My Toto Aquia III Install Experience

13 years ago

My master bath has been under renovation for two years now. (For the size of this "master" bath, two years is comical.) I recently installed the Toto Aquia III and wanted to share my install experiences in case other potential buyers were curious.

I chose the Aquia III based on user feedback on this forum. I didn't bother searching for a place to buy it online because most places will ream you on shipping to AK. I purchased the toilet with the Toto soft-close seat from a local plumbing company. (There's only one authorized dealer in town.) I think my price out-the-door was around $700. Yeah, I know. That's life up here.

This toilet is unconventionally installed. You don't just drop it down on a wax ring and tighten the bolts. I had to use one extra-thick and one standard thickness wax ring due to the new porcelain tile floor. Toto includes a template to help you position four screw-holes that are later used to hold the bowl down. Drilling these through porcelain is a killer. Installing the Toto toilet flange (which is separate from the toilet) is very easy and allows you to check the fit and position before the bowl goes in.

Between the flange and wall are two plastic mounts that get bolted to the floor. (Using the holes drilled in the floor.) These will stand up and provide a vertical mount point for the screws that hold the bowl down. (Screws go in horizontally, as opposed to the traditional vertical direction.)

The tank is tiny and fairly easy to handle. You must remove the stopper assembly to install the tank, which is simple. It took me three tries to get the tank installed without leaking through one of the two bolts. The gasket just wouldn't cooperate. I improvised by using some leftover wax from the wax ring packages to coat the gasket. That solved the leak, although there didn't seem to be any reason for it to leak.

The Toto seat is easy to install...if you think to install the mounting bolts into the seat backwards. Again, not quite conventional. It uses a rubber-sheathed screw with a captive nut. Turning the screw pulls the rubber up, causing it to grip. The seat itself slides side-to-side a little, which is odd. A couple spacers in the hinge should fix it.

The flushing action is fast and quieter than the other two toilets in the house. (One low-flush and one old mega-flush.) The fill valve is very quiet compared to our other toilets, too. It even turns off more gently, which keeps it from hammering the pipes.

I really like the toilet, despite its unconventional design and price. Would I buy it again? Maybe only for another master-bath reno. I wouldn't pay this much for a guest bathroom toilet. Its attractive, modern style fits our Kohler pedestal, which is square.

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Comments (7)

sammiecanada
13 years ago
Thanks for posting that....Aquia III is one of the ones we are thinking about purchasing.
just_julie
13 years ago
Is it safe to assume all of toto's skirted toilets are installed like this?
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I am also considering the Toto Aquia. I would love to hear comments about performance from anyone who owns one. I remember reading some poor reviews online but cannot find the site now. What toilet review sites do you all recommend? Many thanks!
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I have to agree. I am a journeyman plumber and additionally have a great working knowledge of hydrodynamics. The height of the water level in the bowl is determined by the height of the bottom of the "throat" or "neck" tube at its highest- after the bowl. The bowl water when flushed, enters a tube. The tube curves upward above the waterline in bowl, and then back down and eventually to drain line. When water is still it rests up to the "floor" of the tube at its highest point. Any more water flows over the "tube floor" and down the drain. The only way to raise the bowl water is to somehow raise this tube - which is cast in the porcelain just as the rest of the toilet. I'm thinking - maybe - somehow place a block on this floor (now restricting water flow) and adding a tube at the "roof" of the tube, feeding up through and above the bowl to compensate for the loss of volume. We have two of these in our home, and as gorgeous as a toilet can be, they are full of sh*t.
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Interesting. I am glad to see more discussions here recently regarding dual flush toilets. I pretty much had my mind made up to buy and Aquia II, and then I had second thoughts about the small water spot - so I changed my mind and got the American Standard H2Option. I didn't want to be cleaning/brushing it more than normal. So, for those who might be looking for dual flush alternatives, here's my experience. The AS H2Option is dual flush but has a much larger water spot than the Aquia II. It is gravity flush, and has a normal install (no need to drill through tile). H2Option has a MaP rating of 1,000 and the Aquia II has a MaP rating of 500. What I feel I gave up was the lovely Toto skirted bowl. We have been using the H2Option for about 2 months. I have had no problems at all with bowl wash on the H2Option, so I am pleased with my choice. I think it looks good too.
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trtsmb - do you happen to still have the box your toto aquia II came in? Just curious about country of manufacturing issues. Do you know where your Aquia II was made? Do you know how old your Aquia II is? The Aquia II's i just purchased and returned were made in China, as is the Aquia III I decided to keep. I hope I have good luck as you have! Poodledo
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User
Original Author
13 years ago
Julie: Good question! I really don't know, since I didn't look at the other models very closely. Since manufacturers seem to keep characteristics across their models, the chances are probably good.

One last thing to point out is that it can be a lengthy wait time to get one of these. I ordered mine in January and received it in late March or early April. It was made in Vietnam, so it's not like it was on the slow boat from China. :-)
susanelewis
13 years ago
Toto's skirted toilets have a non-standard type install that allows them to fit more than one rough in. They also require the wall plumbing to be at least 8" from the middle of the toilet due to the skirting. For that reason, I opted against the skirted install in the main bath. It would have required moving the supply line and drilling into the new tile install. I'm sure the tile guy would have been frustrated by that (judging by watching him set the Toto Ultramax II).

I plan on having a skirted Toto in my master bath soon and if I do, I will have a real plumber do it not a tile guy due to the complexity.
User
13 years ago
"Is it safe to assume all of toto's skirted toilets are installed like this?"

assuming everything in a manufacturer's line installs the same way is not a good idea.

You should look at the SPECIFICS of the model you are considering.

In fact - the Aquia I has a different mount arrangement, they are not widely available now though.
ntruro
13 years ago
Last week I replaced an existing toilet with an Aquia II. This was the first time I've ever installed a toilet and it took less than 3 hours total, including removal of the old toilet; removing, cleaning and re-installing the 1/2 threaded supply nipple; and drilling 4 holes in the marble floor tiles for the mounting cleats.

The only confusing part was Toto included the wrong installation manual with the toilet bowl. The included manual was for an Aquia I, which uses a very different interface between the bowl and toilet flange. I realized this when looking at the "included parts list" in the manual compared to what was in the box and the part number on the toilet bowl. I downloaded the correct Aquia II install manual from Toto's webite.

Another complication was that the old toilet was grouted to the floor. I had to scrape/chip this grout off of the marble tile.

Aquia II works great and we've already bought a second one to install in another bathroom.
just_julie
13 years ago
susanelewis: 8 inches isn't set in stone. I'm thinking about purchasing (and DIY installing) a Vespin and it also has a recommendation of 8 inches. The toilet itself measures 11 13/16 wide at the skirt.

I searched the Terry Love toilet forum and they said the minimum for a vespin is 5 1/2 left of center, even closer if supply is higher off the floor.

Pics at link below showing the tighter fit and how supply height factors into it. Glad I checked because my line is only 7 inches LOC and I had written off the Vespin.

Here is a link that might be useful: vespin pics and info

My Toto Aquia III Install Experience

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My Toto Aquia III Install Experience

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