What toilet should I install?

sonyaw

I’m thinking about installing a new toilet, obviously one was previously there but not when I bought the house.

I will attach a photo of how it is currently. 
What id like to know is there anything else I need to do before I get a new toilet? 
also am I limited to what toilet I can put there? Can I put one that sits flush with back wall or do I need similar to what is outlined where the cistern was? 
I was going to attempt this myself but not sure if I’m that talented yet, so I was thinking of buying one and paying for someone to install , to take advantage of bunnings install feature do I need to purchase a certain type of toilet ? 

sorry for all the questions! 
I also have the matching tiles (the other colored ones where they only installed one) do tiles go down after or before I’m assuming after

EricL

Hi @sonyaw

Thank you for sharing your question about which toilet to install. I often suggest putting the tiles down first rather than the other way around. Cutting tiles to shape is labour intensive and time-consuming. Where as if the tiles are already down all you have to do is to place the new toilet on top of the tiles.

There are two types of toilets one is called a link toilet suite and the other is a close-coupled suite. A link toilet is a two-part system joined only with the flush pipe in the middle. The close coupled toilet is where the cistern sits on the pan joining them together with no need for a pipe in the middle. A back to wall toilet suite is classified as a close-coupled toilet.

Before choosing your toilet there are two things you need to look out for. The first is called the waste pipe set out. It's the distance from the back wall to the centre of the waste pipe. Write this measurement down as you'll need it when choosing your toilet. The second is the distance of the cistern tap to the middle of the wall. If the cistern tap is too close to the skirt of a back to wall pan, you'll not be able to install it. If it is too close you either have the tap moved by a plumber or choose another type of toilet such as a link toilet suite.

Some states require that a registered plumber must install your toilet. Please check your local council rules and regulations just to be safe.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric