New home Roca toilet suite incorrect installation

binaDoshi · Sep 02, 2014 10:32 pm

Hi All,

We are almost in the final stages of building our home. The plumber installed "Roca The Gap toilet suite". This suite is meant to be flush with the wall: http://www.reece.com.au/onsite/products/roca-the-gap-btw-close-coupled-toilet-suite

Reece has suggested that we should have a finished gap from wall to toilet bowl of 5-7mm. However, our plumber installed it in darkness (no lights present at that time), and we have ended up with the bowl nearly 20mm away from the wall. [Pictures attached]

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We spoke to the builders and the excuse for the gap is "uneven china" that causes the gap. We asked for (and paid for) a wall-flush suite but are worried that we are not going to get one.

We do not wish to accept a product that is incorrectly installed but do not have a solution in sight. Would appreciate some tips. What are our options?

Thank you for your help

Bina

JB1 · Sep 02, 2014 10:58 pm

Don't pay them.

Uneven China would mean that at least one section would be touching the wall, not an even gap.

binaDoshi · Sep 02, 2014 11:12 pm

Thanks JB1. They have just sealed the above gaps up with 25mm of silicon stuffed behind the suite which ruins the feel of the suite.
We have never seen such a large gap filled up with silicon on a quality product. Suspect it will go bad quite rapidly. Plus, the gap from the tank is not meant to be sealed so there is an opening from the top to the gap.

Only thing is we are worried about handover getting delayed.

chippy · Sep 03, 2014 12:54 am

How much gap is there at the bottom up against the wall?
If the floor has lots of fall sometimes it's hard for the plumber to get the suite against the wall at the top. It should be levelled underneath and the silicon should fill the gap around the floor. If the floor has lots of fall it makes it very hard to level the toilet and have it still fit onto it's floor bracket.
Having said that, the gap deffinitely looks to big.

binaDoshi · Sep 03, 2014 11:15 am

Hi Chippy,

There is no fall in the toilets and they are all powder style without drains. The gaps are as follows:

1) Powder#1 Approximately 25mm top to bottom (Fairly consistent)
2) Ens1 15mm on Right Hand side and 20mm on Left Hand side.
3) Powder#2 Also 20mm very consistently throughout
However, we know for a fact that the master bedroom was done in properly lit conditions. It has a gap of 5-7mm

Thanks

CuttingEdgeKitchens · Sep 03, 2014 12:30 pm

Poor workmanship! Don't pay them and insist it is rectified before paying!

chippy · Sep 04, 2014 7:25 pm

Yes, that's definitely not right.
That has to be rectified and filling the gap with silicone isn't the way to do it.
It is a pain to redo it but there is no way you should accept that.

Stewie D · Sep 05, 2014 10:30 am

I presume the waste pipe for these all go through the floor and not the wall ? If so when the plumber has set out the waste pipes in the floor he has allowed too much distance off the wall. It's either his fault or the concreters have nudged the fittings when they've poured the slab. Even then he can still correct it by using an offset pan connector so he can get the toilet suite up against the wall tiles.
http://www.bunnings.com.au/holman-100mm ... r_p4750183 You can get about 20mm each way off centre with these.
It ain't rocket science that's for sure.
You did choose the particular toilets from the get go didn't you and not after they had poured the slab ?

Stewie

JB1 · Sep 06, 2014 3:23 am

Stewie, I've never known the plumber to take into account the type of toilet when roughing in the pipe.

With a smartpan you heaps of room for error. Much more than an offset collar.

I still would like to know why its sticking out so much.

Gertrudemyra · Sep 06, 2014 7:52 am

Hi, my husband (plumber) says you should get the Rocca rep to come and have a look. The china might be faulty. Also check if walls are level. We have just installed a Rocca similar to yours in our ensuite and it looks great.

Stewie D · Sep 06, 2014 9:37 am

Quote:

Stewie, I've never known the plumber to take into account the type of toilet when roughing in the pipe.

With a smartpan you heaps of room for error. Much more than an offset collar.

I still would like to know why its sticking out so much.

Every bathroom I've ever been involved with either as a reno or part of a new build ( and that has to be upward of a 100 over thirty odd years ) we have always known what the wall offset has been for a particular toilet suite and installed the cold water feed and waste pipe accordingly. I fail to see why anyone else can't do the same. Caroma and all the other manufacturers put out their specs as a Plumbers Tech Manual with every toilet, pan, vanity bowl etc listed. These days you probably access them on their respective websites.
Smartpans are for amateurs according to our plumber.

Stewie

Gertrudemyra · Sep 06, 2014 11:09 am

Yes Stewie my hubby always needs to know what type of toilet at rough in.

JB1 · Sep 06, 2014 3:06 pm

Stewie D

Quote:

Stewie, I've never known the plumber to take into account the type of toilet when roughing in the pipe.

With a smartpan you heaps of room for error. Much more than an offset collar.

I still would like to know why its sticking out so much.

Every bathroom I've ever been involved with either as a reno or part of a new build ( and that has to be upward of a 100 over thirty odd years ) we have always known what the wall offset has been for a particular toilet suite and installed the cold water feed and waste pipe accordingly. I fail to see why anyone else can't do the same. Caroma and all the other manufacturers put out their specs as a Plumbers Tech Manual with every toilet, pan, vanity bowl etc listed. These days you probably access them on their respective websites.
Smartpans are for amateurs according to our plumber.

Stewie

My drainage plumber just installed it as std. Saves a lot of work if any errors in set out, possibly what issues the OP is having.

Also in my case, I didn't choose my toilets until lockup.

GBDesign · Sep 07, 2014 7:25 am

Stewie D

I presume the waste pipe for these all go through the floor and not the wall ? If so when the plumber has set out the waste pipes in the floor he has allowed too much distance off the wall. It's either his fault or the concreters have nudged the fittings when they've poured the slab. Even then he can still correct it by using an offset pan connector so he can get the toilet suite up against the wall tiles.
http://www.bunnings.com.au/holman-100mm ... r_p4750183 You can get about 20mm each way off centre with these.
It ain't rocket science that's for sure.
You did choose the particular toilets from the get go didn't you and not after they had poured the slab ?

Stewie

No need for one of them chief. The Roca suites come with an adjustable connector as standard. It adjusts from 110 set out to 210 set out.

GBDesign · Sep 07, 2014 7:29 am

As mentioned above.

If the builder is blaming the China for this gap, have a representative from the supplier come out & look at it.

They'll either replace if it's faulty (not likely the issue here though), or put in writing that it's incorrectly installed. Withhold your payment until it's rectified.