Concealed cistern toilet good or bad idea?

tallac

I'm currently deciding what kind of toilet to use for the main bathroom. I'm really keen on the wall hung toilet as they are very stylish and being off the floor makes it much easier to clean the bathroom. The cost is significantly more than the close coupled toilets (non-concealed cistern) but they're not even comparable in terms of design and style. Also, concealed cistern will reduce the space taken up by the toilet which is always a plus.

At first, I was looking at Grohe toilets but the one I was looking at was coming up to over £600 which is extremely expensive, this price includes the concealed cistern/frame and the toilet. I then looked at the closest equivalent from B&Q (toilet and frame) with the current 20% off, this is coming up to a little over £200. That's a huge 2/3 less.

I then started to read about horror stories of problems with leaks with concealed cisterns and also ease of accessibility with these units. Both the B&Q one and the Grohe one seem to have large flush plates which give internal maintenance access so they seem about equivalent. But with regards to leaks, I'm not sure. Are there real reliability issues for these concealed cisterns? Is it down to improper installation or are they just a ticking time bomb? Is the Grohe branded one significantly less likely to leak?

Love the look and style but I don't want to have my own horror story to add to these forums in a short space of time.

theonlywayisup

I think the key things are to buy well and ensure access.  

We have Geberit concealed wall hung loos with Roca sanitary ware.  We have them in our home and holiday cottages.  The one in our home is the only one that caused an issue (once in 16 years) and it needed a new washer.  Simple to do with access from the 'letterbox' flush plate.  

Wall hung loos are great as you get no 'spill' on the base of the loo - the ease of cleaning is priceless for us when it comes to changeover days.  They look great too and make a small bathroom seem so much bigger.  No ticking time bombs here, unless you could 16 years and extensive use as bedding in!  

Doozergirl

We've use concealed cisterns with the large flush plates for about 6 years now and not had any issue,  although our old plumber had issues with fixing to the Grohe frame and our suppliers preferred Geberit anyway, which solved the initial issues for him, but I suspect that was probably his personal issue and not necessarily Grohe.  

I'm not entirely sold on the additional benefit of the wall hung element.  We've used both wall hung and the back-to-wall versions of identical toilets plenty of times and they barely look any different, especially in smaller rooms.  Yes, there is easier cleaning with both than there is with a close-coupled loo, but there isn't much, if anything, between back-to-wall and wall-hung. There is still plenty of cleaning to do around the bottom of the loo, and in accessing the floor underneath, which isn't straightforward.  

For the additional cost of over £200 on a decent frame alone (Geberit or Grohe) we've chosen Crosswater back-to-walls in our own house but not taken any cheap option. 

I would definitely choose a reliable and trusted brand of frame and cistern over B&Q.  The labour is fitting these toilets isn't inconsiderable as they can involve more than two fixes to install. You don't want to be doing it again.   £200 for the whole caboodle compared to £200 for a respected frame is enough to make me think twice.  We've previously learned the lesson of buying cheap and paying dear.  

tallac

One of the comments I've read is that with a concealed cistern, you may never realise a leak for months and by then it's become really bad. What if there was a small hole at floor level near where the cistern was located. This would give an observable point to see if there's any signs of leakage. It could then be covered with something to make it discrete (not sure exactly but perhaps a metal/plastic cover painted in the same colour as the wall)? It won't stop the leak but could help with early detection.

FreeBear

tallac said: I then started to read about horror stories of problems with leaks with concealed cisterns and also ease of accessibility with these units. .

Worth having a read of this - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54326178

Well worth getting a siphon flush (dual flush models are available) rather than a flush valve.