How to hide a waste cistern

It all started one morning when my husband broke the lid of the tank in the toilet. I do not know what he wanted to find inside this unpretentious unit in the silence before dawn. But I woke up from a roar – the cover leaning against the wall fell. And, of course, it split – into two even halves. My indignation knew no bounds. “Well, why, one wonders, did you get there?” – I pounced on my poor spouse. “It makes a lot of noise,” he mumbled plaintively. “And I decided to adjust it.” To be honest, I have never been deceived about the skill of my beloved. That is why she always called Lesha from DEZ. By the way, he was ready to renovate the whole apartment for the cherished envelope that was shamefully stuck into his pocket. Whether the tap was leaking, was the lock broken, the same Lesha always came to our house.

But, on the other hand, I never aspired to see in my life partner an electrician, plumber and electrician in one person. After all, you don’t have to marry a carpenter to fix furniture. There are specially trained people for this. In a word, she tried to protect her husband from annoying household problems. The salary brings, and thanks for that. And I could not imagine that he would suddenly wake up a desire to do something with his own hands. The result of this unexpected aspiration did not please me: the lid is a pity, without it this antediluvian design looks even worse. And the noise from the flushing water became even louder.

But in all the troubles, you can always find certain advantages. Here it is, my finest hour. Now the husband cannot get away from repairs. I have long hinted that it would be nice to replace the plumbing, and at the same time buy a new kitchen. As for the kitchen, my husband stubbornly, but agreed to buy a new tank. I almost gave permission to think about how we could improve our tiny bathroom..

Internal structure of the tank of the company “Geberit”

Of course, there is no money for the services of designers. And I went to the neighbor downstairs, who recently, in the process of renovation, combined a bathroom with a toilet. The result is a fabulous room in terms of beauty and dimensions. The only thing that immediately caught my eye was the toilet with an old-fashioned cistern. The neighbor said: “Come on, let this one stand still – it doesn’t flow, and thank God.”.

Well, I don’t know, I don’t agree. It’s one thing when the toilet is in a narrow pencil case, the size of which resembles a closet for storing a broom. And it is completely different when he flaunts almost in the most prominent place. No, I’ll go the other way. I better find out from competent people whether it is possible to hide the tank, which is not pleasant to my heart..

So, it turned out that it is possible. For this, special, so-called wall tanks have been invented..

This design bears little resemblance to the usual faience cistern. More precisely, it is not at all similar. Firstly, the tank is made not of faience, but of super-strong polyethylene. And secondly, it is made in a completely different form. Rather, it looks like a plastic canister, only without a handle. There are several special pipe holes on the body. And on the sides there are so-called ears, where fasteners are inserted. Built-in cisterns are of two types: for floor-standing (without a mounting frame) and hanging (with a mounting frame) toilet bowls.

Cisterns for floor-standing toilet bowls

A cistern for floor-standing toilets is, in fact, only a plastic case, to which a set of fasteners for the cistern to the wall is attached. For example, the Swiss company Geberit offers two steel perforated (ie perforated) plates as fasteners. Outside, such tanks (both at Grohe and Geberit) have a foam coating that protects against condensation and provides sound insulation.

There are fixing “ears” on the tank body, which are bolted to the plates, the plates, in turn, are attached to the wall with screws. In this case, no additional fasteners are required: the entire load falls on the toilet, which is on the floor. A branch pipe leaves the tank, which connects to the toilet and bends 90 ° at the bottom. A rubber cuff is installed on the tube; a tube with a decorative rosette is inserted into it (the rosette covers the connection point). After the final installation of the structure on the wall, a button is installed outside. Actually, with its help, water will drain.

Cisterns for wall-hung toilet bowls

Two types of such tanks are sold in Moscow. One is designed to be mounted on a load-bearing wall. The other is for mounting on a thinner surface.

The process of reconstruction of a bathroom and installation of a wall-mounted cistern

Grohe’s Dal-Uniset for wall-hung toilet bowls

The model for the load-bearing wall at Geberit is called Geberit kombifix, Grohe calls it Dal Uniset. (The retail price of the Dal Uniset model is $ 160). This is directly the mounting frame into which the tank is mounted. It can be attached to the wall only from solid brick or strong concrete (in no case from foam concrete or drywall). For greater strength, the lower part of the structure is lined with bricks and only then “sewn up” with plasterboard and tiles on top. After the completion of all installation work, a toilet bowl is hung on the frame pins sticking out of the wall. By the way, in order for the toilet bowl not to press on the tiles (otherwise it will break it someday), a bookmark is made of some kind of wall material under the frames of “CombiFix” or “Dal Uniset”. And only then you can stick tiles on it.

The set of models “Geberit CombiFix” and “Dal Uniset” includes “pins” (long pins) for attaching a toilet (or urinal), nuts, decorative caps and a branch pipe that supplies water. True, the models of the two largest manufacturers (“Geberit” and “Groe”) are still somewhat different. The Dal Uniset model tank is enclosed in an additional foam “shell”. Grohe experts say that this creates increased sound insulation. A good adaptation: you can safely pour water into such a toilet, without fear of waking up all households and neighbors in the middle of the night.

Hanging toilet with a wall cistern in the interior of the bathroom

Manufacturers of plumbing “Geberit” approached this problem differently. Internal fittings are made in such a way that they do not make any noise from the beginning. The explanation is simple. As you know, in the domestic model of a simple tank, the flushed water crashes into the toilet with a roar. The Swiss design has a special tube. There is a screw on it, similar to the one that scrolls meat in a meat grinder. Water, as it were, “twists” along the screw and flows smoothly into the tube.

There is one more difference between the Dal Uniset model and Geberit kombifix: a special rail on which you can hang several devices at once – a toilet bowl and a bidet. True, this innovation is not always convenient, necessary and justified at home. The fact is that for manufacturers, the permissible height of installation of a toilet bowl and a bidet in the same collection may differ. There have been times when for horizontal installation it was necessary to raise the toilet and lower the bidet. In addition, it is unlikely that anyone would think of hanging plumbing in a row at home, aligning it like a ruler. Rather, it is relevant for public toilets in restaurants, hotels, clubs. It’s really convenient there to attach a rail to the wall and hang ten urinals on it, for example….

The Geberit flush-mounted cistern button helps to save water

Another type of built-in cisterns for wall-hung toilets is a mounting frame with an emphasis on the floor. “Geberit” calls this model “Duofix”, “Groe” – “Dal Rapid”. The main distinguishing feature and indisputable advantage is that it can be mounted on any wall. And on concrete, and on brick, and on “weak”, non-bearing. The frame is mounted in the floor at some distance from the wall, and special fasteners also attach it to the wall from above. Thus, the entire load falls on the lower “legs”, in other words, on the floor. The rest of the mounting components are the same as in previous models. The support “legs” of the Geberit model can be extended by 25 cm, thereby changing the height of the toilet bowl when installing plumbing.

Grohe fastening frame for mounting the tank in the corner of the room

The Dal Rapid model (retail price $ 245) from Grohe has special rails inside the frame itself, which allow you to change the height of not only the tank, but also the toilet bowl. In general, the design of the Dal Rapid tank has three modifications. “Dal Rapid S” – the so-called standard model, it, in turn, is divided into 13 types. There is also “Dal Rapid A” – a non-standard and “Dal Rapid L” – a specially designed economic model. It looks the same as the Dal Rapid S, but without height adjustment rails.

The Dal Rapid S model has become the most widespread in our market. First of all, because it has more than 10 modifications. Here “Grohe”, perhaps, bypassed everyone. It can be fastened to either a solid wall or a light wall (just like the Duofix model by Geberit). There are even modifications designed for disabled people – with height adjustment of the toilet bowl and handles that extend on the sides. Particularly interesting is the version with a trapezoidal frame. With its help, you can use the corners of the room: put some useful jars and flasks. Moreover, there is a special, narrow design of the tank, which can be squeezed into the tiniest toilet or, if desired, into a “technical cabinet” (pipes and a sewer riser are usually laid there). And with the help of special frames of the Dal Rapid S model, you can build a whole wall, for example, in the center of the bathroom.

The company “Geberit” has a system “Geberit gis”, which also allows (as one of the modifications of “Dal Rapid S”) to use the maximum space of the bathroom. From special profiles and fasteners, you can make a load-bearing wall that will withstand any ceramics and in any quantity. And “Geberit” also has a model called “Geberit Sanblok”. This is a built-in cistern, which is already “sewn up” with wall panels. This model may well be called “turnkey bathroom”. True, this model is intended, rather, for European countries, where a master’s working hour costs 80 marks..

How to repair them?

“Everything is good and wonderful,” I thought, after listening to the experts, “but a legitimate question arises. If the tank is built-in, how can it be repaired later? Is it that Lesha will have to break the wall to fix it? ”

But I was assured with oath that the wall would not have to be dismantled. And not at all because these tanks do not break. Sooner or later they will have to be repaired. The point is different: in contrast to conventional ceramic inside, such a tank is arranged differently. There are no rubber pears, no rusty wires and hooks. There is a certain block inside the built-in tank – a drain device. And nothing more. Accordingly, only he can fail. So, the block can be easily and simply removed through the hole for the button of the built-in tank. Simply put, if something happens, you need to remove the button, stick your hand (into the hole) and get the block. But, most importantly, after the repair, the part is simply lowered back. No additional installation required.

By the way, do not think (as it seemed to me at first) that hanging toilets are intended only for skinny citizens. The cantilever load of the frames of wall hung toilet bowls is 400 kg. This means that if you find a toilet bowl that can withstand a load of almost half a ton, then the frame will certainly not let you down..

And one more important point. When installing the built-in tank, filters must be installed. By the way, experts advise them to be sure to use when operating any imported sanitary ware. Our water, as it turned out, can hardly be tolerated by imported sanitary ware. And after a few years, the cuff may have to be replaced. Firm “Geberit” offers a set of three cuffs, which costs about $ 5.

Where is their button?

So, you have a wall-mounted cistern installed. And after all the installation work, a rather impressive button in size flaunts on the wall. It is with its help that the water in the toilet is drained. Buttons come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. It depends on the manufacturer. But absolutely all buttons (in the language of specialists they are called release keys) are divided into two sectors. Left and right respectively. And this is a typical western “gadget”. The fact is that each sector of the button drains a different amount of water: 6 liters on the right and, accordingly, 9 liters on the left side of the key. That, you understand, perfectly saves such expensive (for the bourgeois) water. You need to “go out for small needs” (the Germans jokingly call it “small business”) – press the button on the right. Well, and for solving more global issues, press only the left side. The button hangs on the wall vertically or lies horizontally on a plane. As you like best.

It must be said that regarding the design of the release key, the flight of imagination of the manufacturers exceeded all imaginable expectations. “Geberit” has four options for the release button (including a pneumatic button that allows you to remotely control the flush of the toilet at a distance of up to 1.5 m), three types of material used and 50 colors. Of course, the warehouse in Moscow does not have the entire assortment on offer. However, in the office of Charus, the official distributor of Geberit, I was shown buttons of eight colors.

Grohe also offers several button designs. And the color range is also rich – 28 shades. But in the process of searching, the following became clear: some domestic firms presenting these products on our market do not import more than two “standard” colors – white and “chrome”. Like, people always try to buy plumbing fixtures in classic white, so why would they, for example, have a pink or beige button? Then I was indignant. I wonder if the tiles in my toilet are not white? What do you mean why? Yes, at least to match the button to the color of the tile.

Plumbing by Grohe in the interior of the bathroom

Having heard the delightful stories of experts, I instantly became imbued with the usefulness of this overseas design. The built-in tank is truly unique. If I build in the cistern, the toilet can be pushed up against the wall. This means that I will have 25 cm of usable space, and I will not sit on the toilet with my nose against the door. But most importantly, this invention greatly simplifies the grueling procedure for repairing a bathroom. There is no need to hammer walls and redo communications, if suddenly I decide to combine a bathroom with a toilet. The fact is that when installing the built-in tank (when it is “sewn up” with plasterboard and tiled), a low false wall is obtained. Experts call it a box. It is in this box that you can hide pipes that are disgusting to the eye. In addition, the upper plane of the box can serve as an additional shelf. Especially valuable, for example in the bathroom.

Well. I came home and reported to my husband: “That’s it, we are buying a wall-mounted cistern. And I will definitely tell the craftsmen to make a wall-hung toilet. Because it is much easier to rinse the floor under it. ” He agrees.