20 year old house and the drake

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Murph

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Hello, I have a 20 year old house, and want to replace the toilets. Will the drake fit over the hole where my existing toilet is? Do I have to make special accommadations? Also, I have noticed that many purchase the ADA size versus standard why? , thanks
 

Jadnashua

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Measure from the wall (not the baseboard) to the bolts that hold the toilet in place. That is what is called the rough-in dimmension. In the USA, the standard is 12". If it is 12", any standard 12" rough-in toilet should fit. The only gotcha is some of the toilets are wider when they meet the wall, and the water supply may or may not fit (the Drake isn't one of those).

As people age, a higher toilet is a lot easier to sit on and get up from. The ADA height toilets are about an inch or so higher than "standard".
 

Peanut9199

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Also ADA is easier for taller people.
If you think about it the height of toilets have not changed for decades but peoples height has increased.
Me growing up 5-8" was average now 6' is, not sure why they haven't changed the normal height to this unless they are worried about little children.
 

Jimbo

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Also ADA is easier for taller people.
If you think about it the height of toilets have not changed for decades but peoples height has increased.
Me growing up 5-8" was average now 6' is, not sure why they haven't changed the normal height to this unless they are worried about little children.

This is a very interesting point. In recent years, the height of bathroom vanity sinks has increased from as little as 30, to 32 and 34. I have had people ask for a 36" vanity. It is an indication that taller people are "more common" than they used to be. It would be interesting to find some actual statistics about the average height of the average American.


Changing the industry standard for something like a toilet is a big deal, with lots of consequences. Realize that here in Southern California, the population is more than 50% hispanic, and the average height of the average illegal alien is under 5'. So it would be very hard to come up with any kind of consensus regarding what should be the height of a toilet!
 

Gary Swart

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You might consider the Toto Dartmouth. It is supposedly an improved version of the Drake. It only comes in ADA height. I recently installed one and it is very nice. Cost a bit more than the Drake. I installed it on my 12" rough-in and there was room to spare. Unless your family is very small, the ADA is an excellent choice.
 

Mikey

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The difference in height may not seem like much, but if you normally use an ADA-height toilet, but then one dark night have to use the non-ADA height toilet in the 2nd bath, believe me -- you'll notice it :eek:.
 
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