Shortest 14" Rough Toilet?

[evanston]

I need to replace my existing toilet in a very small bathroom. Our plumber has now installed two different toilets, neither of which allows enough clearance for the door to close.

We have a 14" rough (about 13-3/4" to be exact), and about 28-1/4" of door clearance. I have found a handful of models that are only 28" from the back of the tank to the front of the bowl, but nothing shorter. My two questions are:

1. Does anyone make a 14" rough toilet that measures less that 28" from back to front?

2. What is the absolute bare minimum amount of space that I need to allow behind the toilet? Toto recommends 3/4", for example. Can I cheat it down to 1/4" safely? Or less?

Please respond with any suggestions... my wife and I are expecting company next Thursday, and they are not particularly accustomed to leaving the door open whilst they take a dump. Thanks!

 

[hj]

toilet

If you can find a "true" 14" round front toilet, not a 12" one with a thicker tank, then if should be 15" from the center of the bolt holes to the front of the toilet. The seat may add a bit to that depending on whether it has an overhang or not.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[evanston]

I'm very new to this, so I want to make sure I follow. If a "true" 14 inch rough extends an additional 15 inches from the bolt holes, then it will be a total of 29" from the back of the tank to the front of the bowl... yes?

I know that Toto has four models that are 14" rough and only 28" length. Is that because they are simply putting a thicker tank onto a 12" rough?

Thanks!

 

[hj]

toilet

Sorry. 13". The total depth on an actual 14" rough will be about 27" for a true 14" toilet. One with a thick tank will be 15".

 

[evanston]

Promising...

So... do you know if anyone has a "true" 14" rough toilet that measures 27" front to back on the market?

 

[Terry]

That's going to be tough.
Like hj says, most 14" are thick tanks on a 12" bowl.

Toto has the Unifit that will slide the bowl back, but the bowl is elongated with a complete distance of 28" front to back and 3/4" of space at the wall for 28.75" to the end after installation.
Still too far for you.

The best bet is to look up the toilet web sites and pull the pdf spec files one by one.

 

[evanston]

About that 3/4"...

Is that distance a suggestion or a requirement? If we were to put the toilet only 1/4" from the wall, what is the issue? Properly fitting the pipes? Fear that a hefty user may lean the tank up against the back wall? The space involved may well depend on that extra 1/2" of space. Our options appear to be: (1) Special order a Toto 28" model and pray that it fits; (2) Get a smaller toilet with a 12" rough and just let it stick out a couple of inches from the wall (the Carlyle, for example); (3) Re-do the pipes/floor for a proper 12" rough.

#1 is risky, #2 is aesthetically undesireable, particularly for a small room, and #3 is likely to be prohibitively expensive.

So, to sum:

1. Can we safely install the toilet less than 3/4" from the wall?
2. Is there a #4 that I'm missing here?

Thanks again!

 

[Jadnashua]

1/4" behind the toilet would be okay, but the only way you can get it that way is to carefully select a toilet, flange, wall combo that makes it sit there. From what it appears, you can't move the toilet flange, so you have to work with what you've got. Double check the exact distance from the wall to the centerline of the flange - if it is truely 14", that's what you have to work with. If it is 13-1/2", or something else, then that is the critical item. Alot of toilets leave about 3/4" from their back to the wall, so a 14" toilet's back would actually be 13-1/4" from the center of the flange to the back. Good luck.

 

[evanston]

Yet another question...

First off, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to answer the questions of a total stranger. You've been extremely helpful.

Again, I want to make sure I understand. If our rough is indeed 13-1/2", then the toilet would sit only 1/4" off of the wall? Therefore, the total length would only be 28-1/4" from the wall to the front of the bowl?

Last, can someone give me a ballpark estimate for the hours of labor/cost of materials needed to move the drain pipe from a 14" rough to a 12" rough? If that's not possible without more information, I understand.

Thanks again, all of you.

 

[Jadnashua]

You need to view the manufacturer's drawings for a specific model. Everyone is different, the only thing that is the same is if they say it is a 14" rough, and the flange IS 14" from the wall, it will fit. The actual gap behind the toilet is not a standard. The drawing shows the clearances when installed as indicated.

Cost will depend alot on what access you have, whether a joist is in the way, what type of pipe it is (cast iron, pvc, copper) and what type of floor since moving it 2" you'd want to patch up the hole in the subfloor, probably by replacing a fairly big patch. Note, for maximum subfloor strength, they like the piece of ply to span at least two joist bays.