Wall-Mounted Toilets-Pros, Cons & Buyer Guide

Last Updated on July 11, 2023 by toilethaven

A wall-mounted toilet, also known as a wall-hung toilet, is a toilet that is mounted on the bathroom wall. Only the bowl is visible, as the toilet tank is concealed inside the bathroom wall.

A carrier frame is used to support the toilet tank and hook up the bowl. A secondary wall is erected in the bathroom to conceal the tank and the carrier.

How Good Are Wall-Mounted Toilets? Are They Practical?

The main advantage of wall-hung/mounted toilets is how stylish they look. They also give you the option to install them at any height you want, which cannot be achieved with other toilets. Cleaning them is also super easy.

The main disadvantage of wall-mounted toilets is the cost of installation. The cost of installing a wall-hung toilet exceeds the cost of the toilet itself, and unlike floor-mounted toilets, which you can install on your own, they need to be installed by an expert, which is not cheap.

Wall-mounted toilets also have a weight limit. The minimum weight limit of a wall-mounted toilet is 500 pounds. Luckily, that is more than sufficient for most people.

Let us now look at wall-mounted toilets in more detail.

How Does a Wall-Mounted Toilet Work?

Wall-mounted toilets are not as popular in the United States as in Europe, but they are catching up like bidets. A wall-hung toilet has three main components:

• Bowl
• Tank
• Carrier

The carrier, made of solid steel, provides sufficient support to carry the tank and anchor the bowl. Wall-mounted toilets are not necessarily costly, but when you factor in the cost of the carrier and installation, the price increases tremendously.

They are, however, very sleek and stylish. So, how does a wall-mounted toilet work?

After the carrier and toilet tank have been installed on the bathroom wall, a secondary wall is erected to hide them. Three precise openings are made on this wall.

The first opening is the flush button panel. This is where you will be flushing your toilet from. It also provides access to the toilet tank if you need to check or repair something.

The second opening is where flush water will flow from the tank to the bowl. Below this opening is a larger opening which is the outlet pipe. Waste from the toilet bowl will exit from a pipe installed on that opening.

Wall-hung toilets can either be gravity-flushed or pressure-assisted. The gravity flush toilets depend on gravity between the tank and the bowl to flush the toilet. In contrast, pressure-assisted wall-mounted toilets use water under high pressure from a secondary tank in the main toilet tank.

In floor-mounted toilets, there is either comfort height or standard height toilets. The toilet bowl height of the wall-hung toilet can be adjusted (during installation) so that you will be sitting at your most comfortable height.

The minimum weight limit of wall-mounted toilets is 500 pounds, as the United States National Consensus Standards require. Toto Aquia wall-hung toilet has the highest minimum weight limit of 800 pounds.

Wall-Hung vs. Floor-Mounted Toilets

Floor-mounted or free-standing toilets are toilets that are installed on the bathroom floor. The floor-mounted toilets can be one-piece-toilets, two-piece, tankless, etc.

So, between wall-hung toilets and floor-mounted toilets, which ones are better? Or rather, what are the pros and cons of wall-mounted vs floor-mounted toilets?

Let’s then look at the differences between wall-mounted and floor-mounted toilets and their advantages and disadvantages.

Wall-Mounted Toilets

Pros

• Saves Space.
• Are Stylish and Elegant.
• Installed to suit the user’s height preference.
• Easy to Clean.
• Cheaper than high-end floor-mounted toilets.

Cons

• Expensive installation.
• Costly repairs.
• Difficult to install.

Floor-Mounted Toilets

Pros

• They are cheaper.
• They are easier to install.
• Cheap to repair.

Cons

• Take up more space.
• Old-fashioned.
• Harder to clean.
• Height cannot be adjusted.

Wall-Mounted vs. Floor-Mounted Toilets

1. Space

Wall-mounted toilets are hung on the bathroom wall with their toilet tanks/cisterns concealed in the wall. They are, therefore, more space-economic than their floor-mounted counterparts.

Due to their small size, wall-mounted toilets are great toilets for small bathrooms or anyone else who doesn’t want to have their bathroom looking stuffy. A bathroom with a lot of free space is every homeowner’s dream.

Floor-mounted toilets take up more space than wall-hung toilets because you must accommodate both the toilet bowl and the tank. This can limit your comfort in the bathroom, especially if the vanity or bathroom sink is too close to the toilet.

More space-efficient floor-mounted toilets are compact elongated or round-front toilets, but they still take up more space compared to wall-hung toilets.

Let us see the difference in size between one popular wall-mounted toilet and a popular floor-mounted toilet.

• Toto Aquia Wall-Hung Toilet

Toilet dimensions: 21-1/16 x 14 3/16 x 15 inch

• Toto Drake Floor-Mounted Toilet

Toilet Dimension: 28 x 19.5 x 30.5 inches

2. Cost

Wall-mounted toilets cost more than most floor-mounted toilets. Using the example above, the Toto Aquia wall-hung toilet costs a couple hundred dollars more than the Toto Drake floor-mounted toilet.

This is not, however, mean that floor-mounted toilets are cheap. To put this into perspective, consider the Kohler Veil intelligent floor-mounted toilet, which costs hundreds of dollars more than the Kohler Veil wall-hung toilet.

Another important aspect of cost is the cost of installation. It is very easy to install a floor-mounted toilet on your own. A Wall-hung toilet will need to be installed by a professional plumber, which will be expensive.

Apart from the toilet and plumbing cost, you will also need to buy the toilet carrier. The carrier is the frame mounted on the toilet to hang the toilet and carry the tank.

3. Style and Design

Wall-mounted toilets are so stylish and beautiful. A bathroom with a wall-mounted toilet will, without a doubt, stand out.

Floor-mounted toilets can be boring and are seen more as a means to an end than a statement of style. People have seen floor-mounted toilets for generations, and there is nothing to “wow!” about.

Not all floor-mounted toilets are old-fashioned, though. Smart and tankless toilets like the Kohler Veil or Ove Decors, which are floor-mounted, will give the most elegant wall-mounted toilets a run for their money.

4. Ease of Cleaning

Cleaning a wall-mounted toilet is a cinch. There are no toilet tanks and toilet bowl bases to think about. There are very few crevices, if any, which means you will spend less time every time you clean your toilet.

On the other hand, floor-mounted toilets have so many nooks and crannies that you must take your time to go through while cleaning, lest germs pitch camp there. This is especially the case if you have a two-piece toilet.

All is not groomed, though, for floor-mounted toilets. Modern one-piece toilets are skirted (have a concealed trapway), which means cleaning is way easier than their two-piece non-skirted counterparts

5. Ease of installation

This is where the wall-mounted toilets get a beating. These toilets’ tanks are concealed in the bathroom wall. This means the bathroom wall has to be redesigned to accommodate the toilet tank. It involves the installation of a carrier and a thicker wall called the ledge wall.

With a floor-mounted toilet, you only need the toilet drainpipe to be in place, and you are set to go. Most people who buy floor-mounted toilets don’t call plumbers to install them. It is a simple DIY.

6. Height.

Among the best advantages of wall-mounted toilets is that it allows the buyer to install them at their preferred heights. For instance, the Toto Aquia wall-hung toilet has a height range of between 15 and 19 inches.

Floor-mounted toilets, on the other hand, come in either standard height or comfort height. It is, however, not such a terrible thing since you can always use a toilet seat riser to add extra height to your toilet.

A 2-inch toilet seat riser can easily convert a standard-height toilet into a comfort-height toilet. Toilet seat risers go up to 6 inches in height and include toilet seat risers with arms and toilet seat risers with a safety frame. Raised toilet seats, as they are also called, are portable, which makes them more versatile.

Wall-Mounted Toilet Problems

It is not all rosy for wall-mounted toilets. They, too, like floor-mounted toilets, occasionally have a few problems from time to time. Some of these problems include:

1. A wobbly wall-mounted toilets

A wall-mounted toilet can accommodate a great deal of weight, but sometimes the fixtures mounting these toilets to the wall can become loose, resulting in a wobbly/rocking toilet. Whether floor-mounted or wall-mounted, a wobbly toilet is uncomfortable and risky, especially for old folk.

The best thing is to remove the toilet, then reinstall and tighten the fixtures or replace some which might be worn out. You can do this on your own, or you could call in a plumber.

2. A leaking Wall-Mounted Toilet

When a wall-mounted toilet leaks when flushed, it means the plumbing works were not well done, or the toilet seal is not sealing anymore.

A leaking wall-mounted toilet is characterized by a wet bathroom wall where the toilet is installed. This can become a big problem if not addressed immediately because the wall paint will start to peel off and encourage mold growth.

3. A Running Wall-Mounted Toilet

When a wall-mounted toilet is continuously running, just like a floor-mounted it points out to a defective fill valve, toilet flapper, or toilet float that is not adjusted correctly. A running toilet is a costly thing to have.

The best thing to do is call a plumber to determine the problem. If the toilet fill valve needs replacement or the float needs to be adjusted, he should be able to do it without a problem.

Wall-Mounted Toilet Installation

How do you install a wall-mounted toilet? Unfortunately, wall-hung toilets are not as easy to install as floor-mounted toilets.

I would not advise you to attempt a wall-mounted toilet installation DIY unless you are exceptional plumbing experience. Not all plumbers can install a wall-hung toilet.

To give you a feeling of how to install a wall-mounted toilet, check out the video below.

What are The Best Wall-Mounted Toilets?

These are among the best wall-hung/ wall-mounted toilet you can buy:

1. Toto Aquia Wall-Hung Toilet

This dual flush elongated wall-hung toilet is coated with Toto’s Cefiontect glaze to inhibit dirt adherence. It does not come with a toilet seat; hence, you must buy one separately.

You can choose either an ordinary toilet seat or a bidet seat from Toto or other manufacturers for extra comfort.

2. Kohler Veil Wall-Hung Toilet

The Kohler K-6299-0 Veil is an elongated wall-hung toilet made so compact to occupy a small bathroom space. It should, however, not be confused with Kohler Veil’s intelligent wall-hung toilet.

Kohler Veil intelligent wall-hung toilet is a smart toilet that costs way more than the above model. If you have the cash, then by all means, go for it.

3. Swiss Madison Well Made Forever Ivy Wall-Hung Toilet

The Swiss Madison Well Made Forever Ivy toilet is a dual flush (0.8/1.28 gallons per flush) elongated wall-hung toilet that is both sleek and competitively priced.

It comes with a soft close toilet with a quick-release mechanism for quick and thorough cleaning.

Conclusion

Wall-mounted toilets originated in Europe, but the idea has spread worldwide, and the United States has not been left behind. Before, these toilets were only seen in affluent establishments, but they are now more common in private homes. The biggest challenge with wall-mounted toilets is the installation since not all plumbers are well conversant with them, and the costs tend to be high. The end product is, however, amazing, and you could say the end justifies the means.