How to install a toilet that fits properly?

Hello Edward, not sure what I am looking at, but did Homebase attend and quoted for the job b4 the installation or did they just take on the project then attend to fit the toilet?
I ask because both parties should have agreed on what needed doing. All I can say at this stage is that the outlet of the Soil Pipe will determine how successful an installation will be. Yours seem to go down the floor, some exit out the wall. For soil pipes that exit down the floor, you are restricted to your choice of toilet. Best options will be Low level or High level toilet installation. A close couple will work but in most cases, you will have to box in the gap left behind.
Looks like they have gone for a good option (low level), so I'm not sure why they can't cut the down pipe to fit properly? They have been there, I have not, so they may know something I do not know

 

After looking at the pictures, it looks as if they have fitted a closed coupled toilet? If that is the case, then there is a 99% chance you will have a gap at the back considering the soil pipe exits through the floor. In your situation, a good quality toilet (where the pan outlet is shorter) will be ok but they come at a price.

 

You have a good case I reckon to have a claim for the shoddy work.

We need our legal bod DA to comment.

 

A swan neck connector will at least sit the toilet back a bit further. As I understand it the toilet base at the back will still hit the clay soil pipe going into the floor.

You can also cut the clay pipe flush with the floor using a grinder to gain another inch or so back.

Also that flexi hose connecting the toilet cistern really should be swapped for copper pipe (otherwise it will look ****).

 

Hi Ed.

As T'Morg says a 'swan neck' is designed for chust this issue - it'll give you a good inch or more to move the pan backwards.

The simplest situation for 'height' is a low-level cistern as the downpipe can be adjusted to suit. But it looks as tho' the H'Base fitters managed to get a close-coupled cistern to sort the 'height' issue anyway?

To answer your question - yes, a professional plumber would have tackled this differently and would have given you what you wanted from the off. He would have sourced all the correct parts to answer the problem. Homebase, on the other hand, were presumably restricted to the bathroom pottery items they stock themselves?

And, to compound these errors, the 'boxing in' is very shoddy indeed.

So, you can rightly tell them to take it all away unless they sort it out to your original requirements.

If they refuse, you have a chat with the branch manager. You tell him/her calmly that you know there is a proper solution available and that clearly H'Base is not up to the task. Therefore you'd like them to remove everything and refund all your money (if you've paid them).

If he does not comply, you'll have to give them written notice of your intentions - you will get an independent plumber to remove all their work and install anew. You give them a week to comply.

Then contact a recommended local plumber - have a chat at a builder's/plumber's merchants for peeps.

 

Forgot - if H'Base don't comply, your written notice also explains that they will be liable for all the extra costs of removing their work (above what the new plumber would have had to do anyways...)

Have you paid them? If so, you also inform them you will sue them (MoneyClaim.gov or Small Claims local CCourt) for all you've paid them for this unsatisfactory work. And you will win.

 

I am not defending Homebase but the problem you have is that Homebase is limited to the range of sanitary ware it can supply - i.e. only those "ranged" by Homebase likewise B&Q could not fit any kitchens not made by them

in the first picture the distance between the back of the pan and the pipe is only a little wider than the diameter of the nut - about 30mm at most. Even with a flexible pipe connector you won't be able to move the pan back more than that which will still leave some infill behind the cistern.

The fifth picture shows the edge of the bath ? The toilet is far to close to the bath but you said you have a really small bathroom ? Your

only option to get the pan close to the wall is to move the toilet to the left by replacing the pan connector with a 90 pipe connector, turning it 90 degrees and then refit the pan connector. This will move the toilet about 200mm to the left.

The main issue for me is the plasterboard near the bath edge - this will never work as the water from the bath will eventually dissolve this

 

Swan neck connector would give you just enough room to back the cistern to the wall. But I reckon you'd be better off having the push button on the front of the cistern so that the sill doesn't get in the way of it.

 

If you look at the first picture there is a compression fitting on the floor between the pan and the pipe in the ground. The compression nut is 24mm diameter so the pan can only go back a limited distance - not enough to get the cistern against the wall

 

What comp fitting, Sos?

I don't see this...

 

By compression meant the flexible connector - same diameter. The connector in the picture is 2/3 complete but even so there is limited room to push it back

 

Well spotted, I didn't notice that. In which case it would need a different pan as well; the back-to-the-wall ones generally have plenty of room for retrofitting.

 

No problem. With jobs like this is that no matter how much you try and measure things it is quite difficult to judge how things are going to fit together unless you have all the actual items on site and can dry fit them.

It is probably about the best it is going to get although the boxing in needs to be tidied up, preferably swapped with a cement board near the bath

 

I saw that fitting, and assumed it was the cistern inlet. How does that affect how far the pan and cistern goes back?

 

because the space between the base of the pan is the about the same size as the nut - 30mm. So the most it could go back is that distance which doesn't look enough to get the cistern against the wall - the boxing that has been fitted looks a lot bigger than 30mm

 

Just thinking the best way to achieve to what the OP wants is something like this with a concealed cistern

 

I agree; looking at the bttw models that Homebase have, they would all be too high for the sill

 

yep 825 mm as opposed to the 750 window. However, it is only 75 mm and I have seen them fitted across windows and they don't look too odd but its down to the OP's taste