With so many styles of sanitaryware to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to start. On choosing your preferred style of toilet, you'll want to know if it will entail any additional work. From your single washroom at the back of a restaurant to a multi-site rollout, the devil is in the detail.
What is a back to wall toilet?
A back to wall toilet essentially means that the user's back will sit flush against the wall when seated, as opposed to a cistern. When entering the cubicle, you'll be presented with the toilet pan, but the cistern, which holds the water for flushing, will not be visible.
Why choose a back to wall toilet?
A lot of people go for this option as it can make the space inside the cubicle seem much bigger. However, sometimes it's a move to prevent tampering or accidental damage. When the cistern is exposed like on your traditional domestic toilet, users can remove or damage moving parts. Back to wall toilets can also look very slick and smart, maintaining a simple design aesthetic throughout your wash space.
Things to bear in mind
Although back to wall toilets have no cistern on show, the water for flushing them has to come from somewhere. Most often, it is hidden within a false wall known as a duct set. This conceals all the pipework and the cistern within. This creates what’s known as an integrated plumbing system (IPS). The panels, which conceal the cistern can be removed with a key or special tool, making maintenance simple, but protecting your washroom from vandalism and accidental damage.
Hidden benefits
Because back to wall toilets are partnered with an IPS system, the cubicle has reduced surface areas. This is because you essentially have four flat wall surfaces and a small protruding toilet pan. This makes the washroom easier to clean and when used across large sites like schools, museums, and universities, can bring significant value. With fewer moving parts on display, they often need less maintenance compared to close coupled toilets too.
Wall Hung WC Pans
Cleaning Accessibility
Perhaps the most obvious advantage of the wall-hung toilet pan is down to the fact it hovers several inches off the floor. This allows you to easily clean around and underneath it. Unlike with a more conventional toilet style, there are no nooks and crannies for dust and dirt to get trapped in, no sealant holding it to the floor to discolour over time, and pretty much no hard-to-reach areas.
Many wall-mounted toilets have smooth sides that are easily wiped clean, and a good quality pan such as the Britton Compact Wall Hung Toilet have a special antibacterial coating for easy cleaning.
Superior Use of Space
Wall hung toilets are a great space-saver. Without the extra bulk of a visible cistern sitting on the pan they take up much less space in the bathroom, and can be placed closer to furniture, shower enclosures, or whatever else you are planning for your bathroom.
You do of course have to account for the space needed to conceal the hidden cistern and frame, but clever planning, use of stud walls and the latest compact designs means that overall, wall-mounted toilets are an excellent option for smaller spaces.
And it's not just the physical space they save. The fact that they are not sitting on the floor creates the illusion of a more spacious bathroom, with less clutter taking up floor space.
Wow-Factor & Style
Whilst taste is very much a subjective thing, most people are at the very least intrigued if not impressed by a toilet floating off the wall. They are certainly popular, but not prevalent enough to have become the norm in modern bathrooms, so a stylish wall-mounted toilet combined with a beautiful bathroom design always impresses.
Wall Mounted Toilet Weight Limit
A properly installed frame and wall hung toilet combination should comfortably support 200kg (30 stone) or more. If you're of a stocky build we don't recommend that you 'drop' down on it heavily but in all our years as a bathroom retailer we have never heard of a wall-hung toilet breaking off from the wall, or pulling down the entire stud wall.
Again, it stands to reason that you be selective with your choice of bathroom installer. An experienced plumber will know exactly how to install the toilet so it safely stands the test of time.