Weight Limit on Toilets

[gary-s]

With people getting fatter and fatter in the 21st Century, one has to consider the weight limit for toilets. I have never seen any toilet listing it's weight capacity. I'd guess that all toilets are made to easily handle an average 200lb or less person, and very likely 300lbs. But what happens when a 400 or 500 or larger person sits on them? It seems that there are more and more of these heavyweight people in this obese generation that we live in.

I've heard about toilet seats breaking apart regularly from obese persons, but what about the porcelein toilet bowl itself? How come none of the manufacturers list a weight limit for them?

By the way, I recently was told of a very large heavy man who lived in a trailer house, getting in bed, and having all the bed legs go thru the particle board floor, and also stepping thru the same floor in other parts of the trailer. Then he also had one leg of a kitchen chair go thru that floor. There again, no one seems to list the weight limits. Regarding this individual, a friend who does construction was asked to repair this floor. The owner refused to spend the money to buy 3/4" plywood to cover the entire trailer floor, and only wanted to patch the broken spots. It was reported that he added at least one more broken spot weekly. The construction guy refused the job, saying he would not be responsible when the obese man went thru another spot.

[jamesgang]

sider the weight limit for toilets. I have never seen any toilet listing it= 's weight capacity. I'd guess that all toilets are made to easily handle an= average 200lb or less person, and very likely 300lbs. But what happens whe= n a 400 or 500 or larger person sits on them? It seems that there are more = and more of these heavyweight people in this obese generation that we live = in. I've heard about toilet seats breaking apart regularly from obese perso= ns, but what about the porcelein toilet bowl itself? How come none of the m= anufacturers list a weight limit for them? By the way, I recently was told = of a very large heavy man who lived in a trailer house, getting in bed, and= having all the bed legs go thru the particle board floor, and also steppin= g thru the same floor in other parts of the trailer. Then he also had one l= eg of a kitchen chair go thru that floor. There again, no one seems to list= the weight limits. Regarding this individual, a friend who does constructi= on was asked to repair this floor. The owner refused to spend the money to = buy 3/4" plywood to cover the entire trailer floor, and only wanted to patc= h the broken spots. It was reported that he added at least one more broken = spot weekly. The construction guy refused the job, saying he would not be r= esponsible when the obese man went thru another spot.

Lots of problems with commercial wall mount toilets these days from obese p= eople. Some places are refusing designs that use them even though they mak= e cleaning the bathroom a lot easier.

[recyclebinned]

All the toilets are now made in China. Ever see a fat Chinese person? Now we need to learn to eat like them.

[Larry Fishel]

I don't know the answers to your questions, but I can say that our fairly t= ypical (maybe a bit better than average quality) floor-mounted toilet has s= tood up to a 400 pound relative for years with no problems except for the m= ounting bolts loosening up a bit, even though it doesn't sit entirely squar= e on the floor. If the bottom edge has held up under these conditions, I wo= uld guess that the bowl could stand considerably more.

[Philip Casale]

replying to gary-s, Philip Casale wrote: I know that most of not all toilets you find in stores pass the industry ANSI Z124 standard, which must be capable of holding up a 300lb load, as well as minor rocking back and forth with that load. So I would think all toilets are only responsible for holding 300lbs, they probably are capable of closer to

400lbs or a little over that. Just because a slight 300lb rocking test would require a significantly stronger base. But their not liable for anything over than 300lbs it seems, according to those standards. This is a real interesting topic tho, I wonder if there are specialty toilets made for morbidly obese people capable of 700lb loads... it?s something I always thought about, but never really looked into.

[micky]

Yes there are stronger ones. The White House toilets were probably standard ones that could hold 300, but some must have been changed December of 2016. It's not noted explicitly. It just says "Plumbing".