Hardwater .... CEFIONTECT or not?

[Don Knots]

Getting ready to put a new toilet in the masterbath myself. Not a plumber myself but put a drake in over the weekend in the guest bath without issue using the guides on here

I have fairly hard water here in FL and wont have funds to get softner/filter put in for awhile as i want to move the lines to the garage so the sun doesnt beat it up a new one like the old non-working existing one. Probably going to be a good year or two before i can get back to the water issue due to other projects.

Was wanting to put a one piece in, either an ultramax 1.6G or ultramax II but was wondering how the CEFIONTECT holds up under the hardwater conditions? I just used a plain 'ole drake for the guest as i was unsure especially when there are precautions for cleaning it with harsh products.

So...if you had hardwater and you had to make a choice, would you go 1.6 ultramax with no sanigloss, ultramax 1.6 with gloss, or ultramax II?

I would love a carlyle with the skirt but that unifit thingy has me scared.....again im not a plumber.

 

[Reach4]

carlyle with the skirt but that unifit thingy has me scared.....again im not a plumber.

Unifit may be as easy for an amateur, but you need to drill 4 extra holes through the tile (if you have tile). Porcelain tile is very hard to drill, and ceramic is medium.

The reason I am thinking the Unifit may be as easy is that putting the wax ring in place is separated from dropping the toilet into place. With Unifit, the caulking is important, because it helps hold the front of the toilet in place. In a conventional toilet, the closet bolts hold the toilet in place.

Search around, and you can find instructions and experiences.

I gave up and used a pumice stick on my CEFIONTECT at the water line.

Regarding the softener outdoors, there are covers that will protect the tanks and controller.

 

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[Don Knots]

i looked at a video....doesnt look that bad.

Do the screws for the unifit adapter penetrate the slab too or are they short enough to stay in the tile? I guess a better question is how long are they ?
Was thinking about re-tiling that bath so i may want to do that first before i start screwing stuff down.

 

[Reach4]

I am thinking about 1.25 inches, but I could be off a fair amount. They definitely go lower than the tile. The holes in the tile are normally clearance holes. I was screwing into wood. Into a slab, you drill 5/16 holes into the slab to hold provided anchor inserts that the screws can screw into.

 

[Jadnashua]

You definitely want your hole through the tile large enough so that there's no chance of the screw trying to crack it when inserting it.

If you've not drilled a hard porcelain tile, you probably want to buy a diamond core bit to do it. They take a bit of finesse to get exactly where you want without burning up the bit or the thing skating all over the hard tile. One way would be to make a template out of say 1/4" Masonite, or plywood, and use it to help keep the bit from wandering. You need to keep the bit wet. Drilling with a diamond bit is more like grinding a hole than cutting it like you would in wood or metal. Go slow and keep things lubricated with water, and it works. Go fast and dry, and you'll burn the bit out. FWIW, the other way generally used is to start the hole with the edge of the bit at about a 45-degree angle so there's very little cutting and you can manage holding it in one place. Once you have a divot from that edge, slowly bring the bit (and drill) upright until you have a full circle perpendicular to the tile, then complete the cut going straight in. Most of these core bits do not have a center point, more like a hole saw without the center drill.