Toto Unifit or Flange Offset?

[annlynn]

I live in an old apartment and my toilet has a 14" rough-in. I wanted to get the Toto Lloyd toilet since it has the Unifit and is the narrowest in skirt width (my water supply rough-in is about 5.25").

I just met with a plumber for an estimate and he told me that in his experience, the Toto toilets that use the Unifits clog easily and to snake it, the whole toilet would have to be moved. He suggested that I get a toilet with a 12" rough-in and use a flange offset instead. I am now thinking of getting a Toto Ultramax and have the plumber install it with the flange offset.

Does anyone have any experience with this and do you agree with my plumber?

Thanks!

TOTO Unifit information

 

[Jadnashua]

I do not have a lot of confidence in that plumber's assessment. My personal experience is that the toilets I own with a Unifit adapter are MUCH better than the old ones with a standard design. Installation of a Toto with the Unifit takes a little longer because you have to drill 4 holes in the floor, but other than that, I think it is easier since the critical part, being the adapter, is sealed to the flange while installing (as if it was a toilet with the standard wax ring), then you set the toilet onto it with a gasket and then two bolts to hold the toilet to the adapter.

It's been nearly 10-years, and I've never had to auger my toilet and I think I may have used the plunger once. It was a common thing with the old one. If you have drainage problems, a new toilet won't fix it. An offset flange is not a good idea. There is one type that is relatively trouble-free, but if you have room to install that, you probably have room to move the thing without the offset, and get a better result. The low-profile ones ARE much more prone to glogs than a normal flange. The reasonable one is in between - usually okay.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

I doubt that the plumber has any experience with the Toto.
Map ratings have been established for years with the Unifit equipped toilets.
I've sold them to daycares where performance was critical.
They work.

The flange offset is a bad idea,
Using a 14" Unifit is a good idea.
Change plumbers.

The Soiree will also work at 5.5"

I've sold hundreds of the bowls with the Unifit. One of the easiest trapways to snake there is.
It's just like any other toilet when it's installed. Even better really, the trapway will guide the snake down the drain.
It's that easy.
Not that you would ever have to though.

10", 12" and 14"
Just meaure your current rough, and pick the right adapter. It's that easy!

 

[hj]

Opinions about toilets are usually subjective and whatever one plumber says, you would probably find many others that state the exact opposite. The RIGHT offset collar will work flawlessly, but the wrong one will cause more problems than the UniFit adapter he does not like.

 

[Terry]

The Unifit is a perfectly shaped trapway design.
It's considered a high performance design by independent testing done by MaP.
It perfectly round and bends a snake down the drain. I also bends whatever waste you throw down it down the drain too.
hj, have you never installed one of these?
We've installed hundreds.
It the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to moving bowls.

The Unift adapter works with TOTO models
Carlyle II
Carrollton
Carolina II
Lloyd
Pacifica
Soiree
Guinevere
Vespin II

 

[annlynn]

Thanks all for your insight. I may have to go with the Ultramax since the skirted models with the Unifit (which I really had my heart set on) will not fit in my bathroom. I've remeasured my water supply rough-in (it's at most 5") and gone to a showroom to look at the Lloyd and Soiree, and I don't think either will fit without breaking the wall and moving the water supply line. Since I live in an co-op buiding and the the wall is tiled, I really want to avoid breaking the wall. So it looks like I will have to go with the Ultramax. Should I live with a 2" inch gap from the wall or ask the plumber to install an offset flange? If an offset flange, which one is a good model?

Thanks again.

 

[Gary Swart]

You're sure not getting a second-best toilet with the Ultramax! As for the 2" space, that really isn't very much. You would want some space anyway, so a tad more should be a problem. I know there are some OK offset flanges as HJ has alluded to, but I don't like them. My suggestion is to go with a regular flange and see what your feelings are about the space. If it really is something you can't, or don't want to live with, it would not be difficult to have a plumber redo it with the offset flange. I suspect you will not have a problem with the space.

 

[Jadnashua]

Depending on how exact the rough-in is, sometimes, there's enough room to replace the shutoff with a 90-degree angle one and run it out to the side. Also, it depends on how high it is off the floor, and you might still be able to make it fit.

 

[Kwolsen]

I have one Toto toilet and love it. 13 years with no problems. I need to buy another one for a new bathroom addition and really like those Totos with the skirts. I need to offset the toilet 2" to the right, not closer/farther to the back wall, so that its centered better between a wall and vanity. I think your saying the Unifit will give offset like an offset flange would, if so, I don't see how it does. If you rotate the unifit fixture, I see how that back part moves (in a arch), is that how you get offset ? Also, how do you know that the toilet is seated on the Unifit, looks like you can't see the toilet to Unifit interface when your setting the toilet.
Thanks for the info.

 

[Reach4]

I have one Toto toilet and love it. 13 years with no problems. I need to buy another one for a new bathroom addition and really like those Totos with the skirts. I need to offset the toilet 2". I think your saying the Unifit will give offset like an offset flange would, if so, I don't see how it does. If you rotate the unifit fixture, I see how that back part moves (in a arch), is that how you get offset ? Also, how do you know that the toilet is seated on the Unifit, looks like you can't see the toilet to Unifit interface when your setting the toilet.
Thanks for the info.

I seriously doubt that you could rotate to offset the adapter to the side by 2 inches. I don't know how much such rotation would be available. Somebody putting one in could check for you fairly readily. Thinking back I am doubting there was an inch of rotation available on my Vespin 2, but I was not looking for that.

Knowing that the toilet is seated in the Unifit is not a problem. The intake side is very close to the wall when mounted. The receiver has a taper. The output of the porcelain comes down to fit inside the Unifit input. So I don't see how knowing if the connection is seated would be a problem.

 

[WJcandee]

The Unifit is designed to adjust forwards and backwards towards and away from the wall, NOT side-to-side. Wanna move the toilet to one side or ther other? See if your plumber can move the flange laterally. This means cutting floor and replacing floor, or maybe if it's only two inches the skirt can cover the surgery somewhat. Or, possibly, you're going to end up with an offset flange set horizontally, which is definitively not a wonderful solution. Are you sure you really need that 2" lateral move?

You can feel the protrusion from the toilet plugging into the Unifit when you do it right. And it isn't hard to aim. I could describe it, but then we would have to give the site an "R" rating.

 

[Kwolsen]

The Unifit is designed to adjust forwards and backwards towards and away from the wall, NOT side-to-side. Wanna move the toilet to one side or ther other? See if your plumber can move the flange laterally. This means cutting floor and replacing floor, or maybe if it's only two inches the skirt can cover the surgery somewhat. Or, possibly, you're going to end up with an offset flange set horizontally, which is definitively not a wonderful solution. Are you sure you really need that 2" lateral move?

You can feel the protrusion from the toilet plugging into the Unifit when you do it right. And it isn't hard to aim. I could describe it, but then we would have to give the site an "R" rating.

The Unifit is designed to adjust forwards and backwards towards and away from the wall, NOT side-to-side. Wanna move the toilet to one side or ther other? See if your plumber can move the flange laterally. This means cutting floor and replacing floor, or maybe if it's only two inches the skirt can cover the surgery somewhat. Or, possibly, you're going to end up with an offset flange set horizontally, which is definitively not a wonderful solution. Are you sure you really need that 2" lateral move?

You can feel the protrusion from the toilet plugging into the Unifit when you do it right. And it isn't hard to aim. I could describe it, but then we would have to give the site an "R" rating.

Thanks for the info. So your saying using an offset flange is not a wonderful solution. I've read similar posts elsewhere on the Internet. I'm not trying to challenge you, I'm trying to understand why offset flanges are supposedly an issue. The drain internal to the toilet looks like 3". While there is an offset from the 3" to the 4" exit inside the offset flange, why is that an issue assuming I use an offset flange that does the offset in the vertical part of the offset? Won't an object that is say 2.75" in diameter make it thru the jog in the offset just fine? It's hard to imagine the various plumbing supply companies would sell offset flanges that are knowingly bad products, but I'm not a plumber, so please educate me.

I could cut the 4" drain way back and get under the house and try messing with two 1/6 elbows (or whatever their called), to get the offset I want in the vertical part, but an offset flange is easier. I know doing anything for just the gain of 2" offset sounds crazy, but I really want the toilet to sit centered in the opening between vanity and wall or I will constantly notice the lack of centered toilet and possibly go nuts obsessing over it.
Thanks.

 

[Alan Abrams]

Greetings, Terry-

I am designing a remodeling project that includes altering an existing bathroom in a concrete frame building.

Presently the existing toilet hub is only 43.5" from the side wall, which does not allow enough code compliant clearance for a tub or shower beside the toilet. There is no feasible way to move the existing hub.

My question to you: is there enough clearance under a Toto toilet bowl (for example, a Carlyle II) to install the Unifit Adaptor slightly oblique to the back wall, in order to offset the toilet to the side? And if so, what is the maximum angle that will fit, before it interferes with the casting?

Thank you!