Types of toilets: which one suits your bathroom?

The main types at a glance

The pan shape gets the attention in a showroom, but the real difference between toilet types is where the cistern lives and how the pan meets the soil pipe. That decides how much work goes on behind the wall and how easy the toilet is to repair later.

Close coupled toilets

A close coupled toilet is what most people picture: a floor-standing pan with the cistern sitting on top of the back. It is the most common type in UK homes and usually the quickest to replace, because the pan connector, water supply and cistern are all in the open.

That openness is also the main advantage for repairs. Fill valves, flush valves and the doughnut washer between cistern and pan are widely available as universal parts, and a plumber can reach everything without taking tiles off. If you are replacing a toilet in a rented flat or want the least disruption, close coupled is hard to beat.

The trade-off is space. Because the cistern sits behind the pan, a close coupled toilet sticks out further into the room than a back to wall or wall hung pan with the cistern hidden in the wall. In a narrow London bathroom a few centimetres can decide whether the door clears the pan.

Back to wall toilets

A back to wall pan has a flat back that sits against a vanity unit or a boxed-in section of wall. The cistern is concealed inside that unit or duct and flushed with a button on top of the unit or a flush plate on the wall. The pan still stands on the floor, so there is no frame to fix.

It is a popular middle ground: a cleaner look without a structural frame. Plan the depth of the unit or duct, where the soil pipe connects behind the pan and how you will reach the cistern valves. Our guide to the hidden toilet cistern covers the access question in more detail.

Wall hung toilets

A wall hung toilet has no foot on the floor. The pan is bolted to a steel frame that is fixed to the floor and the wall, then hidden behind a false wall with the concealed cistern inside it. The flush plate doubles as the access point for the cistern's valves.

Wall hung pans leave the floor clear for cleaning, make a small room feel larger, and let the pan height be set during installation. They suit full refurbishments where the wall is being built out anyway.

They are the most involved to fit. The frame must be fixed as the manufacturer specifies, which may mean extra support in timber floors or stud walls, and the soil connection has to line up inside the duct. If the flush valve or fill valve fails years later, it is repaired through the flush plate opening, so the cistern must have been installed with that access in mind. Choose a frame and cistern from a manufacturer whose parts you can still buy.

A wall hung or back to wall toilet is only as easy to maintain as its access. Before anything is tiled, check that you can reach the isolation valve and remove the flush plate to service the cistern.

Low level, high level and traditional toilets

Low level toilets have a cistern mounted on the wall a short way above the pan, joined by a short flush pipe. High level toilets have the cistern near the ceiling, flushed with a chain. Both are common in Victorian and Edwardian properties, and period-style bathrooms still use them.

They suit older houses, but the flush pipe joints at the cistern and pan cone are a common source of small leaks, so fit new seals and a new cone connector rather than reusing old ones.

Macerator toilets

A macerator toilet looks like a normal pan but has a pump unit, either behind the pan or built into it, that breaks down waste and pumps it through a small-bore pipe to the soil stack. That lets you add a toilet in a loft, basement, garage or under the stairs where a gravity drain would be difficult or impossible.

Building Regulations guidance only accepts a macerator where there is also a WC with gravity drainage in the property, so it is an extra toilet, not the main one. They need a power supply, can be noisy, and do not tolerate wipes or anything other than toilet paper. Our guide to the macerator toilet explains the pros and cons in full, and there is a separate guide if you are thinking about a toilet under stairs.

Other choices: height, shape and flush

Once you have chosen the type, a few details still make a real difference to how the toilet works day to day. If you want a spray for washing, our toilet douche guide compares the options that fit alongside the pan.

• Comfort height pans sit higher than a standard pan, which many older people and taller users find easier. A wall hung pan can be set at whatever height suits the household.
• Rimless pans have no rim for dirt to collect under and are easier to clean, but check the flush is designed to cover the bowl without splashing.
• Short projection pans take up less depth, which helps in cloakrooms and small en suites.
• Dual flush is standard now. Under the water fittings regulations a WC flush should use no more than 6 litres, with the smaller flush using less.
• Soft close seats are a small upgrade that saves a lot of cracked seats and hinges.
• Bidet functions and douche sprays add a supply at the pan, which is easiest to plan before the wall is finished.

How to choose the right type for your bathroom

Start with what is already there. Look at where the soil pipe leaves the pan: straight back through the wall, down through the floor, or into a boxed stack. A pan with the wrong outlet position for your soil pipe needs an offset connector or new pipework, which is the most common surprise on a toilet swap. Our guide on choosing a toilet that fits the soil connection explains how to measure it.

Then decide how much work you want. Swapping like for like on the same soil connection is usually a short job. Changing from close coupled to back to wall or wall hung means building a duct or false wall, moving the water supply and often re-tiling, so it is best done as part of a wider refit; our guide to how long does a bathroom renovation take shows how that changes the programme. If you are planning the whole room, our bathroom plumbing checklist sets out the decisions to make before anything is boxed in.

Should you replace a toilet or just repair it?

Most toilet problems are parts, not the whole toilet. A cistern that keeps running, a weak flush, or a leak between cistern and pan are normally fixed with a new valve or seal. Replacement makes sense when the pan is cracked, the style is so old that parts are no longer made, the soil connection has failed, or you are changing the layout anyway. If the pan itself is damaged, our guide to a cracked toilet pan explains when it should be taken out of use.

Getting a new toilet fitted

Loyal Plumbers fits and replaces toilets across London and inside the M25, from straight close coupled swaps to back to wall and wall hung installations as part of bathroom fitting work. We check the soil connection, supply and floor before the new pan goes in, and make sure concealed cisterns can be reached for servicing later. If you would like to do it yourself, our guide on how to replace a toilet walks through the steps.

Call 020 4652 8585 or send an enquiry with a photo of the current toilet, where the soil pipe goes, and the type you are considering. We will tell you what the change involves before any work starts.