The Costly Disadvantages of Recycling an Old Toilet
Curious why? Read on to learn why you should never recycle an old toilet when remodeling a bathroom.
Irregular dimensions
When we remodeled our bathroom 15 years ago, my husband and I decided to reuse an old circa 1920s toilet that had once been in his parents home. The toilet had been in storage in the barn for the past 40 years, just waiting to be recycled.
What we didn’t realize at the time was that these older toilets sit much further away from the wall than today’s newer models. Our salvaged toilet roughed in at 16.5 inches away from the wall, which at the time wasn’t a problem since the bathroom was being completely replumbed.
Now that the toilet has failed, replacing it has become a huge problem. Much to our chagrin, we discovered that many of today’s water saving or comfort height models rough in at 12 inches from the wall, leaving us with a nice 4 inch gap behind the tank. While we did find a few that could be set 15 inches from the wall, the selection and style were pretty meager.
Regardless of the style we choose, we will either have to rip up the floor and replumb the toilet OR come up with a creative solution to span the gap between the new toilet and our beadboard wall.
Lack of available parts
Toilet parts are widely available at all plumbing supply stores, and in most cases, a new toilet can be fixed with little problem. Unfortunately with an older toilet, the parts are not so easy to come by. Over the years, our plumber has had to search for replacement parts in local salvage yards.
The base of our toilet overflow tube failed last year and ~ wouldn’t you know it ~ this particular part designed to fit our particular toilet is no longer available. Without replacement parts, we’re having to catch that gallon-a-day leak with a bucket. Embarrassing? You betcha.
Higher incidence of hairline cracks
If you’ve ever visited a salvage yard, you’ve probably noticed that most of those old porcelain fixtures are scattered every which way out in the weather, or have been stored in an uninsulated building such as a barn. Over time, these inhospitable conditions may cause hairline fractures in the porcelain which aren’t always visible to the eye.
When recycling an old toilet, you run the risk of the toilet cracking under the stress of use, causing considerable water damage to your bathroom.
Can be expensive to color match
Painting old bathroom fixtures to match a contemporary sink or bathtub is very expensive, and unfortunately not a do-it-yourself project for a person wanting to trim costs. We discovered that having a fixture painted to match can often cost twice that of just buying a new one, and really isn’t worth it in the long run.
Less energy efficient
Old toilets were designed to use lots of water when flushing. Our vintage model uses about 7 gallons per flush, whereas modern toilets are designed to use only 1.6 gallons of water. Since toilet flushing can account for up to 1/3 of your household water use, selecting a new toilet instead of a used one can drastically lower your water consumption.
You can certainly try placing a brick or two in the tank to reduce your water usage, but this water-saving trick doesn’t always work, especially in older toilets that need a certain amount of water to flush properly.
Toilets really are one of those fixtures that aren’t worth recycling when fixing up your bathroom. While you may be saving a little upfront money by reusing something you already have, in the long run an old toilet is costly to maintain, risky to use, wasteful to flush, and will become far more problematic over time.
