How to choose a commercial wall hung toilet
Pan only, or a complete WC set
A pan sold on its own also needs a cistern and flush plate, or a flush valve: see concealed cisterns and frames, or ask us to match them to your pan. A WC set brings the frame, cistern, flush plate, vitreous china pan and seat in one order. Stainless pans come without a seat as standard; the vitreous china pans include one.
Fixing: from the front, or through the wall
Front fixing pans hang on a frame or a mounting plate. Delabie says its front fixing pans fit all standard frame systems, and both Delabie and KWC DVS supply a fixing plate and security screws. Through the wall pans fix from a service duct behind the wall. Delabie's use a 200 mm threaded rod cut to size, or a longer one from us; the composite pan uses four 12 mm stainless studs for walls up to 250 mm thick. Where the wall cannot take a frame, see the back to wall and close coupled pans in commercial toilets.
Stainless steel, vitreous china or composite
Vitreous china pans cost least, from about £420 ex VAT, and Dolphin weight tests them to 400 kg. The stainless pans are grade 304 steel (1.4301 on the KWC DVS sheets), 1.5 to 2.0 mm thick where stated; Delabie gives a 30 year warranty on its front fixing pans, and some come in matt black. The composite pan, from about £950 ex VAT, suits mental healthcare, healthcare and custodial use, in its maker's words. For stainless pans in other fixings, see stainless steel toilets.
Length from the wall, and accessible cubicles
Measured from the finished wall, standard pans run 460 to 550 mm, and accessible pans 700 mm in stainless steel or 750 mm in vitreous china. For a wheelchair accessible cubicle, send us the layout and we will check which pan puts its front edge 750 mm from the back wall, as Approved Document M shows.
Flush and connections
Delabie and KWC DVS pans need a flush of at least 4 litres and take a 55 mm flush inlet and a 100 mm outlet. If you are reusing a cistern, or choosing another pan, ask us and we will check the match. The WC sets' pneumatic cisterns adjust down to 4.5 and 3 or 4 and 2.5 litres and work on 0.1 to 16 bar, and one set also comes with a sensor flush. For a sensor flush on a pan sold alone, see flush valves.
What the price buys
Pans cost from about £420 to £1,400 ex VAT, and a seat, seat pads or a matt black finish adds to a stainless pan's price. A WC set with a pneumatic flush costs from about £740 ex VAT, while the same Dolphin pan, cistern frame and flush plate bought separately cost about £810. Sensor versions start at about £1,240 ex VAT. Delivery takes 1 to 3 working days.
Regulations and standards
Delabie's product files state that the BCN S, S21 S, S21 S TC, 700 S and 700 S TC meet EN 997 for a 4 litre flush and carry the CE mark. For the Campus CMPX592, CMPX594 and CMPX597, KWC DVS gives flushing certified to EN 997 at 4 litres or more and a mounting plate to EN 33, the standard for connecting dimensions.
The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 apply in England and Wales. Schedule 2, paragraph 25, caps a single flush at 6 litres and the smaller flush of a dual flush at two thirds of the larger. The volume limit falls on the cistern or valve that flushes the pan. Dolphin's pneumatic WC sets, DC3000 and DC3040, flush 6 and 3 litres as standard; their inlet valve is WRAS approved and their cistern complies with EN 14055 Class 2.
In England, Approved Document M Volume 2 sets out accessible toilets in buildings other than dwellings. Its Diagram 18 puts 750 mm between the back wall and the front of the pan, with the centre of the pan 500 mm out from the side wall. Diagram 19 gives a 480 mm seat height, subject to manufacturing tolerance. It also notes that the pan should be able to take a variable height seat riser. Of the accessible pans, Dolphin's DC1300 is 750 mm long. The others are 700 mm: Delabie's 700 S and 700 S TC, which it describes as for people with reduced mobility, and KWC DVS's CMPX594, which it calls barrier free.
Where they are used
Offices and schools
For an office or school fitted out from scratch, a WC set saves matching parts. Its flush plate comes in brushed stainless steel, a ceramic coating or, on the sensor versions, any RAL colour. Plates for pans sold alone are in commercial toilet fittings. Where fittings get abused, choose a stainless pan with security screws, or a shrouded pan that covers the trap: see anti vandal toilets.
Hospitals and care homes
For accessible cubicles in hospitals and care homes, check the layout with us before choosing a 700 or 750 mm pan: see disabled toilets. For mental health units, the composite pan's maker calls it "vandal and ligature resistant": see anti ligature toilets.
Prisons and secure units
For cells with a service duct behind, Delabie's through the wall stainless pans are, in its words, suitable for the secure sector, and the composite pan suits custodial use: see prison toilets.
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard height of a commercial wall hung toilet from the floor?
The height of a commercial wall hung toilet is set when it is fitted, not by the pan: the frame or wall fixing decides where it hangs. For a wheelchair accessible toilet in England, Approved Document M Volume 2 shows the seat 480 mm above the floor, subject to manufacturing tolerance. Tell us the seat height on your drawings and we will check it against the pan and frame you choose.
What are the dimensions of a wall hung toilet?
The wall hung pans here measure 460 to 750 mm from the wall to the front (46 to 75 cm), 350 to 400 mm wide and 330 to 400 mm high. Standard pans run 460 to 550 mm from the wall and accessible pans 700 or 750 mm, and most are 360 mm wide. Ask us for the maker's data sheet and we will send it.
What are the disadvantages of wall hung toilets?
The main disadvantage is what a wall hung toilet needs besides the pan. A front fixing pan needs a frame or mounting plate on a wall that can carry it, and a through the wall pan needs a service duct behind it. A pan sold alone also needs a concealed cistern and flush plate, or a flush valve, at extra cost, unless you choose a WC set, which includes them.
Why are commercial toilets wall mounted?
Many commercial toilets are wall mounted to keep the floor clear and the plumbing out of sight. Unless a commercial wall mounted toilet has a shroud to the floor, cleaners can mop under it without a base to work round, and its cistern and pipes sit behind the wall.
How much does a commercial wall hung toilet cost?
A commercial wall hung toilet costs from about £420 ex VAT for a vitreous china pan; stainless steel pans start at about £680 and the composite pan at about £950. A pan sold alone also needs a cistern and flush plate, and usually a frame: frames with a cistern start at about £220 ex VAT and flush plates at about £100. A WC set includes them all, from about £740 ex VAT. We price match: see our price match guarantee.
How much weight can a wall hung toilet hold?
The vitreous china pans and the WC sets here are weight tested to 400 kg, on Dolphin's sheets. The stainless and composite pans' sheets give no load figure. Ask us before you order and we will check the load rating of the frame or fixing kit you plan to use.
Is a wall hung or floor standing toilet better for a commercial washroom?
Neither suits every washroom. A wall hung toilet suits a cubicle where a frame or service duct can go behind the wall and a clear floor matters. A floor standing toilet suits a wall that cannot take a frame. Floor standing back to wall pans hide the cistern behind a panel, and close coupled toilets carry it on the pan. Both are in commercial toilets, from the same makers.
