Toilet Hole

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Understanding the Parts of a Toilet

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Richard Epstein is a licensed master plumber with over 40 years experience in residential and commercial plumbing. He specializes in estimating as well as design and engineering for plumbing systems, and he works for one of New York's largest union plumbing construction companies.

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Toilets address a need that’s basic, human, and ordinary, and they do so with elegant simplicity. In the last century or so, minor aspects of the toilet have evolved, but the basic parts of a toilet remain the same.

At the base is a bowl that the user sits on. The toilet tank, a separate piece that’s attached to the bowl upon installation, collects water from the home’s water source. Upon demand, the tank sends all of that water rushing into the bowl to carry waste materials into the sewer.

Understanding the parts of a toilet is vital to diagnosing and fixing common toilet issues such as clogs, a constantly running toilet, or leaks around the tank or bowl.

The toilet bowl is the large base on which the user sits. With an oblong or round hole to accept waste, most toilet bowls are made of vitreous china, a waterproof material that resists staining well.

Built into the bowl is a C-shaped internal trap that carries the waste away. The trap’s other function is to keep a small reserve of fresh water as a seal against sewer gases escaping into the home.

Using a toilet plunger is sufficient to force most toilet clogs down into the sewer line and away. When that doesn’t work, a toilet auger can be used to pull the clog in the opposite direction—upward and out.

The tank o-ring seal (more commonly known as a mack washer), or tank-to-bowl gasket, is a large O-shaped rubber or wax washer or gasket that fits between the bottom of the toilet tank and the top of the toilet bowl. Its purpose is to prevent water from leaking out of the toilet tank.

When a toilet is leaking below the tank yet above the bowl, the reason is usually a poorly installed or cracked O-ring seal. The solution is to empty the tank of water, remove the tank, and replace the O-ring with a new one.

A floor flange is a round metal or plastic bracket located above the sewer pipe protruding from the floor and below the toilet bowl. The floor flange, or closet flange, is firmly attached to the floor by screws or bolts. The toilet attaches to the flange with T-bolts.

Subjected to leaking water, floor flanges can become rusty and break, leaving the toilet shaky and prone to leaks. If a toilet is leaking at the bottom , usually the cause is a broken floor flange, a poor wax seal, or both. The fix is to remove the toilet, remove and replace the flange, and set the toilet back in place.

A wax seal is a round, cone-shaped gasket that fits between the bottom of the toilet bowl and the top of the floor flange. Its purpose is to prevent water from leaking from the toilet. Wax seals can be used only once.

If a toilet is leaking at the base, the wax seal may be cracked or insufficiently sized for the space. To fix, remove the toilet, scrape off the old wax ring and dispose of it, then replace it with a new wax ring or a silicone ring.

Extra-thick wax rings are available that help to provide a tighter seal, especially when there are height issues with the floor.

The toilet tank is the upper part of the toilet which rests on the top of the toilet bowl. The toilet tank contains the water that gets released when the toilet is flushed. The toilet handle is attached to the toilet tank.

Toilet tanks are solid-state pieces made of porcelain. With no moving parts, they rarely malfunction. Sometimes, a toilet tank may crack or break. Hairline cracks in toilet tanks can be repaired by drying out the inside of the tank and adding silicone plumbing epoxy to the crack.

The toilet handle is the lever located on the toilet tank that is used to flush the toilet. In some cases, the handle is not a lever but a large button on the top of the toilet lid. Dual flush toilets have two buttons: one for flushing liquid waste and another for flushing solid waste.

The toilet handle is attached to a long arm that extends into the toilet tank. The end of the arm pulls the chain that releases the flapper.

It is rare for the toilet handle itself to malfunction, but the arm inside the toilet tank can bend or break from repeated use. It is possible to bend metal arms so that they are straight again. Bent or broken plastic arms must be replaced. The handle and the arm are one piece, so both must be replaced together.

The toilet float is a round plastic or aluminum ball that is buoyant enough to float on top of the water in the toilet tank. The toilet float is responsible for managing the level of the water in the toilet tank.

When toilet floats no longer float on the tank water, the best solution is to install a new float. Symptoms that point to the need for a new toilet float: water flowing after the tank is full; tank not filling completely; or the toilet continually running.

The toilet chain, sometimes called a lift chain, is a short strip of metal-linked chain that connects the toilet lever to the toilet flapper. After the toilet lever is depressed, it pulls the toilet chain, which in turn lifts the toilet flapper.

Since toilet chains receive a lot of use, they often break. If the chain breaks off at either end, it often can be reattached using a piece of wire. Better yet, purchase a new chain. Chains come as part of a flapper repair kit or a toilet refill repair kit.

The toilet flapper is the rubber stopper located on the inside base of the toilet tank which lifts and closes to send water into the toilet bowl. The toilet flapper is controlled by the toilet lever via the chain. After the water has been released, the flapper falls back into place and closes the hole at the base of the tank, much like a rubber stopper in a bathtub.

The toilet flapper can harden and lose its seal after enough use. This is often one reason for constantly leaking toilets. New toilet flappers can be purchased independently and installed on a one-for-one basis. Sometimes, they come as part of a toilet refill repair kit, including a toilet fill valve, related hardware, and the toilet flapper.

The refill tube is a flexible plastic tube in the center of the toilet tank that trickles water into the toilet bowl when the toilet is refilling. Toilets must have a small amount of water standing at the bottom of the toilet bowl as a trap that seals the bathroom against sewer gases.

Plastic refill tubes may crack and leak over time. A solution is to purchase a refill tube repair kit and install that in place of the faulty refill tube.

A water supply shut-off valve is an oblong-shaped knob on the flexible braided water supply line. The water supply line comes from the home's fresh water supply and attaches to the bottom of the toilet tank. The purpose of the shut-off valve is to turn off the water to the tank in case of emergency or for repairs.

Shut-off valves often have plastic handles, so they are prone to breakage if turned too tightly. Shut-off valves can be removed and inexpensively replaced. The same braided water supply line can be reused if it is still in good condition.

There are standard toilet dimensions generally. The height, width, height to seat and depth varies by toilet type. Below you can see our toilet dimensions diagrams for all toilet types.

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Posted on Published: August 6, 2021 - Last updated: August 11, 2021
Note the above can vary considerably depending on the type of toilet .
The toilet may be a simple household fixture – but it’s one that many of us couldn’t imagine living without. Even simple toilet fixtures can have complicated features. Kick your research off right by checking out this series of basic toilet dimensions, drawings, and definitions.
You might even think that if you’ve seen one toilet, you’ve seen them all, or that the only thing worth deciding upon is whether you want fun and functional features like an integrated bidet, custom seat height or dual-flush capabilities. But pull in those reigns! There is so much more to consider when choosing which throne to add to your throne room.
From a simple corner toilet to a fancy dual flush toilet with a bidet toilet seat – it’s clear that not all toilets are created equal. In light of this, finding the right toilet for your home can be a struggle
Before you head to your local home improvement store or click over to an online retailer, it’s best to prepare yourself for a great array of choices. Toilets come in many different configurations, styles, and features, including features you may have never heard of.
While extra features and components are fun and important, the most important thing to look at is toilet dimensions. After all, you don’t want to get a toilet with an elongated seat if your bathroom is narrow.
You also don’t want a toilet that’s so large that guests hit their knees on the opposite wall when they stand-up, or so wide that it sits too snug next to the bath or shower. If you opt for a taller toilet, you need to make sure it fits in well with the rest of the bathroom – if it’s much higher than the sink, for example, then this could look out of place!
You also don’t want to get a small toilet that makes the rest of your bathroom fixtures and furnishings look comical. A compact toilet is one thing, but an undersized toilet is quite another!
Then there’s the height to consider. Too high and you’re tip-toeing even while sitting and too short and you might as well be squatting.
So how to find the right toilet dimensions? While every person and family is unique, we hope the following look at different toilet dimensions will help you get an idea of quality setups as well as how to set-up those toilets.
If you’re looking for something simple and practical, then you will really appreciate this single-unit toilet. Created as one solitary piece, this compact toilet is a great choice for a small bathroom or apartment bathroom , or for those trying to save space.
You can install the Back-to-Wall 1-PC toilet directly on a finished floor so long as you have the outgoing water pipe available to be installed at 12″ away from the finished wall. There is a 5.5″ gap between the finished wall and the bottom rearmost wall of the toilet. This allows for ample room to reach and clean the water valve for the incoming water to the top of the toilet supply tank. The pipe fitting for the water valve likewise is 5.5″ above the finished floor.
The Back-to-Wall 1-PC’s compact size offers several advantages including being easier to clean, being more durable due to there being fewer shifting components to brake, and having a sleeker, more modern design. This specific unit also comes with the dual-flush option. At the top of the tank, you’ll notice that there is a button for a “Half Flush” and a button for a “Full Flush”. Half flushes use significantly less water and ideal for removing liquid waste while full flushes are powerful enough for the thorough removal of other waste.
If you have a larger bathroom or taller family members who want something a bit easier on the knees, then consider purchasing something with dimensions like this Back-to-Wall Elongated 2-Piece Toilet. And when it says elongated, it really does mean elongated. From the back of the wall to the forward-most tip of the toilet bowl, this toilet measures 30.5 inches — which is ideal for large bathrooms . But note that this toilet would feel cramped in many smaller half baths. The toilet seat itself spans 18.5 inches long and is just under 14 inches at its widest.
In addition to being long, the Back-to-Wall Elongated 2-Piece Toilet also has some notable height advantages. The seat itself is 16.5 inches above the finished floor. This height allows most average to tall-sized adults to sit very comfortably atop the throne. Furthermore, unlike most compact toilets which have a lower tank behind the toilet bowl, this design allows for a fairly tall secondary unit behind its toilet bowl. Here, the top of the tank reaches an ample 30.75 inches above the finished floor.
For those homeowners who want tall and wide but don’t like the extra-long look of the aforementioned elongated toilet, or who simply don’t have the space in their bathroom for such a model, consider the advantages of the more balanced Back-to-Wall Round Front 2-Piece Toilet.
This toilet is billed as two pieces but they connect snugly together to give the greater impression of one cohesive and nicely balanced unit. From the back of the wall to the forward-most tip of the toilet bowl, the Back-to-Wall Round Front 2-Piece Toilet measures 28.5 inches. This makes it a full two inches shorter than the aforementioned Back-to-Wall Elongated 2-Piece Toilet.
This toilet design features an incoming water supply valve that can be set in two positions. It also has the flush lever conveniently on the upper top left side just below where the 15.75-inch long toilet tank cover rests. This lever faces outward and thereby enables homeowners to put furnishing directly beside the toilet without having issues with people needing to reach to the side to push the flush lever. Note that unlike the first toilet design in our list that boasted the dual-flush mode for better water conservation, this design as it stands only allows for one-size-fits-all flushing capability.
For those who choose a more modern home design, are installing a toilet in a commercial business or a home repurposed from a commercial business, or who otherwise have a unique design, then you might not have a central sewer pipe, or you may be looking to move it to another location in the building or room.
In any case, the most popular alternative is to hang the toilet on the wall and have the outgoing sewer pipe placed alongside the incoming water pipe. In this case, all the pipework will be in the wall and out of sight.
Wall Hung toilets are attractive as there’s no gunk or build-up that commonly occurs at the base of the toilet because there is no base. Instead, the toilet is hung on the wall and the outgoing sewer pipe cuts through the wall and drains down and out. Where there should be a base, there is empty space, which creates another benefit of making it much easier to clean floors.
Of course, while Wall Hung toilets make things a lot easier in the long-run, they can be frustrating to install. Because most of a person’s weight will rest on the Wall Hung toilet, it is incredibly important that you have it installed on strong through beams and if you aren’t especially handy, that you have someone else do it for you. Installing a Wall-Hung toilet will also usually require some demolition work, as you’ll need full access to the backside of those beams to fully secure the fittings.
If you’re nervous about the strength of a Wall Hung toilet, then consider the balance this Wall-Faced design offers. With this Wall-Faced toilet you can enjoy that stable base that will offer ample weight support and you’ll enjoy the side benefit of having the actual water tank portion of the toilet hidden behind the wall.
Like with the Wall Hung toilet design, the Wall Faced toilet will also have the outlet waste pipeline going through the wall. This can help prevent corrosion and leakage issues at the bottom base of the toilet. That said, you will still need to use some floor fixings to secure the toilet in place.
The design here has the toilet sitting about 550 centimeters out from the wall to the outermost tip of the toilet seat bowl. This makes the design a bit more compact compared to other options and a good choice if you’re concerned about space.
This basic overall toilet dimension drawing helps show the key measurements that you will need to take when researching and choosing a toilet to buy. Note that these dimensions should primarily be used when looking at traditional toilets that have a base that sits upon a finished floor and have an exit waste supply pipe going down through the floor.
For these dimensions, you must look foremost at measurement “A” and measurement “B”. “A” measures the length from the finished floor to the very center of the water exit circumference, or, in other words, the center of where that closet flange will be placed and the bottom of the toilet secured. Measurement “B” will be the height of the toilet bowl.
This measurement is important as it will both determine how comfortable you, your family, and your guests will be when sitting atop the bowl and it will determine how your water supply piping will fit, for example, a higher toilet bowl seat will often require longer water supply piping.
This dimension drawing showcases the various parts of your water tank. The most important part to install correctly is the rubber gasket. Also, ensure that the tank-to-bowl gasket fits snugly and there are no tears, cuts, or chips that might otherwise allow water leakage.
Once you have the tank-to-bowl gasket aligned, the next step is to secure the water supply line and screw down the bolts. When installing the other components of the toilet water tank, if they aren’t already installed, the best tip is to start at the bottom and move upward.
Your toilet’s handle fully controls when the water flushes out from the bottom bowl and new water from the tank flows in. When you press down on the lever, it lifts off the flush valve chain, which lifts the flapper, allowing all of the water in the tank to flood into the toilet bowl and thereby push out the excess waste. The other components of the water tank are designed to ensure your tank fills up to the level necessary to complete that whole flushing process again.
Picking your preferred toilet dimensions is only the very first step towards enjoying a new throne for your bathroom. The next step is understanding how to install it. We hope this basic installation design helps you learn to place and secure your toilet in the set hole.
Unless you live in a repurposed commercial building or a handbuilt cabin that was designed before basic home zoning recommendations, or you purposely decided to go against the grain when designing your own home, you should have an outgoing water pipe in your floor that will take all waste elimination away from your home and into either your septic system or onwards to your locality’s sewer treatment facility.
This outgoing hole is where you are going to be the central point of your toilet installation process as the holes absolutely must align and everything else can be more readily adjusted, such as adding extra length to your incoming water pipe.
Now that you know where to start, the next step is aligning the
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