We have been told we can’t change the orientation of our toilet due to the plumbing - want to understand if this is really the case

[steve589]

Hi, we are building a new bathroom and have been advised by our plumber that it’s impossible to change the orientation of the toilet because there isn’t enough fall from the toilet to the soil stack. We are just surprised that it can be impossible to change the toilet position and want some advice on this.

We can provide pictures if this site allows to better show the current piping.

Steve

 

[exedon2]

Pictures please
Things are rarely impossible sometimes not cost effective though.

 

[steve589]

We want the toilet to be backing on to the wall on the left, rather than the one at the back of these photos

 

[ShaunCorbs]

It’s doable but would allow half a day plus the removal of your boxing

 

[helpsy]

Off the top of my head you need 450mm from invert of toilet outlet to invert of pipe in the ground. is that a bend at the base or does it carry on down?

 

[gmartine]

Was the toilet reorientation included in the initial quote?

 

[Ric2013]

Off the top of my head you need 450mm from invert of toilet outlet to invert of pipe in the ground. is that a bend at the base or does it carry on down?

I do believe you're correct if the recommendations in Approved Document H are to be followed, but can't see what difference there is between putting the WC on the back wall or the side wall, assuming those two pipes connect up below the floor.

Perhaps the difficulty is that allowing a sufficient fall will involve dropping the branch connector lower than the existing pushfit socket at the base of the soil pipe will allow. Which involves extra work on top of cutting into and reconfiguring the soil stack. You've also got to remove the existing underground branch, unless a basin waste etc. is going to be connected to it as it is bad practice to just cap the top and leave a branch completely unused (especially underground).

If the customer wants something changed then the customer needs to pay for it. The extra work is not insignificant if it involves disturbing and reinstating a concrete floor and making good the damp/radon proof membranes. It's not necessarily something I would want to take on myself and the plumber may feel it to be outside his or her scope of works.

Two workarounds spring to mind. One is a toilet on a plinth, and the other is a macerator pump (providing this is not the only water closet in the house).