Installing a Bidet on a Skirted Toilet: Everything You Need to Know
Installing a Bidet on a Skirted Toilet: Everything You Need to Know
There is a wide variety of toilets available on the market today ranging from a wide range of sizes and designs. One popular style of toilet is known as a “skirted’ type toilet. This style of toilet is a great option for those looking for a modern and sleek looking toilet setup. Customers, however, should be aware of the possible hurdles these types of toilets present when trying to install a bidet. Hurdles regarding access to your toilet’s fill valve is a common issue. Another common issue stems from the bidet’s mounting hardware's inability to be mounted onto the compact design of a skirted toilet. In this article, we will discuss in further detail the challenges and solutions to installing a bidet onto a skirted toilet
What is a skirted toilet?
Skirted toilets differ from regular toilets in that they have a different look and design to them. Skirted toilets will have a seamless skirt design that hides the trapway at the base of the toilet as well as the fill valve located underneath the toilet tank. This gives the toilet an elegant and modern look. It also has the added benefit of simplifying the cleaning process of the toilet. Despite having a modern and sleek design, skirted toilets can present certain issues when trying to install a bidet.
What are the problems with a skirted design?
Fill Valve
A traditional two piece toilet will usually have it’s fill valve located underneath the toilet tank, making it readily accessible. Most bidet seats come with a ⅞” t-valve that will fit directly onto the bottom of the toilet’s fill valve. The issue with skirted toilets is that the fill valve is usually hidden behind the toilet. Oftentimes, there is minimal space between the back of the toilet and the wall. Having access to the fill valve is crucial as this is where you will connect the provided t-valve (or water splitter) to your toilet.
Mounting Bolts
An additional issue present on skirted toilets is that of it’s mounting bolts. Traditional two piece toilets have plastic mounting bolts that are tightened from underneath the bowl in order to hold down the seat and the lid to the toilet bowl. Skirted toilets, however, have a different design. Instead of securing the seat from the bottom of the bowl, skirted toilets require that the seat is secured and tightened from above using long screws that fit into rubber sleeves. Being that most bidet seats come with plastic bolts and nuts which are designed for traditional two piece toilets, installation onto a skirted toilet will present a problem.
Fortunately, Alpha Bidet has easy solutions for these issues.
What are the solutions to these skirted toilet issues?
Alternative T-valve for skirted toilets
A quick and easy solution for the issue surrounding the fill valve is an alternative t-valve that can be installed directly into the shut off valve as opposed to the fill valve underneath the toilet tank. Alpha Bidet has a specially designed t-valve that has a ⅜” top male and bottom female compression threads. A third outlet on the t-valve will have a ½” thread size which is compatible with most bidet seat supply hoses. In the case that your bathroom has a ½” shut off valve, you can purchase our ½” t-valve to fit that size. You would simply need to install the skirted t-valve between your toilet’s water supply hose and the shut off valve located on the wall.
Top Mounting Bolts
In regards to the issue surrounding the mounting of the bidet onto the skirted toilet, Alpha Bidet has available for purchase top mounting hardware which can be used to securely tighten the bidet from above rather than below. Included with the top mounting bolts will be a pair of black rubber sleeves which are designed to be inserted in the toilet bowl mounting holes. The screws are then tightened from above using a screwdriver. These screws and rubber sleeves will replace the plastic bolts/nuts that are included with most bidet seats.
Please be aware that some skirted toilets may already come with and use top mounting bolts. If this is the case, you can skip purchasing any additional top mounting hardware.
