Back-to-wall toilets and concealed cisterns

[cskrimshire]

Dear All,

I am contemplating installing new bathroom vanity unit and an adjacent conc ealed WC unit in the bathroom. I would like a granite worktop to go over th e two units.

The commercial WC units are have seen have a (~ 200mm ) detachable access b oard in the top of the unit. This seems to be the sole means of access to t he cistern, should it need repair/maintenance. I'm not sure I could get to the flush mechanism and inspect it, let alone dismantle it if I needed to.

Should I be concerned? I have never lived in a house where the cistern/flu sh did not need fixing at some point. If anyone has thought through or work ed around this situation I would be interested to hear.

I suppose, if I had flexible soil pipe coupling, I could pull away the toil et and remove the whole cabinet front panel, but that seems draconian. In a ddition, I think the front panels are slotted in vertically. If I had an ov erhanging work top it might be difficult to even do that.

Another thought was to have the worktop cut into sections, so that the piec e over the WC could be removed for vertical access. But that would make inr oads into the main advantage of a single smooth worktop.

Or maybe I'm missing something?

Cheers.

Chris

[harry]

ncealed WC unit in the bathroom. I would like a granite worktop to go over the two units.

board in the top of the unit. This seems to be the sole means of access to the cistern, should it need repair/maintenance. I'm not sure I could get t o the flush mechanism and inspect it, let alone dismantle it if I needed to .

lush did not need fixing at some point. If anyone has thought through or wo rked around this situation I would be interested to hear.

ilet and remove the whole cabinet front panel, but that seems draconian. In addition, I think the front panels are slotted in vertically. If I had an overhanging work top it might be difficult to even do that.

ece over the WC could be removed for vertical access. But that would make i nroads into the main advantage of a single smooth worktop.

Usually top access is all that's needed for maintenance on a toilet cistern . Just make sure the top of the front panel can be removed too.

[Tim Watts]

Nooooo! Horrid things.

That would, IMO be best - you *will* need to fix the cistern at some point.

Could you make the worktop higher which would allow perhaps 6" of access headroom to the top - and in the worst case, the cistern can be decoupled and removed?

[Mike Barnes]

No vanity unit here so I plonked the stone (limestone in this case) on top and stabilised it with silicone sealant. Since then I have had to access the cistern, so I cut the sealant, did the job, and never got round to re-doing the sealant.

Obviously with a basin attached that wouldn't be possible, but I think two bits of stone would look better than one with a hatch.

[Lobster]

On 21 Jan 2016, [e-mail] grunted:

You're dead right to be concerned. Like you, I was instructed to fit one of these in our en suite about 10 years ago. I ended up with a solid immovable worktop and T&G board over the front face, with an access panel in the front. That provides for only a couple of inches gap above the cistern which isn't great, but has been adequate for basic issues, eg once when the linkage on the flush mechanism came adrift. For more serious stuff - as happened once (can't remember what the problem was now) I have to demount the cistern completely and withdraw it through the front, which was a PITA but not too bad.

I stayed in a hotel recently where the cisterm was similarly concealed below a worktop; IIRC it was a standard melamine-coated chipboard type. There was an access panel in the top, which was really neat and almost invisible; it just dropped into place and sat on a rebate within the hole. It would have been made using a router and presumably guess given that there were dozens of bathrooms in the hotel, a bespoke jig of some sort.

If you're getting your worktops made of granite, they will be cut and prepared especially for you - how about getting the supplier to cut out a rectangular hole (rounded corners) in the worktop (ie, just like for a sink cutout), and then to prepare a matching rectangle to drop into said hole? You could make up a simple rectangular timber frame from plywood and glue or screw that from below the worktop, to create the necessary lip for the access panel to sit on.

I would say that's your best option; it would almost certainly need a plain-coloured worktop though to avoid pattern-matching issues (unless you have very clever granite machinists!)

[cskrimshire]

ncealed WC unit in the bathroom. I would like a granite worktop to go over the two units.

board in the top of the unit. This seems to be the sole means of access to the cistern, should it need repair/maintenance. I'm not sure I could get t o the flush mechanism and inspect it, let alone dismantle it if I needed to .

lush did not need fixing at some point. If anyone has thought through or wo rked around this situation I would be interested to hear.

ilet and remove the whole cabinet front panel, but that seems draconian. In addition, I think the front panels are slotted in vertically. If I had an overhanging work top it might be difficult to even do that.

ece over the WC could be removed for vertical access. But that would make i nroads into the main advantage of a single smooth worktop.

Thanks. Useful replies (mostly).

Since posting, our thinking has moved on somewhat. Because there are other issues in our bathroom situation (that I hadn't mentioned), we are now thin king of getting units customs made (of water-resistant MDF). This will get round the issues better + allow a bigger cistern side access panel to be pr ovided, which will make me feel better.

The new question is then about painting and finish. Being a bathroom, the f inish is important and I was thinking spray painting - knowing that MDF nee ds several coats. Is this viable for reasonable diy, or, if not, are the c ommercial firms which do this an affordable and practical route?

Cheers,

Chris

[Tim Watts]

If you are getting them custom made, why not use something like yellow pine - it is waterproof in the sense that the odd soaking will do it no harm. MDF is horrid stuff IMO apart from a few cases. Anywhere with water isn't one of them.

Unless you mean the 100% waterproof MDF that's basically solid resin? If so, where do you get it?

[Tim Lamb]

In message , [e-mail] writes

I used offcuts from the shower panelling. 11mm thick, water proof ply with a plastic finish. Expensive cf MDF but easy to work and no finishing required.

[R D S]

I did something similar 3 years ago and for the very reasons you mention I have yet to commit to covering it!

[Jethro_uk]

When I fitted something similar, I got a piece of MDF, cut a "U" shape in it, and slid it down over the back of the pan, about 25cm from the wall, with the cistern behind. This piece of MDF goes between the wall, and the vanity unit with the handbasin on the right.

I then put a couple of brackets on the wall, and another piece of MDF resting on these and the first piece, with the flush button mounted in.

I can have both pieces out in less than 30 seconds, to give full access where needed.

[Jethro_uk]

Little twiddle (following comments about MDF and water) was to rest the vertical piece in a section of plastic channeling to keep it away from any water on the floor (i.e. piddling kids !)