Which pan connector?

[amfisted]

Evening all

On the final stage of my bathroom renovation. Shower is in, sink is in, most of the shower panels are in place. Now its the turn of the WC.

I've bought one of those "back to the wall" WCs, intending to fit it without relocating any pipework. The photo below shows the current connection to the soil pipe, which is routed downwards under the floor where it disappears into what I can only describe as a hill of concrete, then exits underground to the outside. My question is what sort of pan connector should I used to connect the new BTW? Would a flexible connector be best? Looking at the picture it seems to me that removing the pan connector as I take the old WC away will leave a nice open pipe for me to connect to, though I'm unsure as to the condition of that pipe and I'll probably take up floorboards to inspect before making the connection.

 

[CountryFan]

Maybe a space saving type/swan neck?

 

[amfisted]

Maybe a space saving type/swan neck?

Thanks for that. I guess that there are a few options and I'm only really asking because a) even questions with obvious answers tend to be treated with respect on these forums, and b) although I've removed and refitted a WC before, I've never replaced one. So I was unsure whether there's something I could buy that wasn't available when the existing WC was fitted, perhaps 25 years ago.

 

[kidgreen61]

Please bear in mind BTW toilets are a pain to maintain because invariably they have to come out to remove cistern for simple repairs.

 

[amfisted]

Please bear in mind BTW toilets are a pain to maintain because invariably they have to come out to remove cistern for simple repairs.

Thanks for the heads up. The purchase has already been made and the bits are in the garage ready to fit. I've replaced a couple of siphon units in close coupled toilets, the type where the cistern has to come off the wall. If BTW maintenance is any worse than that, then there's definitely fun to be had.

 

[Madrab]

The key with this one is the space there is from the back line of the toilet and what distance there is to the projection of the spigot.

In other words, how much of a gap is there to fit the pan connector before it sticks too far out the back, you may have to leave a section of the wall out to allow some clearance. McAlpine's 'swan neck' connector has a projection of ~85mm

 

[Nige F]

Evening all

On the final stage of my bathroom renovation. Shower is in, sink is in, most of the shower panels are in place. Now its the turn of the WC.

I've bought one of those "back to the wall" WCs, intending to fit it without relocating any pipework. The photo below shows the current connection to the soil pipe, which is routed downwards under the floor where it disappears into what I can only describe as a hill of concrete, then exits underground to the outside.

I have a hill under my bathroom floor - luckily there was enough room to connect and use 110mm soil pipe fittings to shift the floor outlet some 300 mm. would be interested to see a pic. of yours

 

[amfisted]

I have a hill under my bathroom floor - luckily there was enough room to connect and use 110mm soil pipe fittings to shift the floor outlet some 300 mm. would be interested to see a pic. of yours

I plan to remove the old WC and raise the floorboards on Monday, so I’ll post a photo when all is revealed. It literally looks like someone has tipped a wheelbarrow full of concrete under the floor to make a protective hillock around a soil pipe. There’s also a giant (but dead) wasps’ nest under there, so it must have been a place of horror at one time.

 

[Elsa TLC]

Maybe a space saving type/swan neck?

You'll get another 2 inches from a swan neck.

The answer is in another thread going loose at the moment.

 

[amfisted]

You'll get another 2 inches from a swan neck.

The answer is in another thread going loose at the moment.

Thanks again, I'll buy a swan neck. I think it would also be wise to buy some spare 110mm soil pipe and connectors, because whilst cleaning up the site I have to remove the last of the ceramic floor tiles that the old WC currently sits on. Previous experience of just how firmly these are attached to the floor, and how much wanton violence I had to employ to remove them, indicates the potential for damage to the soil pipe during that process. They're set on a thin sheet of plywood which is nailed to the floor, and one might reasonably assume that it would be possible to simply prise up the lot by getting a flat bar or scraper underneath the plywood. Not a bit of it, and only a hammer and chisel will shift them. I suppose I could cut the floorboards and lift them with the tiles on top then replace with plywood, but that would be a waste of good timber.

 

[Elsa TLC]

Send a whole picture of the toilet and its surroundings.

The Swan will indeed help but may not be your answer.

 

[amfisted]

Send a whole picture of the toilet and its surroundings.

The Swan will indeed help but may not be your answer.

Pics below ( with some repetition, unfortunately) and thanks in advance. Its a dreadfully messy area, but I'll be throwing the WC out early next week so cleaning seems pointless. The distance from the last visible part of the WC spigot to the back wall is roughly 35cm. The white plastic pipe on the left and the piece of timber on the right are temporarily supporting the cistern, which is no longer attached to the wall.

 

[Elsa TLC]

Can you not remove the toilet, take up the floor and adjust 4 inch pipe under floor, so that the toilet can go fully back to the wall?

 

[amfisted]

Can you not remove the toilet, take up the floor and adjust 4 inch pipe under floor, so that the toilet can go fully back to the wall?

I can't be 100 per cent sure what's going on down there till I take up the boards. As I mentioned the other day, I had a look underneath an adjacent floorboard and there's a ruddy great mountain of concrete under the floor with the soil pipe sticking out of it. I'm sure I could break into that concrete eventually, with blood, sweat and the right tools, but meantime we'd have no toilet, possibly for days. But I appreciate the logic of your suggestion. .

 

[Madrab]

How much clearance under the floor before the vertical soil pipe disappears into the concrete? Is there enough to cut it below floor level and get an elbow on it to head backwards and still have the top of the soil pipe under floor level? If so then it's just a case of directing the soil pipe backwards, a piece of straight then back up above the floor.

Not ideal having that many bends but may be the only option if you can't get into that concrete.