I would not replace it. There are vintage plumbing experts who can advise you about getting it to work. Not all plumbers know everything about plumbing.

http://www.plumbing-geek.com/vintagestandardfixtures.html

This guy is in Portland, OR. Maybe there's an expert closer to you.

I would begin by reaching out to American Standard. They want your toilet to work.

Here is your toilet on Ebay and you have a full ensuite in your home.

Just doing a Google image search of your toilet came up with all this info to go through.

Blend?

Kohler has Aspen green. For 900 bucks and a three year delay to a remodel? No remodel! It's 300 per year to stay in the color family? It need not be exact.....looks like a pretty good blend, IF IT REALLY is beyond a repair. A BETTER idea than painting a tub and sink!

Although there is something to be said for keeping some vintage things in a house it wouldn't be worthwhile IMO.

Your older toilet uses a lot more water than a 1.28 GPF one and that matters if you’re in an area that encourages conserving water. Also that toilet looks low and the comfort height ones are so much nicer to use!

A white toilet and at some point a white sink with a vanity that offers some storage then maybe refinishing tub to white and you could still have your vintage wall tile.

The issue is seat height: ) Universal is 17 ish....these oldies are more like 14 inches. Humans are taller than they used to be, no different than old vanities are 32/33 and new at 36"!

I see no reason to cling to it, unless it is rarely used.What color? I would never paint the tub and sink . You either go whole hog or you buy a white.

I see nothing wrong with this, if the bath never changed! And a nice new loo!

It's not the living room: )

I think it's worth finding another plumber who may be able to help fix your old beauty. if absolutely necessary, I would want to replace it with something close in color too. Your classic bathroom is fabulous!

That business with the water usage is BS. A 1.28 gallon flush isn't worth it if you flush it 2 to 3 times.

I second the Kohler in Aspen Green, but I would rather see the Memoirs style--it is more traditional with your original bathroom.

And Bev, you are so right about the water usage!!

Cool on the Memoirs in Aspen! i simply grabbed the color- and so true on water, especially wiith regard to frequency

I would also suggest the Aspen Green.

Black would be another option since that is the tile accent color.

However, even As Built these colorful bathrooms frequently had color mismatches between shades of green or blue or pink between tile and fixtures or between fixtures themselves by different manufacturers and it was considered ok.

I agree that black would work, but you need to figure out if you could use a black toilet, I know I wouldn't want that.

No way to plan to refinish the tub and sink that will never last and the result much worse than mismatched toilet. I hate to say it but maybe a black toilet . I am puzzled as to why the original cannot be fixed I would check with a plumber who maybe does more traditional work before giving up I do not like the Aspen Green with the green you have the undertones do not work together at leasy not on my monitor . Even white will be okay if yyou at least find the same style not some real modern piece .I just googled ming green toilet and some popped up maybe not such a lost cause.

Not everyone finds the taller toilet heights comfy. Also if you have children or grandchildren it’s better to have at least one low toilet in the house.

Actually the lower seat height on old toilets are a healthier position to use them, which is why some people get those stools to raise their feet up.

The taller seat was originally developed for the elderly and infirm, but now they are popular because people are so out of shape the they have trouble standing up from a seated position.

Wellllllllll if you work out regularly do quads strengthening with regularity, can lift over half your, weight, do god knows how many stairs hauling the grocery load in a single trip, but have long legs? That low toilet feels like damn crouch in the woods!! -Especially with a 3" heeled boot! lol

Not to mention, if you are surprised by it? Spell crash hahahahhaah

I have no advice. Just popping in to say I love your bathroom.

Did your plumber suggest replacing because they don't want to fix it, or because it is not fixable? I would keep the toilet if you can since your bathroom is complete right now. Call in a different plumber. Your bathroom is a lovely vintage room.

But if you do replace- keep in mind the footprint of your toilet, and what the flooring might look like under there. And how far your floor hole is away from the wall to make sure you get a correct size toilet.

That bathroom is cool beyond cool!!! The tile! The medicine cabinet! The sconces! The soap dish and toothbrush holder! The towel racks! I mean, come on! Everything looks like it was installed yesterday. I'll bet with a bit of sleuthing you can find someone who can repair or replace the guts of that toilet. I'm sure your trusty plumber is excellent at his job but he just doesn't appreciate a fabulous vintage bathroom when he sees one.

I’m puzzled about the bashing of low water ise toilets as we’ve had th

We've had them in our last two houses and never have to double flush. They are Kohler and we don't have any plumbing problems from them either.

If you get a white one, get white towels, etc…

I don't understand how the "water can no longer be flushed into the bowl" isn't fixable - and easily so. Toilet flush mechanisms are very simple.

Take the lid off, try to flush, and see just which part has failed: the handle, the chain that lifts the flapper, the attachment of the flapper to the chain, or the valve that controls the fill volume.

Bring a bucket or another gallon container of water to aid in the trouble shooting. If you can't figure it out, take a little video of your attempt to flush, and take that with you to your hardware store. The staff at your hardware store of choice, and YouTube, are your friends.

I have no training in plumbing, but I have completely replaced the interior mechanism of my toilet twice in the past 32 years without difficulty. If you have issues with manual strength or dexterity, you will at least know what needs to be done when you bring someone in to do the actual work. Any handyman should be able to handle this, BTW - no need to pay a plumber $100++ for the house call.

I am thinking of replacing it with TOTO Promenade II 1.28 GPF Two-Piece Elongated Toilet with Tornado Flush Technology, for the best balance of look and functionality. Any thoughts? Thanks!

BTW we had great experience with TOTO toilets, and Promenade II seems to have good reviews and might be the only TOTO toilet that has "classic" look....Thoughts?

Update: OK, so the plumber came with the TOTO Promenade II toilet today, but found out that underneath the toilet, there were no tiles. So he didn't replace it as it would require some general contractor to fill the base with tiles etc. So we are back to square one.

I really want to keep it, but the problem is so far I can't find any plumbers in San Francisco that can do vintage toilet repair. Currently I'm leaning toward one of the two options:

1. Keep looking for plumbers who can repair such vintage toilet and keep it.

2. Get it replaced withKohler Memoirs Stately which I think would require special order (I suppose that the "Ming Green" color of this toilet should be similar to Kohler's "150th Spring Green" color, and NOT the "Aspen Green," right? Thoughts?

Any other thoughts? Thanks again everyone!

I just saw your exact toilet for sale on FaceBook Marketplace but in Los Angeles. Wondering if you tried lookin there or Craigslist but more local? Also are there any consignment/salvage shops in the area?

I'd see if the Kohler showroom in SF has the colors on display or samples in the store. The online spec sheets show the base size and shape so you can see if it's a better match for the existing.

If you do need to replace some tiles you can probably get a decent match https://retrorenovation.com/2019/01/22/12-places-to-find-4-x-4-ceramic-bathroom-tile-in-vintage-colors/

Hi,

You may want to try this before you replace the toilet.

Shut the water off to the toilet then flush the toilet, the water in the bowl should be lower. Now pour about a quart of muriatic acid down the overflow in the tank. let the acid set for about 45 minutes then turn the water back on and flush. It sounds like you have lime build up in the toilet.

Good Luck

Woodbutcher

I think the Spring Green may be awfully blue particularly against yellow tile. Even though it may be closer in saturation of color to the Ming Green than the Aspen is, I think the Aspen may play better with the yellow tile and the Ming

It does not make any plumbing sense that the toilet parts can’t be replaced. There are very few mechanical parts of the toilet and they are all in the tank.

I will never understand this throw-away trend. If the toilet can be fixed with $20 worth of parts, why would you spend hundreds on a replacement toilet?

Thank you for posting similar problem i have. I LOVE our ming green toilet and sink but toilet flushes slow and may have caused the backup. Our plumber suggested getting a new toilet but this is the only original thing we kept from when this house was built in the 60s. I fought hard to keep through the renovation and the hurricane and not ready to let it go, esp. when i can't find the new one with the same color. i'm still searching for solutions but after reading all these suggestions, we will try to see if we can figure it out. BTW, i love your bathroom. I hope you find a solution and keep us posted.

You can get all the replacement or retro-fit parts at Home Depot or Lowes to make it a lower flush toilet or just put a plastic bottle of water or rocks to displace the water in the tank. If you have lime buildup, there are several lime a-way cleaners to open the lines.

I have two vintage toilets and fixed water problems in both.

The first one appears to be the same model as the OP. The holes under the rim where water enters the bowl get clogged causing a weak flush. I clean those out with a wooden skewer. That works for a while, then happens again. I just purchased really narrow bottle brushes to try to get a better clean, but have not tried them yet. I also pour vinegar down the water tube in the tank and let it sit for 30-45 minutes to loosen up whatever is in there.

The other was completely blocked in the main lower hole where water enters and drains. I spent several days soaking the blockage with vinegar, chipping away the surface, then repeating. This was a once and done process. The toilet has worked beautifully for years now.