Toilet suggestions

[JP_]

Hi,

Had pictured loo installed last year as part of loft conversion, but it is crap. Usually takes a few flushes to get a clean pan, stupid. Want to change with minimal damage, so looking for suggestions. Bigger loo would be OK if that is best way to cover marks on tiles etc.

Does anybody have any suggestions for a good product? Also, about how much should such a job cost?

 

[muggles]

Firstly, you need to establish whether the problem is being caused by the WC suite, or by the soil system. There's no sense changing the loo if the pipes it's connected to aren't installed correctly. Is the stack ventilated through the roof? Is there a decent fall (ideally 44mm per metre) from the WC to the stack?

If the WC does need changing, how much it will cost depends entirely on which WC you choose to buy. Twyford Galerie WCs flush very well, as do Kohler Patio (I have experience of both)...both are around the £300-£400 mark and are very nice suites. Equally, the Wickes Portland flushes very well, but quality control on them isn't great so the cistern often doesn't sit straight, the glaze can have some defects in and the seat is made from the thinnest plastic known to man. You get what you pay for

 

[JP_]

Is the stack ventilated through the roof?
Is there a decent fall (ideally 44mm per metre) from the WC to the stack?

Don't know, but it is using an existing vent that went into the loft - goes out to side now I think.
Decent fall? Don't know that either, but I know the soil pipe is quiet close, so I would guess so.

I guess I need somebody to look at it then. I assume rubbish toilet. If pipes, that would mean removing tiles, nightmare!

Is it possible to assess this without making holes in walls etc?

 

[Nige F]

Equally, the Wickes Portland flushes very well, but quality control on them isn't great so the cistern often doesn't sit straight, the glaze can have some defects in and the seat is made from the thinnest plastic known to man. You get what you pay for

I've got one , threw the seat away , and stood in front of a painted wall it looks fine - though it's ****ed as a fart @ the top. Mind you the rest of the house is too Typical 60's bungalow. ( there's a putlog lying under the kitchen floor )

 

[dilalio]

What is the actual problem within the pan? Jobbies that won't leave for the seaside or staining?
Limescale is an issue for staining!

 

[Steve]

I got a Cooke and Lewis bog from b&q when it was on offer about 3 years ago. Brilliant flush, only needs a couple of litres to clear a big jobbie. Had a bit of fine tuning to get the flush buttons to work right. The flap used to stay open causing it to keep filling but managed to adjust that out. But once the teething problems were done with for £190 it is brilliant. We got it for £95 on offer. Not sure it's name but they only have one at that price.

 

[DaveHerns]

If you're a pebbledasher it's very hard to get a good flush to clear the pan... Has OP checked water level in the cistern to ensure he's getting the best flush possible?

 

[NuaghtyNigel]

If you want a good, powerful flush you cannot beat a traditional cistern high up on the wall. Unfortunately, low level and direct coupled cisterns will never give a really powerful flush, especially now that the flush volume is restricted to save water.

I am not an expert on this subject, but my observations are that pans with smaller/narrower trap entries tend to flush more effectively (owing to greater water velocity), although there is a risk that big jobbies can become wedged, so to speak.

 

[NuaghtyNigel]

Mind you the rest of the house is too Typical 60's bungalow. ( there's a putlog lying under the kitchen floor )

Our last house was built in the late 1960's/early 1970's.

I could never work out what had happened to the downstairs 'ring main', except that it wasn't a ring.

Then one day I lifted some floorboards in the kitchen to replace the steel alloy central heating pipes, which were corroding and leaking around some soldered joints.

There, lying in a puddle of water was a coil of LIVE 2.5 twin and earth, one end of which must have been connected at newbuild, but it had just laid there doing nothing for thirty years!

 

[NuaghtyNigel]

Is the stack ventilated through the roof?
Is there a decent fall (ideally 44mm per metre) from the WC to the stack?

Don't know, but it is using an existing vent that went into the loft - goes out to side now I think.
Decent fall? Don't know that either, but I know the soil pipe is quiet close, so I would guess so.

I guess I need somebody to look at it then. I assume rubbish toilet. If pipes, that would mean removing tiles, nightmare!

Is it possible to assess this without making holes in walls etc?

All sanitaryware is 'bog standard' so to speak, (BS 5503 I think), so if you were to change the pan the outlet spigot should be exactly the same size and in the same place. (102 mm OD, with a centre 190 mm from floor level.)

A new cistern is likely to have different mounting points, but they will be hidden anyway.

Most cisterns now have a water inlet beneath the cistern on the left hand side. I don't know whetehr this position is stipulated by BS 5503 but a flexible coupling with easily overcome any problems there.

So to sum up, it should all be 'plug and play', but I would check out the water flow and flush before spending any money.

 

[JP_]

No skids, just big jobbies sometimes. But not even just that - tissue just gets churned up sometimes and sometimes takes 2 flushes to get a clear bowl again. Really big jobbies can take 3 flushes, 2 to get rid of the poo and the third to get rid of the water that turns brown.

 

[Elkato531]

Some flush valves have adjustable flush volumes. If yours does, try setting to max. No bog should have a problem with only paper so I'd be looking for partial blockages or incorrect installation. I have in the past removed problem toilets to find that the internal seal on the pan connector has dislodged on installation and is partly blocking the outlet.

 

[just pumps]

Most pans should be to BS EN 33 or 37 but a hell of a lot aren`t nowadays, also sometimes you can cure this problem by actually reducing the amount of water in the cistern (just have to play around a bit until you hit the sweet spot).

 

[JP_]

I will have a go at playing with it .... although, no idea what I am doing TBH!

 

[just pumps]

I will have a go at playing with it .... although, no idea what I am doing TBH!

Set water level at maximum and try then slowly reduce the water in the cistern failing that look at pan connecter and in the pan spigot whilst the pan is out as others have said. Unlikely but could be something in the U bend restricting the flow. Note - Cheap pans tend to have a rough cast or missing finish coating in the spigot.