<8" Rough-in!?

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Gary Swart

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Any toilet being sold for $100 is what we term, a "builder's special". These are what builders put in spec houses. They don't care if they frequently clog and otherwise do not perform, they are a toilet. Plumbers make a living on replacing these a few months after the home is sold. Don't mess up this work you have done with a toilet you will likely have to replace fairly soon. Shop around and get a Toto Drake as others suggest.
 

Rick Routh

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Any toilet being sold for $100 is what we term, a "builder's special". These are what builders put in spec houses. They don't care if they frequently clog and otherwise do not perform, they are a toilet. Plumbers make a living on replacing these a few months after the home is sold. Don't mess up this work you have done with a toilet you will likely have to replace fairly soon. Shop around and get a Toto Drake as others suggest.

Alright, you guys are selling me on this. Will I at least save any money on hardware up-front if I go with the Toto? And do any retail stores sell them, or will I have to either A) order from a plumber or B) order online?

The reason I was considering the builder's special was that the toilet I pulled out was the $70 builder's special (<10" rough, round, ~12" seat height, I'm pretty sure it was designed for children). So I was looking at it as an upgrade. But I get that a warranty doesn't matter if you have to make an international call to Hong Kong to try to get parts.
 

Jadnashua

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First, go to the Toto website and check for local dealers. Now, also note that lots of places actually sell Toto that aren't on that list. Also note that the actual selling price is often way less than the manufacturer's list.

Most of the Toto toilets use Korky parts, made for Toto with their logo. Most hardware, plumbing supply, and Lowes carry the parts. There are a few, like the dual-flush and the really high end stuff that use more proprietary parts (their really high-end toilet has a sensor that opens the lid when you approach, a built-in bidet seat, odor neutralizers, and it flushes itself when you're done!).
 

WJcandee

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If you go with the Toto, you will need to buy a seat (or reuse the seat off your old toilet if you liked it and it fits the size of bowl you will be purchasing). Toto has standard seat-bolt positions, so you can use any brand seat. It won't fit the bowl exactly, necessarily, and the Toto seats are nice, but some people (including us) simply reused the Mayfair/Bemis seats we liked. There are two basic sizes of bowl, elongated or round, and the consensus here is always go for elongated unless you have a fixed space issue like a door swinging into the toilet, which you don't.

You will not need to buy tank-to-bowl bolts because the Toto ones are fine. I would double-check about the closet bolts (used to attach the toilet to the flance); they are said not to come with the toilet but I have this weird recollection of having some in the bag with the bolt caps (which ARE included), although maybe the bolts came in the box with the fancier wax ring I bought. You also need a wax ring.

SO: Hardware you need is: (a) a good brass closet bolt set [Terry uses Pasco brass closet bolts model #28, which has two bolts and 4 washers and nuts], about $1.50 at a good hardware or plumbing supply store; and (b) a good wax ring, no flange or sleeve needed according to most posters here [figure $2-ish]. And of course you need a seat.

I have seen Terry suggest that one always replace the flexible water supply hose at the wall when replacing a toilet, but you have a brand-new one from your plumber, so you don't need that.

(edited to fix horrendous typing job I did on my phone).
 
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Gary Swart

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Looks like it's going to work, but I wonder why you didn't open the back wall and move the supply line to a normal location? Hey, it's gonna work, but it would have been a more professional looking job. You know you could have a Toto Drake for around $200 and that is a fantastic performer and virtually trouble free. If you are putting in a $99 Potty-In-A-Box, you may soon realize you didn't get much of a bargain. All that said, I'm glad you had the flange moved to the proper location. Any more changes will be relatively inexpensive and not absolutely necessary to be done right away.
 
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