Install Toilet Spaced Off Wall

bob_cntrctr

Gentlemen,

A recent job fixing a freezing water supply problem got me thinking about an upcoming job plumbing in a new bathroom.

At the frozen pipe job, I pulled off the toilet tank, and of course there's the usual black mould on the back of tank that sits against the wall and noone ever bothers to clean 'cause it's un-reachable. So I was thinking, in the upcoming install, why wouldn't I place the toilet a few inches off the wall?

I've seen the odd picture of bathrooms with the toilet set out from the wall, but I always thought of it as just an odd-ball layout for artsy magazine pics. But it occurs to me that, unless you're counting inches on the floor plan, it makes a lot of sense.

Anyone do this? Any good reasons not to?

Thanks.

1mancrew

I prefer to have the closet flange set at 12" o/c. I do a lot of bath remodels for physically challenged clients (W/C accessible sink, ADA comode, tile roll-in showers, etc.). I have had a remodels where the layout was not changed and the new comode set a few inches off the wall. I have had 2 call backs for leaking comodes. The tank was being used for a backrest and leaks developed at tank/base seal. I ended up adding framing behind tank for support. Not a good way to design in my opinion.

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Ron The Plumber

As long as you meet min code requirements you can put it where ever you like.

bob_cntrctr

Ya, I know I CAN put it anywhere - question is are there any practical reasons not to? Like 1mancrew's story - except I don't think physically challenged people leaning back against the tank will be a consideration in this case.

KillerToiletSpider

Well, you also have kids leaning against them, possibly intoxicated adults leaning against them, the possibillity of someone stumbling and falling into it and breaking it off completely, I could probably go on but I get tired of typing easily.

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bob_cntrctr

Those are pretty good.

Frankly, the notion of leaning back against the underside of the toilet seat sounds so gross to me that I had never considered the possibility. Do people really do that?

OK, so what's the solution to the un-reachable back side of the tank? You know that against the wall noone normal is ever going to get out any special cleaning tool to reach in there.

Burby

The nice thing is if it does not have ot be on a outside wall. If it is & cannot be changed. In a remodel ensure that outside wall is well insulated without over insulation as well as make sure the condensation is not from the tank itself, if so treat the inside of the tank to prevent condensation.
The tank lid should offer a bit of space between the tank & wall to prevent condensation from the wall to cause mold growth.
If the commode is set away form the wall, I would think that would cause more problems from leaking onto the floor than any possible condensation problems. From kids to adults, to the occasional woman under the influance, (cause us guys stand & do the ole one eye aiming) I would believe someone at some point would apply pressure to the tank to cause leaks if set from wall more than an 1", creating more of a liability problem.

But again the condensation if from the wall should be addressed if so, the tank as well. Some people just have no idea until, like you ,work on it for what ever reason and discover it along with the all the colors the bathroom has been painted over the years from never moving the tank when painting,

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Bodger

I've seen that moldy condition a few times. I have also heard of the practice of keeping the tank off the wall by at least an inch and placing a neoprene spacer between the back of the tank and the wall to prevent movement but allow air flow.

rbsremodeling

2" off the wall and use a one piece toilet

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KillerToiletSpider

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A flush is better than a full house.

WarnerConstInc.

No, put the tank up real high on the wall.

Tinstaafl

Over the years I've had the pleasure of working with two different people who tipped the scales at over 300 pounds (and weren't particularly tall). They each left a trail of toilet problems in their wake.

Regarding this particular situation, think about how they need to sit in order to hit the target, and it becomes pretty obvious why they "lean" against the top seat. They just have no choice.

And though your current clients may be Twiggies, they might just have a cousin Ralph who visits on occasion.

olyteddy

I deal with toilets a lot in apartments and have found no major problem of leaky tank gaskets with the toilet set off the wall. A well designed toilet will support the tank by more than the bolts and gasket anyway. I've even installed 10" rough in toilets to create an inch or so of air space (mostly when the original plumber roughed in at 11" or so). The space does cut down on the mold, but I generally look to other ways to alleviate it too, suchas increasing the gap below the door and rewiring the light switches so the fan has to be used to have the light on.

ct plumber

How about a lined tank it will not sweat to cause your mold problem.