was the big one, we were out of the house for > a year.

In the planning stage, we visited many stores for kitchen and bath. We had a contractor account at the local Ferguson, and much of what we got for the bathrooms came from there. We were in another kitchen & bath store in another county and they had a TOTO demonstration bathroom for 'personal evaluation.' I entered, shut the door, and had one of the most pleasant evacuation experiences of my life. Yes a TOTO Neorest, with heated seating, a built-in fan for odor evacuation, and another for drying, heated of course. The bidet water function was also variable-level heating. There was a light. You prefer a light-force spritz? Dial it where it needs to be to meet your expectations. Have to deal with a 'tar-baby?' "More power, Scotty!"

I sat-down a skeptic, but I arose a believer.

I got my wife, and I told her, "I want to see if your opinion coincides with mine. Be sure to avail yourself of all the features."

A few minutes later, she emerged with a smile on her face. "I know what you're thinking," she said. We checked pricing at a few outlets and placed our order. It's a decision we've never regretted.

Some people drive a Mercedes-Benz, an AUDI, a Bentley. Our throne is a TOTO Neorest.

 

[Norcal]

I upgraded 2 of ours to the Toto Drake, and they just work. Still have one more to do. Elongated bowl is so much nicer than the round.

If you do the cologard test & are male you will be thankful for a elongated bowl.

 

[Jackfre]

We had a couple Toto Drakes and my wife hated them. We ended up replacing them with Icera units that were priced lower than the Drakes. I have to give the Toto Washlet C5 bidet seat about 50 stars. I have a Washlet 300 that I purchased in ‘02 upon a return from Japan where all the hotels had them. The only fixture I have moved in our last few home moves is that Washlet. It is now 22 yrs old and showing no sign of giving up. Pardon me while I knock on some wood. Yes, they are pricey and you need a receptacle to plug it in but they are an excellent value.

 

[micromind]

I really like our Toto Drakes. Have 3 of them now. These are high seat, elongated bowl. They flush very well and have been very reliable. You can order them from build.com or ferguson.com.

Another vote for the Toto.

When I built my house, I installed Toto Drakes. My daughter and about a half-dozen of her teen-age friends couldn't clog it........

 

[mike93lx]

Another vote for the Toto.

When I built my house, I installed Toto Drakes. My daughter and about a half-dozen of her teen-age friends couldn't clog it........

Was there a team event?

 

[micromind]

Was there a team event?

Knowing those girls, it's certainly possible.......lol.

 

[Dutchmanaz]

Best flush = air assisted Flushmate equipped toilets. Half a dozen manufacturers carry them. Gerber has 44 models to choose from:




Install with a Fernco wax free fitting and eliminate the wax rings.

If you don't need handicap capability, stick with a lower seat height for health reasons. Higher seat height cause improper squatting posture. Higher sitting keeps a kink in your lower bowel. That forces you to work harder to push out waste. Squatting relaxes your puborectalis muscle more and straightens out your colon, giving the waste a straight route out. As a result, you can go more easily with less straining.

You can install grab bars to raise yourself up. If you are set on a higher seat height, there are inexpensive stands that allow for a squatting position.

The things I learn on GJ....

 

[PWC Repair]

That's the one.

Will flush a bucket of balls in one go, all for $200 total.

I did mine 8 years ago and has been trouble free. Added a 2nd one, it is going on 4yrs.

I also have that one.........it's the greatest! Qiuck, complete flushes EVERY time!

 

[reader2580]

Install with a Fernco wax free fitting and eliminate the wax rings.

The problem with the Fernco seals is they depend on adhesive to seal the fitting. I had a toilet on the second floor get loose, and I had used a Fernco seal. I had to pull the toilet for some reason, and I found that the adhesive seal had let go due to the toilet moving around. It was wet around the toilet, but not enough water had leaked to stain the drywall ceiling underneath.

There are newer non-wax seals that don't depend on adhesive.

 

[rlitman]

The problem with the Fernco seals is they depend on adhesive to seal the fitting. I had a toilet on the second floor get loose, and I had used a Fernco seal. I had to pull the toilet for some reason, and I found that the adhesive seal had let go due to the toilet moving around. It was wet around the toilet, but not enough water had leaked to stain the drywall ceiling underneath.

There are newer non-wax seals that don't depend on adhesive.

For wax free, I would recommend the Fluidmaster "Better Than Wax" seal. However, the Fluidmaster only works in a narrow range of flange height, due to how hard the foam is. The kit includes a spacer to handle a flange that's not sitting ON the tile (where it belongs), but I'm not sure how low you can go before you need to stack two kits.

The Korky kit has foam on the top face of the seal (though the silicone does come up the middle to reach the top level), and I'm not thrilled with that concept (the Fluidmaster has a solid silicone layer on top that carries through to where it drops into the flange). And the Sani Seal is easy to tear, which allows the soft foam interior to flood.

 

[the shifty jesus]

I listened to the praises here for the American Standard Champion, and have been very happy.

In case nobody mentioned: what you get from Furgeson etc. is way different than what you get from the big box stores. It costs more, but is higher quality for the same insert pun here.

 

[PopcornSutton]

In commercial buildings, the plumbers would always caulk the toilet to the floor all the way around with tub/tile caulk. Anyone do this? It would keep the toilet from shifting, and normally one doesn't remove a toilet very often.

 

[mike93lx]

In commercial buildings, the plumbers would always caulk the toilet to the floor all the way around with tub/tile caulk. Anyone do this? It would keep the toilet from shifting, and normally one doesn't remove a toilet very often.

If you need to rely on caulking to have the toilet not move, you didn't install it properly.

Caulking around the front and side is common, but not the whole way around, that way a leak has a chance at a way out on top of the floor.

 

[PopcornSutton]

If you need to rely on caulking to have the toilet not move, you didn't install it properly.

Caulking around the front and side is common, but not the whole way around, that way a leak has a chance at a way out on top of the floor.

You can only tighten closest bolts but so much when there is a plastic flange. Leaving a place for a leak?

 

[mike93lx]

You can only tighten closest bolts but so much when there is a plastic flange. Leaving a place for a leak?

You don't need it wildly tight.

The proper height and a wax ring work fine. If the height is wrong, then you arent installing it right. The flange should be on top of the finished floor and hard spacers are much better than doubling wax rings

 

[PopcornSutton]

You don't need it wildly tight.

The proper height and a wax ring work fine. If the height is wrong, then you arent installing it right.

A wax ring won't keep a toilet from shifting if it's bumped.

 

[PCustoms]

@PopcornSutton now you dunnit....

Wax ring, plastic shims if floor is uneven, then a light bead of caulk on the outside edge of toilet/floor about 3/4 of the way around. Keeps the gross out from underneath and let's a leak out the back

 

[mike93lx]

A wax ring won't keep a toilet from shifting if it's bumped.

If the toilet isn't contacting the floor, use shims.

Caulk is not the solution

 

[PopcornSutton]

If the toilet isn't contacting the floor, use shims.

Caulk is not the solution

Nobody said the toilet wasn't sitting on the floor. A wax ring wouldn't hold a toilet up.

 

[mike93lx]

Never mind. Send it with that caulking gun

 

[PopcornSutton]

I never said the toilet was rocking. Grab bars? I simply asked if anyone ever caulked around a toilet, never seen it done in a house but always in commercial.

Sorry I asked......

 

[afinepoint]

American Standard Cadet is an inexpensive and good-performing toilet. Consumer Reports I'd rely upon for this type of subject, and that's one they recommend.

I agree with tall seat and oval bowl shape.

Now if you want to plan for your future, when you cannot reach-back for a thorough cleaning, then I recommend something like this. We have one, and the comfort of a warm cleansing stream and then a warm drying breeze, is something to be appreciated. The use of the features eliminates 'skid-marks,' assuming you aren't squeezing-out 'wet-farts' in-between being seated on the throne.



BTW, that's the 'inexpensive' one... .

Wet farts.

 

[driftpin]

Not a plumber, but for a whole-house re-model and 4 full bathrooms, the plumbing inspector wanted to see grout around the bowl to floor point, and a small no-grout area in the back to allow any leak a way-out. Think of it like the small hole at the bottom of a car's water pump casting, to alert you that the seal is shot.

 

[PWC Repair]

I always thought the caulk or silicone was an aesthetics thing.

 

[housewolf]

I always thought the caulk or silicone was an aesthetics thing.

No, it’s to keep “stuff” that’s common on a bathroom floor from making its way under the toilet and making it impossible to clean. I use the same grout as the tile under a toilet on a ceramic tile floor unless the customer doesn’t want it. It looks really good, makes the toilet very sturdy, and I don’t know of any disadvantages. A lot of people would rather just white latex caulk though

 

[Gozo]

Not a plumber, but for a whole-house re-model and 4 full bathrooms, the plumbing inspector wanted to see grout around the bowl to floor point, and a small no-grout area in the back to allow any leak a way-out. Think of it like the small hole at the bottom of a car's water pump casting, to alert you that the seal is shot.

Grout is certainly not the material to put around a toilet to a tile floor. It’ll eventually crack and piece out. But if that’s what the inspector wants…
When I remodeled the master bath, put in an Ultramax (another Toto plug) and used matching silicone caulk around the base. Mostly for cosmetics, but also to keep tub spills and floor washing water from getting under. Used a blue rubbery toilet ring, but the floor is dead flat; zero rock. Eventually added an Alpha brand bidet seat. Wife hates the thing. I use it every time I’m in the sit down mode for business. To each their own. Added 2 more of the same toilet to the other bathrooms over the last 5 years.

 

[mike93lx]

Grout is certainly not the material to put around a toilet to a tile floor. It’ll eventually crack and piece out. But if that’s what the inspector wants…
When I remodeled the master bath, put in an Ultramax (another Toto plug) and used matching silicone caulk around the base. Mostly for cosmetics, but also to keep tub spills and floor washing water from getting under. Used a blue rubbery toilet ring, but the floor is dead flat; zero rock. Eventually added an Alpha brand bidet seat. Wife hates the thing. I use it every time I’m in the sit down mode for business. To each their own. Added 2 more of the same toilet to the other bathrooms over the last 5 years.

Inspectors can want whatever they want, but unless it's in code or a written ammendment, they can save their wants for their own remodels.

 

[karoc]

Never had or use bidet, but going to gave it a try. Everyone it seems likes them, so why not. Bidet will be another subject for me when time comes. For now going to install a GFI

 

[housewolf]

Grout is certainly not the material to put around a toilet to a tile floor. It’ll eventually crack and piece out. But if that’s what the inspector wants…
When I remodeled the master bath, put in an Ultramax (another Toto plug) and used matching silicone caulk around the base. Mostly for cosmetics, but also to keep tub spills and floor washing water from getting under. Used a blue rubbery toilet ring, but the floor is dead flat; zero rock. Eventually added an Alpha brand bidet seat. Wife hates the thing. I use it every time I’m in the sit down mode for business. To each their own. Added 2 more of the same toilet to the other bathrooms over the last 5 years.

It might “eventually” but I know of three of them (and none that didn’t) lasted 24 years and maybe longer.

 

[SouthernIllinois]

Plumber recommended the golf ball American Standard toilets.

I gotta say, I am unimpressed - I like the Gerber's in our old house better.



The baseboards and trim aren't done yet

 

[Lynden]

I like Terry Love's website for plumbing advice. It has a toilet forum.

https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php

Search results for query: toilet recommendation

terrylove.com

 

[gatewaysysop]

I know, how hard can it be just run down to HD and point “ I want that one” But I’m going ask anyway, here’s my story. It’s just 1000sq ft retirement home for two people who is getting up there in age. I figure that there’s been advances made since I purchase toilet 45 yrs ago. I’m not up to snuff on what’s out there. But I like find one that don’t have flush two times or more just get solids down and I like it to set up little higher so don’t kill my knees trying get up. For now want to set it as temporary since place still under construction. So for now I’ll be only user, it’s only me trying dry this place in.
GJ, what’s out there that I won’t have take out loan? Thanks, for all suggestions. This is truly house that GJ is building

Caroma Caravelle. One piece, ADA height, elongated bowl. Something like 4" trap. Dual flush, wash down / S-trap style. You can find the details and some specs here. It doesn't hurt that it looks fantastic and much nicer than builder grade ****.

We put these in our house probably about 10 years ago. Do not own plungers anymore, they are virtually impossible to clog. I think it's something like .8 and 1.2 gallon flush. I have flushed things with .8 that would take 3 flushes with the old builder grade. They are amazing toilets and worth every penny. Not everyone's cup of tea but I wouldn't use anything else ever again.

 

[isb cornbinder]

When we lived on our farm, we had a neighbour about 500 meters south of us. After a day in the field, the husband came home for supper and stopped at the relief station. He lit a cigarette and tossed the still burning match down the other hole. There was a loud band as the dry cleaning fumes ignited. The farmers wife dumped used drycleaner fluid in the outhouse.
Later that evening, the farmer's wife intended to put some Vaseline on the red-hot cheeks. The farmer yelled out in pain. His wife, without looking, grabbed the jar if Vicks Vapor Rub.

 

[PCustoms]

When we lived on our farm, we had a neighbour about 500 meters south of us. After a day in the field, the husband came home for supper and stopped at the relief station. He lit a cigarette and tossed the still burning match down the other hole. There was a loud band as the dry cleaning fumes ignited. The farmers wife dumped used drycleaner fluid in the outhouse.
Later that evening, the farmer's wife intended to put some Vaseline on the red-hot cheeks. The farmer yelled out in pain. His wife, without looking, grabbed the jar if Vicks Vapor Rub.

What decade was this?

 

[Stick-man]

Best flush = air assisted Flushmate equipped toilets. Half a dozen manufacturers carry them. Gerber has 44 models to choose from:

in my old house I had two Gerber's with Sloan Flush-Mate's. Absolutely the best commode I've used. And after 15 years there was a problem with the tank, and Sloan replaced it, no charge! Sloan's customer service is impeccable.

 

[isb cornbinder]

What decade wa

What decade was this?

1940s

 

[The Bean]

When i go, i am fond of saying "I'm going to use the Sterling." That sounds royal, doesn't it? It's a standard bowl that suits me fine. The flow is adequately even for the Queen.

 

[Aileron]

I have kohler santa rosa toilets., high height and added a Alpha pearl bidet seat on one of them. The Sant Rosa is elongated but the holes for the seat are closer to the tank section so only certain bidets will fit.
I never thought i was a persopn that would use a bidet but since I have one after hurting my back, i find it difficult to say go on vacation without one. Its one thing you will miss once you get over the Bidetphobia of them.

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[dcg9381]

I'm all for a bidet seat, but so long as you stick with a standard shaped bowl (elongated, or round if you hate yourself), you'll have no problem finding much more affordable bidet seats, and there's no need for a special toilet to go with them.

This is what I have. Solved several toilet paper crises.
The downside of these is they are usually not heated, so depending on the temperature of your water.......

 

[Skooterj]

I'm a big fan of the dual flush toilets. Put one in each of my bathrooms. 1 gallon for number 1, 1.6 gallon for number 2. I've clogged it maybe twice in 7 years. I know it's not much, but I'll save some water and money on pumping water. And came elongated and ADA height for my old knees.