Toilets: One piece or two?

[RNeumann]

Why did you hate working on the one piece?

My wife would like a one piece just because it's easier to clean. About $100 more. No big deal to me as long as the thing flushes equally well. I realize it's a heavier install. But I only have to go up 4 step and I have a good hand truck. And hopefully, it will outlast me.

Some of The one piece uses special ball cock valves and sometimes the flapper is also different. The wear items also tended to be low and sort of tucked under a bit instead of straight down like the two piece.
They will all fail at some point. It’s the difference between an item we have on the truck (and in about every hardware store) and is fairly cheap or we have to make two visits and order in special parts.

The difference in cleaning is an interesting angle....never heard that one!! Give mama what she wants-if $100 doesn’t matter now the difference when you make a repair shouldn’t matter either.

 

[Beltzington]

I have two 2-piece toilets in my house... the whole house is plumbed on tank water.

In the 20+ years that the house has been in existence I've only had to deal with replacing the gasket (leading into the bowl) on the upstairs unit. The parts were readily available at my town's hardware store. I replaced both rubber gaskets (as you do)... easy-peasy.

However, due to tank water being the supply... the flushing mechanism buggered up beyond replacement. I went into the 'Big Smoke' hardware store, where I found a replacement cistern (again, readily available. I guess, even after 20+ years, toilet systems haven't changed) Very easy to exchange the old for new.

It would've been an extreme embuggerance to have replaced an all-in-one unit. Especially on your own.

Think to the future, is my advice.

Weight of the single piece toilet was not an issue, I installed both of mine by myself and never experienced an " extreme embuggerance" and I am no longer a spring chicken. Go with the one piece and forget about it.

 

[Groo]

1 potential problem with a 2 piece is that they have to be very securely bolted together. Sometimes they get over tightened and break 1 piece.

 

[ultrarunner]

Had several instances where the tank separated enough to leak and cause thousands of dollars in water damage... something that could not have happened with a one piece design.

One rental had a very expensive silent flush one piece toilets... they were a marvel but both were physically broken by the tenant from ****... actually their kids jumping off the tank...

Prior to that I had never known a toilet could flush silently... this was long before the California low and ultra low flush requirements.

For the rentals I use Toto Commercial Toilets because the low flush because all of the other brands low flow were constant service calls... great for plumbers but not for a property manager.

Bought one Companion when it first came out... sad to say but is soured me on American Standard from then on...

Kohler had the power or flush assist that worked well until it didn't... to Kohler's credit... they acknowledge the problem several years after purchase and sent replacements at no charge... so I sill use a lot of Kohler products.

 

[kcflhrc]

Just installed a Kohler one piece in our master bath remodel. I like it. It wasn't that heavy for me to move around.