New toilet...larger gap between wall? What did I do wrong?

[airtas]

So I replaced a 30 year old toilet with an American Standard Cadet yesterday. I new toilet has a rough in of 12 but the gap is much larger between the wall and tank lid.

What did I do wrong?

I have attached photos of the old (Same toilet from another room) and new toilet for comparison.

I believe my actually rough in is 13.5/13
so was I supposed to get a 14 inch rough in toilet?

Is there a way to measure the rough in on the toilet I removed?

My photos have labels at the top for reference.

 

[Plumber69]

You did nothing wrong, some people actually like that gap for cleaning. If it bothers you im sure there is a toilet to get closer

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

I believe my actually rough in is 13.5/13
so was I supposed to get a 14 inch rough in toilet?

Faced with a similar rough, I put in a toilet that uses a Unifit adapter. https://terrylove.com/forums/index....rance-with-14-unifit-and-offset-flange.66596/ #3 illustrates what I did.

Is there a way to measure the rough in on the toilet I removed?

Set it on the floor backed up to a vertical wall. Measure the distance from the center of the bolt holes to the wall. Add maybe 3/4 inch for the space behind the tank.

 

[Terry]

You have a 12" rough toilet on a 14" rough (13.5")

Even at 12" it would have had some space between the tank and wall. What you pulled may have had a special 14" rough tank.

 

[airtas]

You have a 12" rough toilet on a 14" rough (13.5")

Even at 12" it would have had some space between the tank and wall. What you pulled may have had a special 14" rough tank.

Does the 14 inch rough stick out further on the front end compared to a 12?
I am pretty sure the old toilet was a 12 but the tank was much thicker so it hid the gap.
So I should have used a 14 in rough toilet?

 

[Reach4]

I am pretty sure the old toilet was a 12 but the tank was much thicker so it hid the gap.
So I should have used a 14 in rough toilet?

Many 14s are the same same as the 12 on the bottoms, but have a 2-inch thicker tank. Would you want one of those? They don't improve the space in front of the toilet.

How about a "spacesaver" instead of your wall shelves? That would tend to hide the gap.

 

[Jadnashua]

On many toilets, they use the same bowl for a 10, 12, or 14" RI. What's different is the depth of the tank to fill in behind it.

There's nothing 'wrong' with having a gap behind the toilet except for aesthetics, and everyone's opinion on that can differ. Normally, you want a gap there so condensation doesn't get trapped against the wall, but it doesn't have to be huge.

On most toilets when they just use different depth tanks, that moves the front of the toilet further into the room. On some Toto toilets that use their UniFit adapter, the exact same toilet will fit on a 10, 12, or 14" RI and have exactly the same distance behind, and project into the room the same amount, as long as you use the proper UniFit adapter...and, no, those are not interchangeable and only work on toilets designed specifically for that adapter.

The RI is measured from the finished wall to the center of the toilet flange (nominally, the bolts). When that's not exact, the gap behind the toilet will not be as designed. If it fits, it will work, but you may not like it. A typical toilet does not use the wall for support of the tank, so a gap is normal. How big, depends on the brand and the location of the flange.

 

[airtas]

Thanks for all the help, everyone!