Replacing a 1929 14" rough toilet

[Terry]

Sometimes we get called to replace old toilets from the 1920's that were roughed in at 14" from the back wall. Most of the time, the configeration of the bathroom is a little tight. When replacing, you can stick a standard 12" rough in, or install a 14" rough bowl that moves the sitting position back 2" more inches. Sometimes it's nice to have the knee room.

Standard toilet from 1929 that had been roughed at 14-1/2"

This can't be the original seat though.

The tank bolts to the wall.

The drain is centered where the back bolts are.

Is that a crack near the inlet? It's a good thing we're replacing it.

This happened while trying to loosen the nuts.

 

[Terry]

This bowl is not in good shape either.

Putty under the bowl. Lke it does anything good. Glad we don't do that anymore.

14" Unifit adapter, ready for the Vespin II bowl.

I can still see where the old tank was.

It will look better after painting.

Here we are snugged back to the wall.

Old

New TOTO CST474CEFG Vespin II with 14" Unifit.

Also old.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[WJcandee]

Hard to believe that they were still using that thing on a regular basis, because it doesn't work very well and uses a huge amount of water. Our 1927 Standard toilet gets used maybe twice a week; it's in a little water closet by the laundry room.

That bowl looks very much like ours. The nice seat and pretty handle that I installed on ours makes it look a lot better, though. Also, our connecting pipe looks nice and the porcelain is pristine.

The flush on the thing, as HJ often notes, is a very-marginally-effective forward-moving washdown flush that uses a huge amount of water but doesn't really move the "stuff" very well out of the bowl. Often, after the 7 gallons or so has passed, you still have a piece of TP or whatever in the bowl.

I love the little colored tiles in the floor in your photos. That's a beautiful antique floor; too bad they haven't maintained the molding and wall around the toilet very well. (It would probably also have been nice if their electrician had included a switchplate when installing their GFI outlet by the pedestal sink.)

Of course, your installation of the Vespin is beautiful. It turns the room from junky-looking to nice, and they get an elongated bowl that intrudes less into the room than the round did.

 

[Plumbs Away]

Here's to hoping that the new Toto is kept cleaner than the old Standard it replaced!

Is the Vespin II essentially a skirted Drake II?

 

[WJcandee]

Is the Vespin II essentially a skirted Drake II?

Exactly. They in fact use the same tank. The box for the tank says "Vespin II/Drake II Tank" on it.

 

[PlumbingFixtureEnthusiast]

You've made a huge mistake! That's one of the best toilets they could've had in that house that you have decided to replace with a shitty TOTO model that CLEARLY ISN'T GOING TO LAST VERY LONG!

Yes, it saves water, but it's going to take multiple flushes just to get even toilet paper down the drain, and, again, IT CLEARLY ISN'T GOING TO LAST VERY LONG! That's how awful water-saving toilets are today.

I really hope you sent that old toilet to a salvage yard, because it DOES NOT deserve to be sent to the dump!

What I find hilarious is that you guys are in favor of modern TOTO toilets more than any older toilet, which, again, is the actual water saver compared to the crap you're putting in in place of these wonderful antiques of toilets!

I know all this because I'm in a community that knows the reasons why the oldies were better than today's crap.

Here's to hoping that the new Toto is kept cleaner than the old Standard it replaced!

It doesn't deserve to be clean if it replaced such a wonderful antique of a toilet! It should be sent to the dump and smashed while being replaced with another antique toilet from the 1920's!

Hard to believe that they were still using that thing on a regular basis, because it doesn't work very well and uses a huge amount of water.

Uh, no, it works well and may use a lot of water, but is still functional for what it is. It's the actual water-saver compared to today's crap which requires multiple flushes to get stuff down the drain.

 

[WJcandee]

I have one. It does not flush well. And uses 9 gallons to do it. Unlike my Toto Drake, which take a single 1.6gpf flush to clear the bowl.

I just had to say that, although I know that you're just a troll trying to spark debate.

 

[Terry]

Yes, there is a reason I take those old toilets to the dump to be made into gravel for roads,
The TOTO Vespin, which I also have in my main bath works circles around the old wall hung junk we are pulling from old homes.
I like clean and efficient. Clean.

When I tried to remove the slip joint from the elbow, it split the tubing. If you do a repair on the old toilets, be prepared with parts.

 

[Gary Swart]

Come on guys, can't you see that this was satire?