Toilet Advice may earn compensation through affiliate links on this page.
There are three main rough in sizes, 10 inches, 14 inches, and the most common, which is a 12 inch rough. The size you require will depend of where you live, how old your house is, and the plumbing set up. You won't necesarily need to call in a plumbing professional to find out what your size is either, we have a easy to follow guide for that purpose.
The Ultramax II is a floor mounted, gravity fed toilet with an elongated bowl. It operates on a highly efficient 1.28 gallon, tornado flush system, which registers a 800g score on Maximum performances flush ratings.
The inside of its bowl is covered in a special layer known for its lubricious qualities. This is known as CEFIONTECT and helps prevent waste and germs sticking around after your bathroom visit. The less porous the surface, the better it rinses after use.
And if you're concerned about water usage in the household, you'll appreciate that it utilizes 1.28 gallons, which is WaterSense compliant and significantly more efficient than older units.
A elongated shaped bowl provides the necessary space and support for user comfort, and the seat has quiet close hinges to stop it dropping to quickly after use.
  |
  |
  |
|
| Toto UltraMax II | KOHLER Tresham | American Standard Champion 4 |
|
| Model number | MS604114CEFG#01 | K-3950-0 | 2034.014.020 |
| Rough in | 12" | 12" | 12" |
| Flush type | Tornado | AquaPiston | Siphonic action |
| Touchless | |||
| Trip lever | . | ||
| Button | |||
| GPF | 1.28 | 1.28 | 1.6 |
| WaterSense | |||
| MaP | 800g | 1000g | 1000g |
| ADA | . | ||
Rim height
Height without seat
|
16-1/8" | 16-1/2" | 16.5" |
| Elongated | . | ||
| Round | |||
| Square | |||
WSA
Water surface area
|
7-1/8" x 9-1/8" | 11-1/2" x 9" | |
Water level
Rim to surface |
5-1/2" | 5-3/8" | |
| Dimensions | 28 3/8 x 16 1/2 x 28 3/4" | 28.5 x 16.5 x 14.5" | 17.8 x 29.8 x 29.5" |
| Weight | 99lbs | 72.8 lbs | 118 lbs |
| Trap size | 2-1/8" | 2-1/8" | 2-3/8" |
| Flush valve | 3" | 3" | 4" |
| Concealed trap | |||
| Skirted | |||
| One piece | |||
| Two piece | |||
| Intelligent | |||
| Floor mount | . | ||
| Wall mounted | |||
| Colors | Cotton, Bone, Colonial | White, Biscuit, Bone | White, Linen, Bone |
| Seat | |||
| Soft close | |||
| Bidet | |||
| Supply | |||
| Rating | 88% | 86% | 85% |
The Toto brand is one of the largest and most popular brands in the bathroom industry. And for good reason. Many of their designs offer accessible features, comfort, and style rolled into one. The Ultramax II is a solid example of this.
With a rim height of 16-1/8 inches, plus the additional height of its soft close seat, which comes included, people can be seated beyond the seventeen inches mark, making this comfort height, and offering better support for the elderly and infirm.
In addition to this, it provides users with an elongated bowl, and one which is coated in a special gloss to prevent waste sticking to the porcelain. You can find out more about how elongated bowls compare to round ones here.
You can expect to save a fair amount of water too if you currently own a 1.6 gallon model or more. The MS604114CEFG#01 is very efficient and meets WaterSense criteria. And it does so without losing much performance. According to MaP ratings, it still manages to score an impressive 800g on their scale, demonstrating how well it removes waste without having blockages.
If cotton white isn't your thing, you can also find it in a couple of different shades of white including bone and colonial. You can learn more about Toto color themes here.
The Tresham is available in several different colors, which enables it to be matched up with the rest of the bathroom quite effectively. You've got the standard white which is probably the most common color used in the home, then you have biscuit and bone for variety.
It has a three inch flush valve, and a trap size of 2-1/8 inches. What's more a generous water surface area helps keep odors inside the bowl, covering an area of 11-1/2 inches by 9 inches.
Moving onto its flushing performance and capabilities, the k-3950 operates on a aquapiston system and receives good scores from MaP ratings (1000g). This is the highest score, and shows it can handle larger quantities of waste with ease.
But with that level of performance, you'd expect there to be a drawback such as heavy water usage. Well, that would be incorrect, as this unit meets EPA WaterSense guidelines, with a highly efficient 1.28 gallons of water used per flush.
This can improve a number of things, but what you should focus on is how much water this can save your household over the years, which also results in reduced utility bills.
Its two piece design means the tank and bowl are detached, which will need a little extra work when installing it.
The seat doesn't come with it, so you should make sure your existing seat fits or purchase one separately, preferably with built in quiet close hinges.
The Champion 4 stands out not just through its rough in size, but it finishes joint 4th in our overall list. We placved it there due to its high performance flushing, whixh offers a Siponic, 1000g flush. However, it's not quite as efficient as the alternatives listed above, utilizing 1.6 gallons.
The bowl is built for user comfort, not just for your average person, but people who struggle with joint issues and more. This is thanks to its taller bowl height, also known as comfort height, which adds a inch or two, making it easier to sit and stand on your visits to the bathroom. The rim height is listed 16.5 inches, and when you take the seat into the equation, it is taller than 17 inches, meeting ADA requirements.
It's floor mounted and includes a larger than average flush valve of four inches which helps it generate a greater rush of water through the bowl, cleaning it more effectively, and leaving less bacteria behind.
You'll find the 2034.014.020 available in several colors including white, linen, and bone.
Accessibility - There are a few things you can do in terms of improving how accessible the toilet is. Getting a taller than average bowl is a good start. Some people prefere standard height bowls, but for those of you with disabilities, the extra height can take a lot of the weight off your joints when bending at the knees. These designs are known as comfort height, or ADA compliant.
Next, you can look into the bowls shape and size. This includes elongated, round, round front, and square. The added space given to elongated or square bowls are very useful and provide better seated support. You can learn more about the differences between round and elongated bowls here.
There are also several accessories that can improve your bathroom experience. One of these is known as a bidet seat. These are technologically advanced seats that have unique options to help consumers clean themselves thoroughly. Perfect for those of you that may have difficulty wiping.
Consumer feedback - Try to gauge the general sentiment surrounding a particular product by looking up product reviews on popular retailers websites. This is a great way to understand the advantages and disadvantages, as well as giving yourself an early warning about any potential flaws such as faulty parts or being slikely to leak and clog. Home Depot, Lowes, and Wayfair are great places to start your research.
Water saving - How much water you save comes down to the flow rate. This will be labelled as gallons per flush or GPF for short by manufacturers. The standard is 1.6 gallons, which is a notable improvement on older 3.5 gallon units, but the amount saved can be improved further with a 1.28 GPF or less. When shopping, look for products with the Environmental Protection Agencies WaterSense label. Our water calculator can help you understand the benefits of installing a low flow model. Not only do they play a part in reducing environmental impact, they also help users save money on their utility bills.
Seat - Not every product you come across will include a seat with each sale. So make sure you're aware of the additional costs this could present. Should you need to buy one separately, we recommend getting one with what's known as soft closing hinges. These hinges will prevent both the seat and lid from slamming shut.
Each of our choices above are toilets with a 12 inch rough in. They were picked based on key pieces of research criteria including flushing performance, bowl shape, height, and comfort, MaP score, and external design. Each one has certain strengths and weaknesses in these categories, but on average we rate them highly.