Will a 10" Rough-in Toilet be better then a 14"? Possible fixes??

[rysmith27]

Hoping that someone could provide some insight on how to fix my current toilet problem. We recently installed a new toilet in our powder room, however we didn't really get the desired result and have been told that we really don't have many options in terms of fixing the problem. It appears that the plumbing was originally dug out too far from the wall (the center of the pipe is roughly 17" from the base of the wall). We've been told that short of digging up the concrete (and new flooring) we really don't have any options that would help to move the toilet back closer to the wall (it currently sits 7.5" away from the back of the tank to the wall -- see photos). I've also seen a part that Toto makes that allows you to adjust the depth of the toilet (14", 12", 10") but I cannot afford any of the Toto toilets that the part is compatible with at this time. So the question is, will replacing the toilet we installed with a 10" rough-in model as opposed to the current 12" model help bring us 2" closer to the wall, or will it push us out an additional 2"? The whole this is a bit confusing to me. Are there any other alternatives short of digging up the floor and redoing the line?

Thanks!

 

[Jadnashua]

It'll probably push it out an additional 2". The way to measure correctly is from the finished wall to the center of the toilet flange. A 14" rough-in toilet would likely stick out less than one designed for a 12". Only Toto uses the same toilet and maintains the same wall gap when using the Uni-fit adapter.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Gary Swart]

As Jim stated, measure from the finished wall to the center of the flange. When the toilet is in place, measure from the wall to the flange bolts. They are centered on the flange. The second photo would show this, but it's out of focus so much I can't read the yard stick numbers, but that measure is not from the finished wall, it is from the molding so that would add 3/4" to the measurement. When you consider a toilet will last for decades, it might be worth scraping up more money now for a Toto with a Unifit adapter that will fit the space properly.

 

[Nukeman]

A 14" Unifit will push it ~2" back (assuming you have a 12" toilet now). You'll still have a large gap, though. What is the distance from the drain center to that back wall? It could have been that it was plumbed assuming the toilet was facing the other way. If that dimension is closer to 12", you might rotate the toilet and move the supply line. If that doesn't work, I'd seriously think about moving the drain to the standard 12" spacing.

 

[rysmith27]

Thank you all for the responses.

Gary- The measurement from the base of the wall to the center of the flange is 17.5", so taking into account the additional 3/4" we're looking at 18"+ from the finished wall.

Nukeman- We thought the same thing, that maybe the toilet was intended to face the other way, but the distance isn't any closer than the present location, not to mention the supply line would have to be moved.

What's becoming clear now is that the previous owner or possibly even the builder jury-rigged the toilet that was installed before we moved in and we didn't realize it until we removed the toilet. When we did remove the toilet it looked like they had actually melted or bent a pipe to fit, as the back of the toilet tank fit flushly against the wall, but the toilet was not bolted down, but rather sat freely over the plumbing.

I guess bottomline is, does anyone know where to get the best price on a Toto that could accomodate the Unifit?

Thanks again!

 

[Nukeman]

I see. It is hard to judge that distance from the pics. If the distance was better, moving the supply is much easier/cheaper than moving the drain.

I wonder if the toilet you have on there is a 10" model. Do you have the specs on it? The reason that I think this is you have ~18" rough-in, but with the toilet installed, you have ~7.5" gap. This might happen if you put a 10" toilet on that rough-in (or it is a 12" toilet designed for a large gap behind it). If it is a 10" unit, than a Toto with a 14" Unifit will reduce the gap by about 4". You'll still have a decent gap, but it will be much better.

At any rate, say your rough-in is 18", a Toto with a 14" Unifit would make your gap 4" (18-14) + the designed gap between the toilet and the wall (normally 3/4"). So, your gap should be about 4 3/4" with the Toto instead of 7.5".

You could look at what Terry sells to get an idea of what the price may be and see what style you like. The Totos that take a Unitfit are most of their skirted models. They come with the 12" Unifit and you have to buy another Unifit to go to 10" or 14".

http://terrylove.biz/7-toto

Another option to reduce the gap would be to build out the wall behind the toilet so that it looks like the toilet is meant to be in that position. Not a great solution, but it might make things look better.

 

[Terry]

The new TOTO Vespin II with a 14" Unifit is the least expensive of the Toto toilets for that situation.

Even with that, then end of the bowl would be 34" from the back wall.
I can see that the toilet you have now sticks out much farther then that.

The rough-in measurement is from the wall, not the molding.
If your measurement is 16", then the end of the bowl would be at 33"

A 10" rough toilet would either stick out as far as what you have now, or be out 2" more inches from the wall
If you want the toilet closer to the wall, then you need a 14"
Most brands use a 12" bowl, and a big fat tank. The bowl never moves.
The only way to move the bowl, is to slide it back with a Toto bowl and 14" Unifit.

 

[rysmith27]

Thanks Terry, I appreciate your response!