WO2002002880A1 - An improved method of installing a toilet suite and improved components relating to same - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of installing a toilet suite is disclosed. The method comprising one of the following steps either performed individually or in combination with one or more of the other following steps: 1a. installing a waste connector (22), having an inlet (24) and an outlet (28) comprising a rotatable offset connector (30), by rotating the connector (22) to a desired position relative to the inlet (24) and manually pushing the offset connector (30) into sealing engagement with a floor waste pipe (16); or 1b. installing a waste connector (22a), having an inlet (26) and an outlet, by manually pushing an offset connector (30a) into sealing engagement with a floor waste pipe (16), rotating the connector (30a) to a desired position relative to the waste pipe (16) and manually pushing the outlet of the waste connector (22a) into sealing engagement with the offset connector (30a); or 1c. installing a waste connector (22a) having an inlet and an outlet, by trimming a wall waste pipe (16) to a desired protruding length and manually pushing the connector inlet into sealing engagement with the waste pipe (16); 2. attaching a flush pipe (40) to a connection plate (42), by manually engaging integrally formed complimentary engagement formations (44, 48) on the flush pipe (40) and connection plate (42), to form a flush pipe/connection plate sub assembly (50) which can be manually handled as a single unit; 3. mounting a flush pipe (40) to the inlet (54) of a toilet pan (52) by pushing a seal (58) onto the outlet (56) of the flush pipe (40) and pushing the flush pipe outlet (56) into the inlet (54) of the toilet pan (52); 4. mounting and fastening a connection plate (42) to a toilet pan (52) to form a connector plate/pan sub assembly (66) which can be manually handled as a single unit; 5. snap engaging a cistern (70) to a connection plate (42); 6. attaching the outlet (78) of a cistern (70) to the inlet (46) of a flush pipe (56) by pushing a seal (78) onto the outlet (78) and pushing the outlet (78) into the inlet (46); and 7. levelling a cistern pan (52) using wedges (92) between the underside of the pan and the floor and thereafter adhering the pan (52) to the floor (12) using silicone sealant (96). A corresponding kit of toilet suite installation components is also disclosed.

Description

AN IMPROVED METHOD OF INSTALLING A TOILET SUITE AND

IMPROVED COMPONENTS RELATING TO SAME

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improved method of installing a toilet suite and improved components relating to same.

Background of the Invention

There are many known methods for installing toilet suites. The steps, sequence and timing of known installation methods can vary greatly. One typical known method of installing a toilet suite begins with a plumber bringing a unassembled toilet suite, tools and dry mortar to an installation site. This step takes about five to ten minutes. The installation site comprises a floor, which may or may not be level, a waste opening in the floor or wall which contains a pipe connected to the sewerage system and a threaded spigot which protrudes from a wall near the opening and is connected to mains water supply.

The next step in the installation is to fix a stopcock to the spigot. This step takes up to about five minutes. Problems associated with known stopcocks are described in an Australian Provisional Patent Application entitled "A Stopcock" which was filed 3 July 2000 by the applicant and bearing an Attorney reference of 410086. The relevant disclosure of this application is incorporated herein by cross reference.

The desired position of the toilet pan relative to the opening in the floor is then determined by measuring. The next step is to glue a pan collar to the pipe in the floor waste opening. This step takes about one to two minutes. The plumber then mixes the dry mortar with water until a stiff consistency is achieved. The mortar is then used to bed and adhere the toilet pan to the floor with the waste pipe of the toilet pan inserted into the base collar. The plumber uses strength and body weight to embed the toilet pan into the mortar until it is considered level in the front to rear and side to side directions according to a spirit level. This step takes about ten to fifteen minutes. The pan is sometimes attached to the floor with fixing screws rather than mortar.

Silicone bonding is significantly stronger than mortar bedding and silicone is also able to be used to adhere a toilet pan to the floor. However, silicone will not support one side of the pan at a higher level than another, as is required to position the pan level on an uneven surface. A flush pipe is then measured, cut to the desired length with a hacksaw and its outlet fitted to the inlet of the toilet pan. The inlet of the flush pipe and its associated seal is then connected to the outlet of a cistern (known as a flush tank in the United States). These steps take about five to ten minutes. A connection plate which extends between the rear of the toilet pan and the front of the cistern, to conceal the flush pipe, is then measured, cut to the desired length with a hacksaw and installed. This takes about three to five minutes.

The cistern is then levelled with a spirit level and the desired positions for the screws that retain the cistern adjacent the wall are marked. The cistern should then be removed, the holes drilled, the cistern reinstalled and then screwed to the wall. However, many plumbers attempt to screw the cistern to the wall without first drilling holes in order to avoid removing and reinstalling the cistern, notwithstanding that the holes cannot conveniently be drilled with the cistern in place. This step takes about five minutes.

The next step is to connect the outlet of the stopcock to the inlet of the cistern, which requires cutting and bending a powder coated, chromed or painted copper pipe. This is a trial and error process can take anywhere from ten to sixty minutes.

The toilet seat and lid are then bolted to the toilet pan, which takes about two minutes.

The cistern water level is then set and the flush mechanism(s) is/are tested. If the cistern is functioning correctly, the cistern cover is then installed. This takes about two minutes.

The installation completion involves by removing the excess mortar from around the base of the toilet pan, removing same from the installation site, cleaning the site, cleaning the mortar bucket and removing the tools, which takes about ten to fifteen minutes.

The installation method described above may take between 30 minutes to two hours and suffers from numerous disadvantages. A first disadvantage is the large amount of plumbers time required to installing the toilet suite, and the associated expense.

A second disadvantage is that mortar is messy and time consuming to mix, requires considerable effort to bed and level the toilet pan in, and necessitates a large amount of cleaning.

A third disadvantage is that the flush pipe and the connection plate must be correctly measured, marked and cut to length. These processes are both time consuming and prone to error. Further, if either component is cut too short then they are rendered unusable and replacements are required. A fourth disadvantage is that it is difficult and time consuming to quickly bend and cut the copper pipe that connects the stopcock outlet to the cistern inlet. Although difficult, many plumbers attempt to do this by hand. Further, the use of pipe bending tools often scratches the pipe, necessitating repair after installation. Also, similar to the flush pipe and connection plate, if the pipe is cut too short a replacement is required.

A fifth disadvantage is that if the pan is installed too close to the wall, the seat will not remain in the raised position without assistance.

A sixth disadvantage is that up to 14 different tools can be required to complete the installation. It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the above disadvantages and in particular to provide a method of installing a toilet suite and associated components which simplify the installation process and significantly reduce both the installation time and the number of tools required.

Summary of the Invention Accordingly, in a first broad aspect, the present invention provides a method of installing a toilet suite, the method comprising one of the following steps either performed individually or in combination with one or more of the other following steps: la. installing a waste connector, having an inlet and an outlet comprising a rotatable offset connector, by rotating the connector to a desired position relative to the inlet and manually pushing the offset connector into sealing engagement with a floor waste pipe; or lb. installing a waste connector, having an inlet and an outlet, by manually pushing an offset connector into sealing engagement with a floor waste pipe, rotating the connector to a desired position relative to the waste pipe and manually pushing the outlet of the waste connector into sealing engagement with the offset connector; or lc. installing a waste connector having an inlet and an outlet, by trimming a wall waste pipe to a desired protruding length and manually pushing the connector inlet into sealing engagement with the waste pipe;

2. attaching a flush pipe to a connection plate, by manually engaging integrally formed complimentary engagement formations on the flush pipe and connection plate, to form a flush pipe/connection plate sub assembly which can be manually handled as a single unit; 3. mounting a flush pipe to the inlet of a toilet pan by pushing a seal onto the outlet of the flush pipe and pushing the flush pipe outlet into the inlet of the toilet pan;

4. mounting and fastening a connector plate to a toilet pan to form a connector plate/pan sub assembly which can be manually handled as a single unit; 5. snap engaging a cistern to a connector plate;

6. attaching the outlet of a cistern to the inlet of a flush pipe by pushing a seal onto the outlet and pushing the outlet into the inlet; and

7. levelling a cistern pan using wedges between the underside of the pan and the floor and thereafter adhering the pan to the floor using silicone sealant. In a second broad aspect, the present invention provides a toilet suite installation kit, the kit including one or more of the following components that can be used in isolation or in combination with one or more of the other following components: a. a flush pipe and connection plate that each have integrally formed complimentary engaging formations adapted to connect the flush pipe and connection plate together as a flush pipe/connection plate sub assembly for manual handling as a single unit; b. a waste pipe having an inlet and an outlet with a rotatable offset comiector adapted for rotation about its longitudinal axis and pushing into sealing engagement with a waste pipe; c. a pan having a flush pipe inlet and a flush pipe having an outlet with a seal, the flush pipe outlet adapted to be pushed into sealing engagement with the pan inlet, d. a cistern adapted to snap engage with a connection plate, e. a flush pipe having an inlet and a cistern having an outlet with an external seal, the cistern outlet adapted to be pushed into sealing engagement with flush pipe inlet, f. a connection plate and a toilet pan adapted to be fastened together to form a connection plate/pan sub assembly which can be manually handled as a single unit, g. a toilet seat, lid and hinge sub assembly having an engaging formation adapted to be received within a complimentary engaging formation in a connection plate and locked adjacent the connector plate by a locking device adapted to conceal the engaging formations. Brief Description of the Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Fig. 1 is a bare toilet suite installation site; Fig. 2 is an underside perspective view of a first embodiment of a waste pipe;

Fig. 3 is the site of Fig. 1 after installation of the waste pipe shown in Fig. 2 and a stopcock;

Fig. 4 is an exploded underside perspective view of an embodiment of a flush pipe and an embodiment of a connector plate; Fig. 5 is an assembled cross sectional side view of the components shown in Fig.

4;

Fig. 6 is an exploded side view of a toilet pan, a seal and the flush pipe/connection plate sub assembly shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is an assembled side view of the components shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is an exploded side view of the assembled components shown in Fig. 7 and the site shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is an assembled side view of the components of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is an exploded underside perspective view of an embodiment of cistern, a cistern outlet seal and cistern inlet pipe; Fig. 11 is an assembled underside perspective view of the components shown in

Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is an exploded side view of the site of Fig. 9 and the components shown in Fig. 11 ;

Fig. 13 is an assembled side view of the site and components of Fig. 12; Fig. 14 is an assembled side view of the site shown in Fig. 13 illustrating the fixing of the cistern to the wall, the connection of the cistern inlet pipe and the levelling of the toilet pan by wedges;

Fig. 15 is an exploded perspective view of a toilet lid and seat and the assembled components shown in Fig. 14; Fig. 16 is an assembled side view of the components shown in Fig. 15;

Fig. 17 is a bare toilet suite installation site and a second embodiment of an offset connector;

Fig. 18 is the site of Fig. 17 after installation and adjustment of the connector shown in Fig. 17; Fig. 19 is the site of Fig. 19 during installation of a waste connector and a stopcock;

Fig. 20 is a partially cross sectional side view of a bare toilet suite installation site and a third embodiment of a waste connector during installation; and Fig. 21 is a partially cross sectional side view of the site shown in Fig. 20 after installation of the waste connector.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The various components and steps that in isolation or combination form the preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the preferred embodiments of the components and steps shown in Figures 1 to 16.

Fig. 1 shows an installation site 10 suitable for a toilet suite. The site 10 comprises a floor 12 with a floor waste opening 14 therein. The waste opening 14 contains a pipe 16 connected to the sewerage system. The site 10 also includes a threaded spigot 18 which protrudes from a wall 20 near the opening 14. The spigot 18 is connected to mains water supply.

Fig. 2 shows a first embodiment of the waste connector 22 according to the invention. The waste connector 22 has a female inlet 24 with a flexible elastomeric seal 26 and a male outlet 28 comprising an offset rotatable male connector 30 with an integrally moulded external elastomeric seal 32. The longitudinal axis 34 of the connector 30 is displaced from the longitudinal axis 36 of the outlet 28. The connector 30 is able to rotate about the axis 36.

As shown in Fig. 3, the connector 30 is inserted into the pipe 16 in the waste opening 14. By rotating the connector 30 relative to the outlet 34 of the waste connector 22 the position of the waste connector 22 relative to the pipe 16 can be adjusted, as will be described in more detail below. Fig. 3 also shows the stop cock 38 of the applicant's previously referred to Australian Provisional Patent Application installed on the spigot 18. The waste connector 22 and the stop cock 38 can be installed in any order.

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of a flush pipe 40 and a connection plate 42. The flush pipe 40 includes a flange 44 at its inlet end 46 that is adapted to engage with teeth 48 provided on the underside of the connection plate 42. The flange 44 and the teeth 48 engage in a manner akin to a bayonet fitting and, once connected, allow the flush pipe 40 and the connection plate 42 to be manually handled as a single sub assembly 50, as is shown in Fig. 5. Figs. 6 and 7 show the installation of the flush pipe/connection plate sub assembly 50 with a toilet pan 52. The toilet pan 52 has a female inlet 54 and the flush pipe 40 has a male outlet 56. A seal 58 of generally annular configuration is positioned between the inlet 54 and the outlet 56 and allows the flush pipe/connection plate sub assembly 50 to be connected to the toilet pan 52 by a simple pushing action in the direction of arrow 60. The connection plate 42, and thus the flush pipe 40, are secured adjacent the toilet pan with bolts 62 and nuts 64. Once again, the connection of the flush pipe/connection plate sub assembly 50 with the toilet pan 52 form another sub assembly 66 which may be conveniently manually handled as a single unit. The bolts 62 have wings for hand tightening and also a Phillips head screwdriver slot for ease of tightening from above.

Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate how the sub assembly 66 is connected to the waste connector 22 by pushing the sub assembly 66 towards the waste connector 22 in the direction of arrow 67. More particularly, the pan 52 has a male outlet 68 which is pushed into sealing engagement with the female seal 26 of the inlet 24 of the waste connector 22.

Fig. 9 shows the result of the installation step illustrated in Fig. 8 with the rear of the connection plate 42 positioned substantially adjacent the wall 20. If the connection plate 20 is not substantially flush with the wall 20, then the position of the waste connector 22 and thus the sub assembly 66 can be altered by adjusting the position of the rotatable connector 30 (see Fig. 2) relative to the remainder of the waste connector 22.

Fig. 10 shows a cistern 70 having a blank plug 72, an inlet spigot 74 and a male flushing outlet 76. The positions of the plug 72 and the spigot 74 shown are suitable for connection to a stop cock provided on the right hand side of the cistern 70 and can be reversed for connection to a stop cock provided on the left hand side. Also shown is a flexible annular seal 78 which is positioned over the outlet 76 and a pipe fitting 80 which is used to connect a flexible inlet pipe 82 to the right inlet spigot 74. As examples, the fitting 80, flexible inlet pipe 82 and associated sealing components (not shown) can be that disclosed in the applicant's Australian Patent No. 691614 or Australian Patent Application No. 56285/98. A pair of resilient legs 84 are provided on each of the nuts 73 that fix the plug 72 and the inlet spigot 74 to the cistern 70. The legs 84 terminate in outwardly protruding wedges. As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the wedged legs 84 are adapted to snap engage into hole 88 (see Fig. 4) provided on the rear of the connection plate 42. Further, the seal 78 around the cistern flush outlet 76 is also adapted to be pushed into sealing engagement with the female inlet 46 of the flush pipe 40. These two actions are carried out simultaneously when the cistern 70 pushed into engagement with the connector plate 42 in the direction of arrow 90, as seen in Figs. 12 and 13.

Fig. 12 to 14 illustrates how the pan 52 is levelled in the side-to-side and front- to-rear directions by the use of wedges 92. When the pan 52 has been levelled, the top of the cistern 70 is also checked and levelled and fixed to the wall 20 with two self tapping screw 94 (only one shown). The pan 52 is then adhered to the floor 12 by introducing silicone sealant 96 about its periphery. Before or after the silicone sealant 96 has set, the protruding ends of the wedges 92 are trimmed flush with the edge of the pan 52 for a neat appearance. Fig. 14 also illustrates the connection of the flexible inlet pipe 82 with the stop cock 38.

Fig. 15 illustrates a toilet lid 98, toilet seat 100, hinge block 102 and retaining shafts 104. These components are shown in an exploded form for clarity purposes, however the components 98, 100, 102 and 104 are assembled into a sub assembly 106 at the factory. As Fig. 15 shows, the front top of the connector plate 42 includes a recess 108 which is the top of complimentary shape to the formation 110 on the rear of the hinge block 102. The formation 110 can be inserted into the recess 108 in the direction of arrows 112. The connector plate 42 also includes a locking device in the form of slidable cover 114 which, as indicated in Figs. 16, can be slid over the formation 110 in the direction of arrow 116 to retain the hinge block 102 and thus the sub assembly 106 adjacent the pan 52 and conceal the recess 108 and the formation 110.

When the cistern 70 has been levelled and the pipe 82 connected to the stop cock 38, the stop cock 38 can be opened for to provide water flow to the pipe 82 and the correct water level set in the cistern 70. The flush mechanism(s) of the cistern 70 can then be tested and, if it/they are functioning correctly, the cistern lid 118 can be installed, as is shown in Fig. 15.

Figs. 17 to 19 show a second embodiment of a waste connector 22 according to the invention.

To facilitate packaging into smaller cartons, the second embodiment of waste connector 122 shown in Figs. 17 to 19 is packaged disassembled into a waste connector body 22a and an offset rotatable male connector 30a. As shown in Fig. 17, the connector 30a is initially inserted into the pipe 16 in the floor waste opening 14. By rotating the connector 30a relative to the pipe 16, the position of its exposed end can be adjusted relative to the pipe 16, as shown in Fig. 18. When the connector 30a is in the desired position, the waste connector body 22a is pushed into sealing engagement with the exposed end of the connector 30a. The remainder of the installation of the toilet suite is identical to that described in relation to the first embodiment with reference to Figs. 4 to 15.

Figs. 20 and 21 show a third embodiment of a waste connector 222 suitable for use with a wall mounted waste pipe 16b. The installation of the comiector 222 begins by trimming the exposed (protruding) length of the waste pipe 16 to a desired length. The connector 222 can then be manually pushed into sealing engagement with the exposed end of the pipe 16. The exposed end of the connector 222 contains a flexible elastomeric seal 26 similar to the seal 26 described in relation to the first embodiment. The remainder of the installation of the toilet suite is again identical to that described in relation to the first embodiment with reference to Figs. 4 to 15.

The invention described above with reference to the preferred embodiments, possesses many advantages over prior art components and installation methods.

Firstly, none of components require measuring or cutting, except for the plastic pipe 82 which can be easily cut with a knife or blade. This reduces installation time and the improves quality by reducing the chance of a measuring or cutting error.

Secondly, the majority of the components can be quickly and easily connected together by simple pushing actions only. Additionally, many of the components can be assembled into sub assemblies for easier and more convenient handling. Thirdly, the only tools required to complete the installation is a knife or the like to trim the wedges 92, a screw driver to set the water level in the cistern and install the screws 94, a silicone sealant gun and a spirit level.

Fourthly, the use of mortar is avoided. As a result of all of the above, the time taken to install the toilet suite according to the invention is dramatically reduced and can be accomplished by a trained person in about 15 minutes.

Fifthly, as variations in the position of the waste opening and the wall are tolerated (within limits) by the rotatable offset connector of the waste connector, then the distance between the back of the cistern and the front of the pan is the same in all installations. This results in a consistent dimensional penetration of the toilet suite into the room space and reduces the possibility that the suite will conflict with the installation of other components in the room, such as swinging doors and cupboards. Also, a uniform appearance is always achieved due to the constant length of the connection plate.

Sixthly, as cutting is avoided, there is less chance of leaks occurring due to damage of component's sealing faces during cutting. Further, leaks caused by the internal fit of the cistern into the flush pipe or a flush pipe coupling nut not being adequately tightened are also avoided.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

Claims

Claims:

1. A method of installing a toilet suite, the method comprising one of the following steps either performed individually or in combination with one or more of the other following steps: installing a waste connector, having an inlet and an outlet comprising a rotatable offset connector, by rotating the connector to a desired position relative to the inlet and manually pushing the offset connector into sealing engagement with a floor waste pipe; or installing a waste connector, having an inlet and an outlet, by manually pushing an offset connector into sealing engagement with a floor waste pipe, rotating the connector to a desired position relative to the waste pipe and manually pushing the outlet of the waste connector into sealing engagement with the offset connector; or installing a waste connector having an inlet and an outlet, by trimming a wall waste pipe to a desired protruding length and manually pushing the connector inlet into sealing engagement with the waste pipe; attaching a flush pipe to a connection plate, by manually engaging integrally formed complimentary engagement formations on the flush pipe and connection plate, to form a flush pipe/connection plate sub assembly which can be manually handled as a single unit; mounting a flush pipe to the inlet of a toilet pan by pushing a seal onto the outlet of the flush pipe and pushing the flush pipe outlet into the inlet of the toilet pan; mounting and fastening a connector plate to a toilet pan to form a connector plate/pan sub assembly which can be manually handled as a single unit; snap engaging a cistern to a connector plate; attaching the outlet of a cistern to the inlet of a flush pipe by pushing a seal onto the outlet and pushing the outlet into the inlet; and levelling a cistern pan using wedges between the underside of the pan and the floor and thereafter adhering the pan to the floor using silicone sealant.

2. A toilet suite installation method step comprising: installing a waste connector, having an inlet and an outlet comprising a rotatable offset connector, by rotating the connector to a desired position relative to the inlet and manually pushing the offset connector into sealing engagement with a floor waste pipe.

3. A toilet suite installation method step comprising: installing a waste connector, having an inlet and an outlet, by manually pushing an offset connector into sealing engagement with a floor waste pipe, rotating the connector to a desired position relative to the waste pipe and manually pushing the outlet of the waste connector into sealing engagement with the offset connector.

4. A toilet suite installation method step comprising: installing a waste connector having an inlet and an outlet, by trimming a wall waste pipe to a desired protruding length and manually pushing the connector inlet into sealing engagement with the waste pipe.

5. A toilet suite installation method step comprising: attaching a flush pipe to a connection plate, by manually engaging integrally formed complimentary engagement formations on the flush pipe and connection plate, to form a flush pipe/connection plate sub assembly which can be manually handled as a single unit.

6. A toilet suite installation method step comprising: mounting a flush pipe to the inlet of a toilet pan by pushing a seal onto the outlet of the flush pipe and pushing the flush pipe outlet into the inlet of the toilet pan.

7. A toilet suite installation method step comprising: mounting and fastening a connector plate to a toilet pan to form a connector plate/pan sub assembly which can be manually handled as a single unit.

8. A toilet suite installation method step comprising: snap engaging a cistern to a connector plate.

9. A toilet suite installation method step comprising: attaching the outlet of a cistern to the inlet of a flush pipe by pushing a seal onto the outlet and pushing the outlet into the inlet.

10. A toilet suite installation method step comprising: levelling a cistern pan using wedges between the underside of the pan and the floor and thereafter adhering the pan to the floor using silicone sealant.

11. A toilet suite installation kit, the kit including one or more of the following components that can be used in isolation or in combination with one or more of the other following components: a. a flush pipe and connection plate that each have integrally formed complimentary engaging formations adapted to connect the flush pipe and connection plate together as a flush pipe/connection plate sub assembly for manual handling as a single unit; b. a waste pipe having an inlet and an outlet with a rotatable offset com ector adapted for rotation about its longitudinal axis and pushing into sealing engagement with a waste pipe; c. a pan having a flush pipe inlet and a flush pipe having an outlet with a seal, the flush pipe outlet adapted to be pushed into sealing engagement with the pan inlet, d. a cistern adapted to snap engage with a connection plate, e. a flush pipe having an inlet and a cistern having an outlet with an external seal, the cistern outlet adapted to be pushed into sealing engagement with flush pipe inlet, f. a connection plate and a toilet pan adapted to be fastened together to form a connection plate/pan sub assembly which can be manually handled as a single unit, g. a toilet seat, lid and hinge sub assembly having an engaging formation adapted to be received within a complimentary engaging formation in a connection plate and locked adjacent the connector plate by a locking device adapted to conceal the engaging formations:

12. Components for a toilet suite installation kit, said components comprising: a flush pipe and connection plate that each have integrally formed complimentary engaging formations adapted to connect the flush pipe and connection plate together as a flush pipe/connection plate sub assembly for manual handling as a single unit.

13. Components as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein said complimentary engaging formations are bayonet fittings.

14. Components for a toilet suite installation kit, said components comprising: a waste pipe having an inlet and an outlet with a rotatable offset comiector adapted for rotation about its longitudinal axis and pushing into sealing engagement with a waste pipe.

15. Components as claimed in claim 11 or 14, wherein said waste pipe outlet has male rotatable offset connector adapted for pushing engagement with a female waste pipe.

16. Components as claimed in claim 14, wherein said male connector includes an integrally moulded external elastomer seal.

17. Components for a toilet suite installation kit, said components comprising: a pan having a flush pipe inlet and a flush pipe having an outlet with a seal, the flush pipe outlet adapted to be pushed into sealing engagement with the pan inlet.

18. Components as claimed in claims 11 or 17, wherein, said seal is of generally annular configuration and adapted for establishing sealing engagement between a male flush pipe outlet and a female pan inlet.

19. Components for a toilet suite installation kit, said components comprising: a cistern adapted to snap engage with a connection plate.

20. Components as claimed in claims 11 or 19, wherein said cistern includes resilient legs with outwardly protruding wedges adapted to snap engage corresponding holes provided in said connection plate.

21. Components for a toilet suite installation kit, said components comprising: a flush pipe having an inlet and a cistern having an outlet with an external seal, the cistern outlet adapted to be pushed into sealing engagement with flush pipe inlet.

22. Components as claimed in claims 11 or 21, wherein said seal is of flexible annular construction and adapted fro establishing sealing engagement between a male cistern outlet and a female flush pipe inlet.

23. Components for a toilet suite installation kit, said components comprising: a connection plate and a toilet pan adapted to be fastened together to form a connection plate/pan sub assembly which can be manually handled as a single unit.

24. Components for a toilet suite installation kit, said components comprising: a toilet seat, lid and hinge sub assembly having an engaging formation adapted to be received within a complimentary engaging formation in a connection plate and locked adjacent the connector plate by a locking device adapted to conceal the engaging formations.

25. Components as claimed in claims 11 or 24, wherein said locking device is adapted to slide to conceal said engaging formations.