Toilet Replacement

Determining when you should replace a toilet with a new one comes down to a few factors.

The first is age; arguably, a toilet should last around 50 years. If your toilet is around 50 years old then it's probably time to replace it. Now let's look at what is realistic about keeping a 50+ year old toilet. Efficiency, aesthetics, replacements parts are just a few reasons to replace that old toilet plus one of the most important factors, cost of the toilet repair vs toilet replacement. In most cases, bringing an old toilet up to 75% of its original working condition with a full rebuild of the parts will cost close to what a budget-friendly new toilet will cost.

Sometimes a Toilet Replacement simply makes sense over repairing one. We find that most homeowners are updating their home every 10-15 years and the toilets are replaced at that time to adjust to aesthetics and technology. Now maybe you've determined it's time for a toilet replacement, and to pick out that new toilet, there are many options to choose from. Below is a list of questions to ask yourself when picking out that new one.

• What is the toilet rough-in? This is the distance from the wall to the center of the toilet flange or where the toilet bolts to the floor. Measure from the wall (not the baseboard) to the center cap on the toilet where it bolts to the floor and toilet flange. The most common is a 12" toilet rough-in and this measurement could come out to 11-1/2" - 13".
• Round front bowl vs elongated bowl? - In most cases, this is just preference. However, sometimes space of the door swing could determine if you're limited to a round front bowl.
• Standard height vs comfort height? -  This is just a personal choice; however, the popular choice with homeowners today is comfort height. Comfort height is closer to chair height and standard height is just a few inches shorter.
• Technology? - Single flush, Dual flush, pressure-assist, remote flush, etc.
• Choice of color? - Bottom line, this is a preference, however, the one thing here that might surprise you later with that darker color choice is how it might show dirt, water spots, etc. A quick comparison for that color choice you may have in mind is car paint. More specifically, the paint on cars after it rains. Some colors will show dirt and water spots more than others.
• Seat choice? - The seat needs to match the toilet selection (elongated vs round front). Do you like wood, composite, plastic seats? Do you want a standard seat hinge or a soft close seat?
• Budget? - Removing the old toilet and for a plumber to supply a decent toilet and install it will cost between $500 - $1,000. Specialty toilets and feature-packed bidet seats could easily skyrocket the cost upward to 5k.