A couple of weeks ago, the toilet tank in my upstairs bathroom cracked. Fortunately, the cracks were all above the water line.
For the replacement, I wanted to get the same style toilet as my sink, but his time I would get some upgrades: a “comfort height” seat (which means tall), and an elongated bowl. I ordered online. The toilet came in last week, but I didn’t get around to working on installing it until yesterday.
The old toilet was kind of hard to get out, because there were shims under it and lots of caulking. After it was out, I took out the new toilet bowl… and found out it won’t fit because the drain hole is too close to the wall. D’oh!
What made the base so much longer in back? Was it the taller height that was the problem? Was it the elongated bowl? I returned the new toilet to Home Depot and looked for a replacement. Nothing was in stock. The Kohler “Memoirs” style I was looking for used to be an “in stock” kind of toilet, but now it’s a special order thing. Dang.
For now, I’m without an upstairs toilet. The old one is removed and is in pieces. I’ll save the bowl in case a replacement can’t be found. Maybe there will be some time today to find a store that stocks these kinds of toilets so I can do some measuring.
I have since plugged the drain hole to prevent gaseous exhalations.
Well, that stinks. Literally. Sorry your whole weekend will be taken up with this project, but bright side? Your house has two bathrooms.
Is there tile under there? Is that a base where the toilet bowl goes? I don’t understand. We need a closeup shot. Please?
Oops. I’ve been off the computer all day. There is tile there. The floor looks different I think because the grout has been under the toilet all this time and is therefore a little cleaner. The outline on the floor is mostly caulk. I didn’t clean it off yet. There are also some shims there, most notably on the front edge. That’s giving it a 3-D look.
When we went to the “Tall Boy” models in both our bathrooms (the knees of us aging folk appreciate that part), the space behind the tank in the guest bathroom actually seemed greater than it had been – and the space between the edge of the bowl and the bathtub notably less as a result. You can imagine the inconvenience there…ahem…
Those doggone trap holes – shouldn’t there be a standard distance from every wall for those in every bathroom? There oughta be a law!! Best of luck resolving this – at least it seems you’ll not need to resort to using a gas station restroom like this one: http://www.macolabels.com/art/DSC05623.JPG
Eeewww….. Why did I even click on that?
I’m sorry your fix it plans yesterday went down the toilet.
Har. Har.
That’s called the rough in distance. You need to buy a 10″ model. They usually a model or two of the close style but you may need a special order.
http://www.johnbridge.com/images/mike2/For%20Liberry%20Stuff/Plumbing/Toilet%20Rough%20In.jpg
Thanks for the vocabulary. It’s hard to talk with the people at Home Depot when I don’t have the words. I was pointing at the bolts and telling them the wall was too close. Now I know how to say it.
You should measure your rough in. Oddly, you measure to the centre of the drain pipe opening. I learned that the hard way when I roughed in our upside toilet with the EDGE of the pipe twelve inches from the wall.
http://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=toilet%20rough%20in