A few months ago my friends, and The DIY Geek supporters at Delta contacted me about an upcoming expansion of their company, Delta was going into the toilet game. As we have a great relationship they offered to send me one of their units so I could install it and let them know what I thought of their product. I had some free time last weekend and installed it.
Delta provided this unit free of cost. However this is not a paid post and I will give my honest feedback about this product.
To prepare for this upcoming post, I installed a competing companies toilet at my parents house. This gave me the opportunity to see the differences between the two units. Between the two of them the Delta unit was superior in every way.
Project Stats: Delta Toilet
Time: 2 hours alone (1:15 toilet removal, 45 min to install new toilet and clean up)
Cost: Medium
Difficulty: Easy
Value for cost: High
Tools Needed: None*
Project Stats: Competitor Toilet
Time: 3 hours with another person (1:30 toilet removal, 1:30 min to install new toilet and clean up)
Cost: High
Difficulty: Medium
Value for cost: Medium
Tools Needed: Bilge pump, sponge, scraper (for old wax seal) rag, adjustable wrench, pliers, Phillips screwdriver, Flathead screwdriver, bucket for water, level, water supply line
When Delta says on the box that they include everything you need to install a toilet, they are not lying! While doing this install I took this advertisement to heart and brought up no tools. I did bring up some nitrile gloves but found that there was a set already included.
The box had the instructions laid out neatly on top with two bags. One was an uninstall bag for the old toilet and the other was the install bag with all of the small pieces. The uninstall bag had everything I needed ( gloves, rag, super absorbing block, sealable bag for garbage ) the install bag had everything I needed for the installation of the toilet as well as an amazing install tool.
This multi tool makes the uninstall and install much easier than other toilets.
The hardest part about this entire project was taking the old toilet out. Using the provided tools from Delta I was able to get it out fairly easily. However I did have to bring a tool in to cut a stripped bolt. Take a look at the gallery to see my install notes, I’ll have more after the pictures.
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- The box states that it has everything you need in it, is that true?
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- This is the old toilet that was I replaced
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- I wanted to approach this like I had no idea what I was doing. I used the instructions as I went, not looking ahead.
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- This was a great touch, there was a bag for taking out the old toilet and one for installing the new toilet. I did not need anything else for this entire project!*
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- I started the uninstall process by turning the water off, and draining the tank by flushing a few times
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- The kit included an absorbent sponge that made quick work of removing the remaining water. I was really surprised as I have had to use a bilge pump in the past to keep the floor (and my feet) dry.
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- This little pad held a lot of water!
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- With the tank dry I was able to remove the tank. The included tool from Delta meant that I didn’t need to bring anything up from my shop.
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- When I say I did not use any other tools than the ones provided, this is the only exception. One of the bolts was damaged when this was first installed. I needed to cut it with my Soni Crafter.
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- When the old toilet is taken out, make sure to scrape the old wax seal out of the flange. Delta included a rag to put into the drain before you install the new toilet. This keeps sewer gasses out of the air. Make sure to remove this before placing the new toilet! The mounting bolts to on the flange (not pictured)
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- The provided wax seal is nice, and it even includes a rubber gasket to help with the seal. Other toilets I have seen do not have this addition.
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- I carefully placed the toilet with the seal into place. Making sure to take the rag out of the drain and line up the wax seal properly as you only get one shot.
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- Thread the nuts by hand as you want the bowl to seat evenly on both sides.
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- The proper order for the washers and bolts
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- These markings line up with the gasket, making sure nothing is off.
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- I placed the bowl on some cardboard and lined up the gasket. As you can see the tank attaches to the bowl with three bolts, this makes alignment easy.
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- Making sure the gasket will seat properly.
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- A missing step in the instructions, I made sure the tank was level from side to side as well and front to back.
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- The innards of this toilet are all top quality and higher technology than most common toilets!
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- This is the seat mechanism, the seat clicks into this holder making install, replacement, and removal a breeze! The only complaint is that it takes some work to lock down.
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- Heavy Duty springs and plastic make sure the seat is on there!
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- This was a great touch, all the common problems, and fixes put into the tank. Goodbye instruction manual!
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- Another nice touch was including a bag to put all of the dirty items you used. This meant that I did not even need to bring a garbage bag to the project!
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- This is honestly my least favorite part of the toilet. I would have preferred a white flush handle.
Between the two installs the Delta fixture was much easier. Delta included everything you need to get this job done. What that means is that any homeowner of any skill level can change a toilet without having to have access to a bunch of extra tools. The other nice thing is that Delta includes top quality components. A thick gauge braided stainless hose with plenty of slack. With the competitor you had to supply your own…which could mean an extra trip to the hardware store.
I will note that the insides of the toilet are beyond what I have ever seen! The flushing mechanism throws out the old components for what looks to be a much more user friendly experience. Adjusting water levels are a breeze and all adjustments are easy to see. I really like how this is laid out.
A few small issues of the install that I did have.
1. They suggest (optionally) that you put caulk around the bottom of the toilet. I know this gives it a nicer look, however it can trap water in there, making you not notice a leak and potentially rotting the floor. I opted not to put the caulk for this reason. Update: Chris,a commenter, suggested caulking around the bowl and leaving the back exposed to check for leaks. I think this is a great idea.
2. I did not see in the instructions to level the tank, which I felt was important. I did bring a level up for this.
3. I don’t like the handle, it has grown on me, but I would have preferred a nice matching white.
Overall if you are in the market for a toilet, I would seriously suggest going for a Delta Toilet. Their commitment to innovation and quality has continued into this new realm and I know it will last!
- Delta Toilets are exclusively available at The Home Depot
