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01-27-2018, 07:20 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-27-2018, 07:21 PM by Roly.)
(01-27-2018, 06:57 PM)JosephP Wrote: Going to replace toilet.
The current one, the tank is right against the wall (impossible to paint behind
). It measures 11.5" from wall to center of flange bolt. Is it safe to assume that it was originally intended to be a 12", but the builder "missed"? Wondering if we should go with a 10"?
I guess the question I have, since I haven't done this enough: How much leeway is there to move it forward or back? I don't need a lot of space behind it, but as it is, the lid barely goes on right - you have to flex the tank forward a hair to get in because it is so tight to the wall.
There is room in front to give a few inches and not feel cramped...but we will be going to switching from round to elongated, so already loosing a couple of inches that way.
Is the toilet tank on straight now ? It should fit with the measurements you gave. If the tank bolts were not tightened evenly that could make the tank lean. They also make offset flanges to move the toilet a few inches. Most toilets you cannot paint behind without removing the toilet. The offset flanges require cutting the existing drain pipe. Check to see if a offset flange is permitted in your area. There is no leeway to move the bolts forward as they are centered on the outlet of the toilet and centered on the drain pipe. Roly
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The tank is on straight. Permitting is not a concern...but I'd rather not make the project bigger than it has to be. Wouldn't a 10" offset toilet be simpler?
The other identical toilet is 13" wall to bolts, so clearly there was some carelessness at installation.
(The painting behind is a little bit of a joke...but we are painting and I will do that with the toilet gone).
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If necessary, you can replace flange with a offset flange. It might require major surgery. I had to do that in my remodel due to a i-joist in the way.
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An offset flange will let you use the existing toilet. It will be much cheaper than a new 10" toilet but can be riskier to put in.
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Thinking through this more...would I be better off to go to the crawl space and cut the pipe at the elbow and just extend it a little rather that trying to cut out the old flange without breaking anything else to do an offset flange? I haven't gone down to explore yet...but there could be a joist in the way...they run E-W and I want to move South. If that is the case an offset would work...right?
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I have the same situation in this house. Some worse than others. I ordered 10" Cadet 3 toilets but I have found that the Cadets run shorter than advertised. I'll bet you could put in a 12" Cadet 3 without a problem. It's worth a trip to HD and measure from the center of the flange bolt to the back of the tank lid. They run about 5/8" short of their listed size. The actual dimension from the toilet bolts to the back of the tank lid is 11-3/8", leaving you 1/8" between the toilet and your wall.
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Great to know that! I think we may be going up to HD to look at lights later this week as we didn't find anything in town. I'll measure.
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If the new toilet doesn't work out and you can get under the house and have the clearance, cutting the elbow off and extending the pipe will be more straightforward than an offset flange. You'll need the elbow, new pipe and a coupler. Just flush the existing toilet a few times before you remove it and cut the pipe...