FACILITIES FOR HANDICAP TOILETS

Let’s talk about the facilities for handicap toilets (Fig. 10.8). When a handi­cap toilet is installed in a privacy compartment, the minimum net clear open­ing for the compartment must be at least 32 inches wide. The door of the
compartment must swing out, away from the toilet. The width of such a com­partment should be 36 inches, with a depth of 60 inches. Unlike a standard toilet where the side clearance is 15 inches, handicap toilets require a side dis­tance of 18 inches.

Grab bars must be installed at a height of no less than 33 inches and no more than 36 inches above the finished floor. The bars must have a minimum length of 42 inches. They must be mounted on both sides of the compart­ment. When the bars are mounted, they must be mounted a maximum of 12 inches from the rear wall and extend a minimum of 54 inches from the rear wall. A rear grab bar, of at least 36 inches in length, must also be installed. This grab bar must be no more than 6 inches from the closest side­wall and extend a minimum of 24 inches beyond the centerline of the toilet away from the closest sidewall.

Toilets approved for handicap installations must be higher than a normal toilet. Most of them are 18 inches tall, but the allowable range is anything be­tween 16 and 20 inches above the finished floor. Rules for single-occupant arrangements vary a little from commercial installations. As always, check your local plumbing code for exact regulations in your region.