Toilets

Toilets come in a vast array of prices. The questions you need to ask yourself are:

• How much space do you have?
• How much money do you want to spend?
• How much of a statement do you want to make?

Water Usage

Is water usage important to you? If so, all toilets now come with a star rating on their water usage (all Australian toilets must comply with Australian Standards and be dual flush but there is still a difference in how many litres some toilets use.)

Standard use is 3 litre half flush, 6 litre full flush. (Old toilets used up to 13 litres per flush)

Components

• Pan- Base of the toilet
• Cistern- Vessel to hold water for flushing
• Seat- Seat and lid
• Suite- Pan, cistern, seat and connector (if required)

P-Trap S-Trap

Your plumbing will dictate which you need

• P-trap the waste exists through the wall (on a 2nd story toilet with suspended slab you may need a P-Trap to exit through the wall)
• S-trap the waste exists through the floor.

Materials

• PVC- plastic (cistern and seat, not pan)
• Porcelain- glazed vitreous china/ceramic
• Timber- seat only

Wall Hung Toilets

These toilets are mounted on the wall with the cistern concealed behind the wall.

• They use less space as the cistern is hidden
• Expensive
• Easy to clean as they float above the floor
• Maintenance to cistern is more complicated as access to the cistern must be allowed for

Close coupled Suite

These toilets sit on the floor like a normal toilet. The waste exists through the floor or wall.

• The cistern sits snuggly above the pan allowing water to wash bowl as it flushes.
• Smooth lines and easy to clean
• Mid range pricing

Link Suite

• A bit old fashioned
• Cistern is linked to the pan with an adjustable pipe.
• Pipe can be concealed with a connector
• More flexible for difficult installations

• Inexpensive

Back to Wall

• Great looking suites where the cistern and pan sit flush to the wall and to one another.
• Smooth lines, no exposed pipes
• Modern look
• Easy clean
• Mid to upper level pricing

Helpful Hints

When choosing a toilet pan look for the smoothest exterior finish you can find. A smooth skirted pan will be much easier to clean that a pan with crevices.
Sit on the toilet in the shop…..yes I know its embarrassing, but comfort varies widely .
Check for noise. If the valve allows low flow pressure and flow rate it will be quieter
You really want the toilet to be as unobtrusive as possible. White doesn’t date no matter what the next new colour is. You can always be outrageous with the seat if you want something unique. (keep the white one that came with the toilet…..just in case!)
If you are on a budget buy a link suite with a connector to conceal the link. A pvc cistern and a smooth skirted pan. It will just disappear within the room and be easy to clean.

Related Topics

Plumbing Fixtures and tapware

Basins

Baths

Tiling