Maintenance on Skirted Toilets like Toto Carlyle II

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sg00

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I'm in the process of remodeling two bathrooms, and therefore shopping for toilets. I'm considering the Toto Carlyle II not only for its efficiency, but because it's skirted and one-piece.

One plumber told me that skirted toilets can be a pain to service if something like a clog happens.

Would appreciate hearing about pros and cons of skirted vs. non-skirted toilets.

Similarly would like to hear if there are any downsides to one-piece over two-pieces.

This info will help me to decide between the one-piece, skirted Toto Carlylel II and the two-piece, non-skirted Toto Drake II.

Many thanks!!
 

Reach4

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I would not worry about the clog aspect.

One-piece units are much heavier to set in place. So the plumber must be stronger. On the plus side, you don't have to assemble them.

Unifit adapter needs 4 small mounting holes drilled into the floor, which can be a little hard for ceramic tile and very hard for porcelain tile. Toto Carlyle II use Unifit as does Vespin II, which is similar skirted 2-piece. Unifit toilets have little covers on the side held on by Velcro. These rarely fall off when the Velcro adhesive fails.
 
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WJcandee

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One plumber told me that skirted toilets can be a pain to service if something like a clog happens.

That's a plumber who has never worked with a Toto skirted toilet. Or he is afraid or unwilling to do the part where he installs the Unifit adapter, which is as Reach describes above. The fact is that a skirted toilet, if anything, is easier to remove, because all you do is unplug it from the adapter. No new wax, etc. It isn't appreciably-easier, but it certainly isn't harder. As Reach4 points out, any one-piece is heavier. But on the other hand, it has one-fewer step in installation, and that one (attaching the tank) is one of the more-challenging tasks to first-timers (and some handymen), although if you are patient it isn't very hard.
 

sg00

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I would not worry about the clog aspect.

One-piece units are much heavier to set in place. So the plumber must be stronger. On the plus side, you don't have to assemble them.

Unifit adapter needs 4 small mounting holes drilled into the floor, which can be a little hard for ceramic tile and very hard for porcelain tile. Toto Carlyle II use Unifit as does Vespin II, which is similar skirted 2-piece. Unifit toilets have little covers on the side held on by Velcro. These rarely fall off when the Velcro adhesive fails.

Thanks for your reply. I'm a little worried about the drillingof holes into my porcelain tile floor. Is this a non-issue for non-skirted toilets? I prefer the ease of clean up around skirted toilets, but am ambivalent about one piece vs two piece. Any feedback re Carlyle II vs Drake II or Vespin II?
 

Terry

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There is no difference between clearing a plug on a skirted bowl versus a standard bowl. If anything, because you can lift the bowl off the floor without redoing the wax, and therefore open the trapway in two sections, it's even better.

A one-piece has less to go wrong, and is easier to keep clean.
It is heavier, though Jamie and I have no problems with that. Last night in our softball playoffs, Jamie hit one out and had an inside the park homerun. So for all of those in the Seattle area, if you want a one-piece installed, we're the ones to call.

Reach4, I've never seen the covers fall off a skirted bowl. We install them, stick em, and leave.
We install quite a few of the TOTO skirted bowls. Hundreds I would guess.

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Champions of the Summer Softball league, 2015
 

Jadnashua

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Toto supplies a special expanding bolt to attach the seat. On some one-piece toilets, you cannot attach or remove the seat without pulling the toilet off and attacking things from beneath. That is more of a pain for a plumber. But, the Toto units that use the UniFit adapter are pretty easy to pull, and you may never need to reset the adapter, which means the wax seal stays intact. It still would require mucking with the sealant between the toilet and the floor, but some of those are easier to remove than others. It's rare that you need to remove the flapper valve seat, but that can be harder. Replacing the fill valve or just the flapper is the same.
 

Terry

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The Vespin II and Carlyle II use standard seat bolts.
The Aquia uses epanding dropin's for the seats.

It's easier to replace a flush valve on a one-piece than on a two piece.
One piece all the way baby!
 

Reach4

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Thanks for your reply. I'm a little worried about the drilling of holes into my porcelain tile floor. Is this a non-issue for non-skirted toilets? I prefer the ease of clean up around skirted toilets, but am ambivalent about one piece vs two piece. Any feedback re Carlyle II vs Drake II or Vespin II?

Drilling porcelain takes a special drill readily available under $10. You must keep the cutting area wet. It takes some care to get the drill started in the right place. The drill does not have a centerpoint, but rather it is a little cylinder with diamond dust on the cutting edge.

No drilling for Drakes or other non-Unifit toilets. They use the flange bolts to hold them into position. Terry charges a little extra to install a Unifit toilet.

I expect the cleaning difference is fairly minor. Yes, there are some convolutions around the visible trapway, but I don't think the undercut sides of a Drake are going to pick up more than minor dust. If you get some dirt etc between the skirt and the wall, you are probably not going to be able to get to it. Function will be good on each of those toilets. I would think that the appearance might be more of a factor in selection (if price is not), and the single-piece will have more status.

Single piece comes with a seat. Two piece Toto's do not. I like a Bemis sta-tite or whatever the feature is called.
 

WJcandee

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We have a Carlyle II and love it. However, if we didn't have a weird rough-in distance, I probably would have used the Ultramax II, which looks identical except it doesn't have a skirt and mounts just like any other 12" rough-in toilet -- no drilling required. (The ability to go on various rough-in distances is a real benefit of a Unifit skirted Toto -- you can put it on 12" or 10" or 14" just by changing the adapter, and it looks as if it's a standard 12" toilet on a 12" rough-in.)
 

Reach4

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Reach4, I've never seen the covers fall off a skirted bowl. We install them, stick em, and leave.
What are the odds. Sigh.

I did not detach the white Velcro from the black after the cover came down. I don't remember how many times I had opened the cover (twice?). I have not decided whether to use my own thick blackVelcro cut to size or to ask Toto for some official thin white.
 

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