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Proj. Cosmo

Nate Bowen

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Old Updates

Grocery List:

  • Wax ring. My floor flange hole was 2.5" and I got a 3"/4" reinforced wax ring with integrated plastic funnel.
  • Supply line to the fill valve. I used the standard braided line but the toilet comes with a plastic nut with tapered washer to use with a soild copper pipe but I don't know anyone who uses that. Plus you would have to have a flare tool to use after you put the washer and nut on.
  • Toilet bolt kit. Make sure you have two circular washers that fit on top of the plastic cap bases that are included with the toilet.. The kit I got had these goofy wide washers that didn't fit.
  • Shims. Options I have read about are cedar, plastic, nickels, dimes, quarters, and if you want to be funny, Sacagawea dollar coins. I used plastic shims.
  • Rotary tool with cutting disc if you need to trim the bolts.
  • Adjustable wrench
  • Flathead screwdriver
  • Razor blade or utility knife
  • Squishy sticky substance like plumbers putty, gum, playdoh, etc.. Read on for the reasoning.
  • Small piece of sandpaper
  • Some type of caulk or grout. Search the forum for opinions

Procedure:

  • Buy a Toto Drake from an online retailer and check for all of the parts when you receive it. I also ordered the standard soft close seat as well.
  • Sand the inside of the tank bolt holes to create a smooth surface. (Thanks for the advice Terry).
  • Take your sticky substance out and stick a little on the bottom of the bowl mounting bolts. Slide them into the correct location and squish them down. This should hold them in place pretty well when you set the bowl down.
  • Place the bowl over the bolts and onto the flange. Now check to see if and where you will need shims. I shimmed it and added a piece of tape to the bowl to remind me where to put the shims later. Cut the shims to size and set them aside.
  • Flip the bowl upside down on something soft. Take out the wax ring. Mine was sitting in a platic bundt cake pan. I stuck mine in the oven for 20-30 seconds, the over didn't even warm up much. I wanted the wax a slight bit softer plus my house is @ 65 degrees or so. Pull off the plastic bundt cake pan and center the ring on the horn. Squish it down with your fingers a little to make sure it is secure on the bowl. I cut off most of the plastic fummel on the wax ring because it did not fit into my flange on the floor. The funnel was 2.75" but my flange was 2.5".
  • Place the bowl over the bolts onto the flange. It should be centered as long as you don't move the bolts. Straddle the toilet and put some downward pressure on it and twist back and forth a little bit. Keep doing this until you are satisfied that it will not go any lower. Check to see how it looks compared to your wall and your own eye.
  • Place the shims where they need to be.
  • Put the plastic cap washers on first. Smooth side down. Now put on the metal washers and the bolts. Finger tighten the bolts as much as possible then alternate tightening each side with a wrench. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN. What is too tight? I don't know but I just snugged it up enough to keep it from rocking or moving. Cut the bolts a few threads above the nut and put on the caps.
  • Attach tank to bowl. The instructions are fine for this. The one thing you will notice is that if you tighten it the right amount it will just touch the back of the bowl. There is a little nub in back that makes contact with the bowl.
  • Attach the seat. Again, the instructions are fine and this is a pretty self-explanatory step. The only caveat that I would add would be to cut the plastic bolts down a bit as it will make tightening it quicker. It really is not necessary though and if you use the screwdriver to tighten and just hold the nut with your hand (bad pun there), it will work fine.
  • Attach your water supply, check all connections, and fire it up! I think it took me 2 hours from start to finish and that was including installing the flange onto the floor. I bet an hour would suffice, or less if need be.
  • This is where you would caulk/grout the base but I left it open for now to check for leaks.

Thoughts:

  • I love this toilet. It is a little modern for my style, and I am sure you can get a more classically designed G-Max toilet but I didn't want to spend that much. Everything was installed and worked great from the first flush. If you are used to the old school toilets that have the circular swirl to flush things this one will startle you at first. It is pretty cool. You flush and the water rises a tad and then SLURP. Down it goes. The refill time is fantastic, it is usually done by the time you are done washing your hands, and it is very quiet. And of course, the soft close seat is pretty swanky.