If you’re struggling with counter space constraints or finding your regular toilet uncomfortable for all family members, it could be due to wrong toilet height. Low profile toilets are designed to ensure the bowl and the seat are of the right height and width while minimizing the overall height of the toilet unit. This is typically achieved by minimizing the height of the toilet tank or making the toilet entirely tankless.
Unfortunately, numerous aged bathrooms have odd-looking tank-type toilets with the top of the tank flashing with or sitting above the countertop. If you still have such a weird toilet unit in your home, you may want to consider investing in the best low-profile toilet model to create a fresh new look in your restroom. These bathroom designs are veritably satiny and eye-catching due to their low-profile nature. Besides, you can extend a countertop right over them!
Who Needs a Low Profile Toilet?
The perfect toilet for your home depends on the available bathroom space and whether any member has a physical need, as well as the average height of all family members. Hence, a low-profile toilet is ideal for smaller bathrooms with height constraints, for example, if you want the toilet tank to slide under the countertop or cabinet. This guide focuses on low-profile toilet designs with comfort-height bowls but shorter tanks to fit under a bathroom shelf or in areas with space constraints.
But note that the term “low profile” also refers to shorter toilets with lower bowls to suit small children and shorter adults. If that’s what you’re looking for, you may have a look at the KOHLER K-3722-0 San Raphael Toilet.
However, most low-profile toilets range between 17 and 19 inches high. Although there are toilets above and below this comfort height range, it’s about finding the perfect option to suit your needs. We’ve reviewed the best low-profile toilets to aid your buying decision.
Top 5 Low Profile Toilets Reviewed
1: Best Overall: Kohler K-5172 San Souci Compact Comfort Height Toilet
The Kohler K-5172 San Souci is another excellent toilet specially designed for short individuals. It has a perfect size and elongated shape that provides maximum comfort for both tall and short people. The toilet’s shape, materials, and design allow for easy cleaning without using any costly materials or extra tools. It uses a Kohler K-4008 grip-tight seat that prevents accidents and offers maximum comfort.
The toilet features Aqua Piston flushing Technology, which consumes 1.28 GPF (gallons of water per flush). This feature saves up to 20 percent of water, reducing your water bill. It also flushes more efficiently, quieter, and faster than several regular 1.6 GPF models that consume more water.
The Kohler K-5172 features a space-saving design as it measures 30.2 x 20.8 x 26.7 inches. This high-end toilet has a beautiful and clean one-piece design that screams luxury and elegance.
Overall, the Kohler K-5172 is an excellent toilet that’s available in nine different colors. Since your toilet is one of the most used items in your home, it would be cool to have something this elegant to sit and enjoy the luxury.
Features
- Comfort Height feature
- Compact elongated bowl
- Durable canister design
- AquaPiston canister for 360-degree water flow
- K-4008 grip-tight seat
2. Best Runner Up: Swiss Madison Well Made Forever SM-1T803
The Swiss Madison Well Made Forever SM-1T803 One Piece Toilet is another best-selling low-profile toilet design on Amazon. It has a reasonable price tag and looks great. Besides, the flush mechanism does a great job of clearing all the waste in a single flush.
Although the Swiss Madison toilet seat is a little flimsy, you can still purchase your preferred seat to enhance comfort and ensure durability. Luckily, the seat measures 18 inches at its longest point, which is the standard size for elongated toilet designs.
Key Features
- Dual flushing system
- 1.28 gallons per full flush
- 0.8 gallons per half flush
- Environmentally friendly
- Complies with EPA guidelines
- WaterSense certified
- Elongated bowl
- Comfort height
- Soft-close lid
3. Best Lowest Height: KOHLER K-3597-0 San Raphael Comfort Height Toilet
The KOHLER K-3597-0 San Raphael is perhaps the lowest toilet in the low profile toilet category. It has a height of just 21 ½ inches and consumes just 1.0 GPF. This Elongated Toilet is so low that you might confuse it with a low-profile RV toilet. With a Pressure Lite flushing technology, the toilet efficiently compresses water into its tiny toilet tank using the main pipe water pressure. When you press the flush button, it releases the pressurized 1.0 Gallon of water into the bowl, clearing all the waste in a single flush.
Key Features
- 30-inch L by 19-1/2-inch W by 21-1/2-inch H
- Pressure Lite flushing technology
- Elongated bowl
- 12-inch rough-in
- Polished Chrome trip lever
- French Curve Quiet-Close toilet seat
- Quick Release functionality
4. Best for Small Bathrooms: KOHLER San Souci Round-front Compact Toilet
The KOHLER San Souci Round-front Toilet is another short profile toilet with a height of just 24 inches. It also has a short depth of just 25.6 inches, making it between 2 to 5 inches shorter than other low-profile toilet models.
With a height of just 24 inches from the floor to the top of the tank and about 31 inches high with the seat open, this toilet model is an excellent choice for smaller bathrooms. The San Souci one-piece toilet also offers a sleek, contemporary design with a comfortable elongated bowl and chair-like height for comfortable use.
Additionally, the toilet system features innovative AquaPiston technology that delivers a fast, powerful, and plug-free flush. With a 1.28-gallon flush, the toilet delivers significant water savings without sacrificing performance.
Key Features
- Low-profile design
- Comfort Height® with chair-height seating
- Consumes just 1.28 gpf (4.8 lpf).
- Includes K-4008 Reveal® Quiet-Close™ Grip-Tight seat.
- Clean Caps® and concealed trapway facilitate easier cleaning
- Left-hand Chrome trip lever
5: Best Luxurious Design: WoodBridge Dual Flush T-0018/B-0735 Toilet
The WoodBridge Dual Flush T-0018/B-0735 One-piece Toilet is the best selling and most popular low-profile model. The 22-inch high toilet has the second shortest height among low-profile toilets available on the market.
The toilet is easy to clean, comfortable, and offers great value for money. It also comes with every necessary certification. It is CSA, high-efficiency, UPC, WaterSense, and UPC-certified, saving you money and water. The design features a skirted trap way that creates an attractive look and makes it easier to clean. Its top-quality closing seat comes with durable stainless steel seat hinges.
The Comfort Height feature provides chair-height seating, making standing up and sitting down easy for most adults. Its fully glazed dual-flush system brings powerful and super quiet flushing with no leaks or clogs.
The package includes a toilet, floor bolts, top-quality wax ring, installation manual, and soft closing pre-installed toilet seat. The toilet is easy to get off if you need to clean or tighten after a few years of use. Overall, this WoodBridge T-0018 toilet is a well-made and attractive model.
Features
- Dimensions: 28.4 x 14.5 x 22 inches
- Siphon flushing design
- Elongated, comfortable height
- Water-sense Certified toilet
Buying Guide for Low Profile Toilets
Choosing either a low-profile toilet for your home depends on several factors, such as personal preference, available space, and the heights of people living in your home. Price is another factor that you need to consider when making such significant purchases. However, choosing an expensive toilet doesn’t necessarily guarantee better durability and performance. Here’s a guide you can follow to enable you to choose the ideal low-profile toilet.
Advantages of Low Profile Toilets
Low-profile toilets are toilets with considerably improved height compared to standard toilets but much shorter tanks. These toilets preserve a lot of vertical counter space, and you can even install them under a shelf.
The addition of about 2 to 4 inches to the standard toilet heights also ensure the elderly individuals can sit on them with reduced strain on the knee, as the knee is now free to turn 90 degrees. Persons with physical disabilities also benefit from this unique feature of a low-profile toilet as the body rests in a more natural position.
Furthermore, not all family members are comfortable enough with standard toilets. As such, when purchasing toilets, most families place consideration on the taller members among them.
There are several low-profile toilet models to choose from when shopping for these nifty, contemporary restroom designs. Just be creative and explore our various luxurious bath products that will fully remake your restroom’s look. Kohler, in particular, has a wide range of luxurious low-profile toilet models you should consider.
In most cases, low-profile toilets are available as one-piece styles, so stick with that order. Also, be sure to measure the overall height of your old toilet unit from the bottom to the bottom of the counter before removing it for a replacement to ensure that the new unit you choose will directly fit the vertical space. You also need to consider a round-front or elongated bowls to ensure the new toilet will fit the horizontal space.
Standard Toilets Vs. Low Profile Toilets
Other than heights, there are some other differences between a low-profile toilet and a standard one. And the similarities between the two toilet variants could also influence your purchase decision.
Appearance
Traditionally, the colors of both the standard and low profile toilets are usually either white or beige. Although there are other colors to choose from, they are usually unpopular and scarce.
While standard toilets are available as either a single-piece or a two-piece unit, low-profile toilets are typically one-piece models. The basic need for a single-piece toilet is space management. However, flushing options of both toilets are similar.
Squat Position
With the standard toilet, the hips are directly below the knee while squatting. The rectum-anus positioning during this posture allows for optimal emptying of your bowel, a peculiarity required by people with constipation problems. This feature of the standard toilet gives it an edge over low-profile toilets. However, you can still find low-profile toilets with standard-height bowls but shorter tanks.
Height
Low-profile toilets measured from floor to seat are usually about 17 inches high, while standard toilets measure approximately 15 inches. Kids would be more comfortable with standard toilets due to their standard, convenient height. Conversely, tall individuals would be more comfortable with the low profile option due to its increased height.
One-piece Low Profile Toilets Or Two-piece Low Profile Toilets
Low-profile toilets rarely come in a two-piece unit. That is, the toilet bowl and the tank are not separate but joined singly as a unit. Being a single compact unit makes for easier installation and cleaning.
Conversely, a two-piece toilet has a tank and bowl separated from one another but has connections for water supply from the tank to the bowl. The choice between a one-piece and two-piece toilet is simply a personal preference.
Decision Relating To Flush Options
All toilets are made to flush out solid waste in the best possible ways and methods. A regular traveler would most likely identify the different flush options of toilets. There are three popular toilet flush options:
1: Gravity Flush
Gravity flush toilets are the ones usually installed in residential and commercial apartments due to their simplicity. The advantage of gravity is put into use here. Water from the tank is driven into the bowl with acceleration similar to that of gravity. You’re most likely to regard and prefer toilets with gravity flushes due to their affordability and sheer ease of installation.
2: Tankless Low Profile Toilets
The next unique kind of low-profile toilet you would find in the market is the tankless toilet. These toilets are without tanks. Water for flushes is directly derived from the waterline. For apartments where the water pressure from the line is low, this toilet option isn’t recommended. While a gravity toilet lacks in space management, the tankless toilet helps conserve bathroom space. Besides, the absence of a toilet tank allows for the construction of simpler, smarter, less bulky bathrooms.
3: Pressure Assisted Toilets
If you need a toilet that takes only a modest size off your bathroom but with unrivaled effectiveness, then a model with a compression tank is a great choice. Together with the traditional water tank, the compression tank draws waste down the bowl with the speed other toilet options can’t offer. Pressure-assisted toilets are usually more expensive than those with regular flushing systems.
Low Profile Vs. Low Height Toilets
Low-profile toilets are occasionally appertained to as low-height toilets. Still, calling them low height toilets brings some confusion since toilets with low height seats are also known as low height toilets. Regarding low-height toilets, remember that it may also mean toilets with low-height bowls, making them easy to use for short people and children.
Overall, both low seat and low tank toilets fall under the low height toilets category but come with their own unique uses, considerations, and characteristics. In this context, a “low height toilets” refers to a toilet unit with a low height tank, which means an overall short height unit.
Many of the low-profile restroom models we’ve featured here actually have a high Comfort Height seat, making them perfect and easy for grownups, seniors, and people with knee problems. But, if you need a low-profile toilet model that features a lower seat height as well, consider the KOHLER K-3722-0 San Raphael Toilet. It comes with a shorter standard height seat of about 15 inches. However, other low-profile toilets highlighted here have a comfort-height seat of 17 inches.
Factors to Consider Before Purchasing a Low Profile Toilet
Low-profile toilets are available in different variants. Like the standard toilets, the various models are made to suit the preferences of the different consumers. So, aside from quality, there are considerations inspired by personal desires, which we discuss below.
1: The Shape Of the Bowl
Low-profile toilets have either an elongated or round bowl. Elongated toilets have seats that are oblong-shaped, and you’ll more likely feel comfortable using an elongated toilet than a round one.
2: Speed of Flush
You don’t want a low-profile toilet that needs you to flush multiple times after use. You also don’t need one that is herald as a water-saving toilet but could only eliminate solid waste after multiple flushes. A gravity feed low profile toilet normally flushes off wastes easily due to the high placement of the tank compared to that of the standard toilet. However, you should consider purchasing auxiliary components together with the toilet for the tankless variant of this toilet type to help increase the flush strength.
3: Installation Type
Your toilet choice would eventually be between a floor-mounted model and a wall-mounted one. Floor-mounted toilets being the traditional model, are what you would likely see in the market. Also, being the common kind of toilet, people are comfortable with them.
Wall-mounted toilets offer simplicity and consume less space. Rather than being mounted on the floor, they are attached to the wall. The downside of this kind of toilet is that they are expensive and require an expansive installation process.
4: The Noise from Flush
When a toilet is flushed, it may make some noise. Fortunately, some toilets are made to produce little to no noise. These toilets are tagged as having a quiet flush. However, even when advertised as a quiet flush toilet, you need to consider reviews from other users.
FAQs
What’s ADA Recommended Toilet Height?
The standard height requirement (ADA) for toilets is between 17 and 19 inches. However, note that this implies the height from the toilet seat to the floor — this doesn’t include any part above the seat like the cover.
What’s a Lowboy Toilet?
A ‘low boy’ toilet implies that the tank is designed to save space above your toilet. The term simply refers to the water tank situated at the back of your toilet, which is typically smaller and lower in low-profile toilets than conventional toilets.
Are Higher or Lower Toilets Better?
A lower toilet enhances the squat position, while a taller toilet reduces the squat position. The better option depends on what works for you. For instance, aged people are more comfortable using lower toilets.
Final Thoughts
After going through this guide and reviews, we hope you can make an excellent decision to choose the ideal low-profile toilet for your home. Our Top pick is the Swiss Madison SM-1T803BQ. It has one of the shortest heights among low-profile toilets and is relatively affordable.
Another incredible option to consider is the WoodBridge Dual Flush T-0018/B-0735 Toilet, especially if the price is not a factor to you. Most importantly, ensure to pick an option that perfectly suits your household needs and budget.