Will Toto Drake 1.6 tank fit any other bowl?

[jim baird]

Long story short here.

Unable to buy Toto Drake here except online, free ship to home or store.

UPS shipped. Tank OK, bowl broken. Vendor sent replacement bowl nonstop to store for me to fetch, thereby eliminating notorious UPS handling. Local brick and mortar vendor phoned today to say bowl arrived at store---broken.

This bowl is apparently not available except online. It appears that nobody can ship it without breaking it.

Vendor agreed to refund my money, and to heck with the tank.

So I have a new tank without a bowl. Is there light at the end of this tunnel?

 

[Terry]

You're 90 miles to the factory in Morrow Georgia.

Now you know why I quit shipping porcelain over ten years ago.

I get my stuff local, and it's always perfect. The main distribution center for the Northwest comes packed solid in semi's and nothing can move. Break them into single shipments, and all heck breaks loose.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[WJcandee]

I wouldn't give up so soon. Yes, stuff sometimes arrives broken. You are living proof that the "last mile", whether to a local retailer or to your front door, can be perilous. When Terry goes and buys it at the distribution center, it got there safely and then it's up to him to get it home without breaking it. When you (as we often recommend) order it from a local plumbing supply place, you stand a decent chance of it arriving in one piece, but probably in truth not much better than to your front door. It's just that when it arrives broken at the retailer, it's their problem not yours.

There is a percentage of this stuff that breaks in transit. It's fragile, regardless of which manufacturer it comes from. No matter how well-packed, all it takes is some douche to start pitching parcels off the back of the truck onto the ground, and it's cooked. Sadly, some delivery people see the word FRAGILE as a challenge. With Toto, at least it probably left the factory in good shape and unbroken. The percentage of stuff that arrives broken, depending upon who is telling the story, is 10-40%. I would stay with it, having it delivered either to your home or to a local retailer. Home Depot also sells Toto, if you have one nearby. You have to order it, or you can order it from them to deliver to your home.

Tell me what model number is on the tank, and then we can talk about the bowl model number. (The tank number is going to be ST_____.) I'll give it to you and you can order a bowl separately. And in one or two more tries, you'll get one that isn't broken. Unless you're just insanely unlucky. I have ordered 3 new Toto toilets in the last two years, and they all made it to the destination in perfect condition.

 

[jim baird]

Thanks for the replies.

WJC, the vendor was Home Depot, but they do not stock Toto at brick and mortar, only sell it online. I "knew better", but online order was the only local (25-30 mi.) choice.

The tank is ST743S#01.

Guess I may have to drive further to find one intact.

 

[jim baird]

Success...located two Toto showrooms, each about 50 mi. away. Both near big reservoirs with a lot of high-end residential. One has the Drake bowl in stock, and I am going to go fetch. Thanks for the replies, guys.

 

[hj]

quote; Guess I may have to drive further to find one intact.

OR just keep trying. It took Kohler 3 tries before they got a toilet to me in one piece.

 

[WJcandee]

Thanks for the replies.

WJC, the vendor was Home Depot, but they do not stock Toto at brick and mortar, only sell it online. I "knew better", but online order was the only local (25-30 mi.) choice.

The tank is ST743S#01.

Guess I may have to drive further to find one intact.

Okay, so that's the standard Original Drake 1.6gpf tank. That will fit on:
C743E bowl to make a round Drake;
C744E bowl for an elongated Drake;
C744EF.10 bowl to make a 10" rough-in universal-height Drake;
C744EG bowl to make an elongated Drake with CEFIONTECT,
C744EL bowl to make an elongated Drake at Universal Height on standard 12" rough-in.

You can order any of these bowls at a local plumbing supply. Or you can get HD to order it again for you. Or use that other method that we don't discuss on here. Oddly, I seem to hear more about HD having problems with Toto arriving cracked than with other sellers; probably a coincidence but maybe because of handling once it gets there... I do know that when the big kahuna of online guys (and it's not the folks that begin with A) ships, they put the box in a box and foam it in place -- which may or may not do anything, but they make the effort. I have also noticed that some of the online prices are now higher than they used to be at the better online retailers -- doubtless a result of the amount of stuff that gets destroyed in shipping the last mile...

Your least expensive option might be to give HD another chance to get it right, given that you're getting it from them as part of a set (tank and bowl). The best price on the standard C744E bowl that I have seen is about $130 delivered; that's more than half of the street price of a basic Drake. Unless you need the thing tomorrow, you can lean on HD and they will eventually get you that Drake bowl that will work so well for you...

Come back with any other questions.

EDIT: I see that you found one! Congrat's. Let us know how it goes.

 

[jim baird]

Thanks WJC, for the thorough info. Just got back from a step n fetchit run of 120 mi total, bowl intact, sold it to me for $118, plus I had to buy an elongated seat for another $18. I need the thing by this early week, as we have an event planned here for about 30 people next wkend, and need more than one WC.

HD verified my full refund credit this AM, nevermind stinkin' tank. Ironically, wife said while I was gone to fetch, another HD rep called saying they were shipping again! However, if I can believe my e-mail confirmation of refund, I really don't care if they ship again, as it ain't my problem and it ain't my bowl.

Lesson well learned here is to rely on local venodr for this kind of item, which I sought but could only find 60 miles away!

 

[WJcandee]

Glad it all worked out. Let us know if you have any questions re install; there's a nice little sticky in this forum that has some tips from Terry's son. And let us know how you like your new throne. My favorite review to date was the guy who asked his wife to buy him one for his birthday, he hated his old toilet so much. She did, and now every time he flushes, he gleefully yells, "TOTO!!". Oy. But I am glad he is so happy!

 

[jim baird]

I appreciate the great advice. The sticky was a good guide. I used a double thick plus an extra wax ring as flange was quarter inch below tile surface. The tank is not snugging down to the three points so well with just two bolts pulling, and just now I find that my old supply riser that I want to re-use, at 12", is about a half-inch too short. The tank is only about 1/8 to 1/16 away from contact points. With tank not filled yet it still feels slightly winky-wonky on its big fat sealing washer. Suppose I will have to get another darn riser.

 

[WJcandee]

You don't have to have it resting on the three points; usually the thickness of a couple of sheets of copy paper is about right. The key is to tighten it down enough on that doughnut sealing washer that the thing remains stable. I sometimes have had to release the bolts and start over. Start with the tank nice and level, hold it with one hand and tighten down, alternating side to side, a turn or two per side, and make sure it's level as it goes down. You won't overtighten it as long as the 3 points of contact don't actually contact. (Of course, be careful that they don't, because additional tightening is going to crack the tank after that.) When properly done (i.e. when the thing has gone down level until about 1/16" above the points of contact), you can feel that it's nice and solid.

The two bolts work fine, but it takes a smidge of touch to keep the tank level while tightening. You'll know when it's there, and it will feel right.

It doesn't hurt to change the supply to a good-quality braided-stainless hose when you change the toilet.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[jim baird]

...thanks again. Just had to slow down and proceed with care. New Toto is up and running well.

 

[WJcandee]

Fantastic! Congratulations! So glad we could help, and we hope you love it!

 

[Dieter Schmied]

Seems like there should be an answer to the breakage. I can buy new tanks for pennies from the online auction of returns. Why can't they spray release agent into the cavities followed by foam insulation in a can; then flush it out with a common solvent that will need to be disposed of properly. You might be surprised how strong that foam is.

 

[Gary Swart]

Me thinks you haven't done you homework in finding a local plumbing shop that can order a tank. As Terry pointed out, you're only 90 miles from the Toto factory. Might even be a good excuse to find a reason to so to Atlanta for a day. When I got my Toto toilets, I thought I was lucky that Terry is only 140 miles away.