Semi-recessed basin
A semi recessed basin is a basin that is designed to be half fitted into a worktop with bathroom furniture. The front half of the basin overhangs the front of the furniture and is the most common style of the basin for use with fitted bathroom furniture. It allows all the plumbing to be hidden from view but doesn’t take up too much space in a bathroom which is why the semi-recessed basin is the most popular type of basin in bathrooms today.
Inset basin
An inset basin is designed to go fully into a worktop or tiled ledge. The advantage of this over a semi recessed basin is that the whole basin is enclosed but the main disadvantage is that most people’s bathrooms aren’t big enough to accommodate a fully inset basin. They are not as widely used in today’s bathrooms.
Sit on basin
A sit on basin is one that is designed to sit on top of a worktop or shelf and only have the bottom part of it in contact with the worktop. The worktop generally has to be lower than a standard height to accommodate the fact that the height of a sit on basin goes on top of the worktop height and not into it.
Hideaway or concealed cistern
A hideaway or concealed cistern is where the cistern is not on view and is most commonly used for fitted furniture or behind a false wall. This type of cistern is normally used with a back to wall pan and is ideal for sports clubs, pubs, hotels etc. as the user cannot see or tamper with the plumbing. It also means that you only have the pan on view which is much more pleasing to the eye.
High level toilet
A high-level toilet is similar in that the water cistern is fitted above the pan but is much higher up the wall. This is a very old fashioned method of fitting a pan and is only used today in Victorian style houses. The idea was that the higher up the wall the cistern was then the better the flush. It didn’t work out like that as the water came down too fast and needed a flow reducer fitted to stop the person getting a shower when they flushed the toilet.
Low-level toilet
A low-level pan is where the cistern (water tank) is situated above the pan with a connecting pipe in between the two. This pipe, which is called a low-level flush pipe, allows the water to flow from the cistern and into the pan to flush. This is quite an old-fashioned style of the toilet and is not often used these days.
Close coupled toilet
A pan or cistern that is being described as close coupled or c/c is where the water cistern sits directly on top of the pan with no pipe in between the two. The water feeds from the cistern and flows into the pan through a joint that is sealed by a large o-ring called a doughnut washer.
Back to wall pan
A back to wall pan is that is designed to go against a flat surface such as a tiled wall or furniture. The beauty of these is that the cistern that holds the water is hidden from view and looks aesthetically pleasing on the eye. They come in all shapes and sizes from traditional to contemporary and are used a lot in hotels and sports clubs as the public cannot tamper with the plumbing.
