Toilets need to be replaced in 8 year old house?

[Herbion]

Is this a thing or has the plumber pulled the wool over our eyes?

Downstairs toilet started leaking. Plumber visited and tells us that it is a common thing with modern new-builds, that the builders don't put in quality sanitaryware (is that the right term?) they are cheap rubbish imported from China, the enamel is thin and so they may start to leak after just a few years. He ends up replacing the toilet and we end up with a big bill. He showed me where the enamel was worn, I just take his word for it TBH. He says the same will probably happen with the upstairs toilet, but when he looks upstairs and sees there is tiling around that one he pulls back and says well, that will be more complicated, best leave it for a bit and see how it goes.

Is this a thing, that cheap toilets are installed by builders and will need replacing in just a few years? Has anyone else had this? Or any plumbers around?

You would think you could have confidence in a new build, at least within the first ten years!

I would have thought it would come under warranty.

Enamel has worn where exactly ?

I can kind of understand seals breaking or decaying but worn enamel seems suspicious to me.

The issue in our similar age house is that the plumbing behind the wall is plastic. The actual enamel products are fine. The shitty plastic cisterns are crap.

Presumably it’s still under it’s NHBC guarantee?

Yes it will be, but we have left it too late to claim now I expect.

I am just asking because the plumber has quoted us for other stuff, and I wanted to see if replacing 8 year old toilets was really a thing, before we use them again.

Thanks, so that seems to add up maybe. I do know the builders made several mistakes at the time of construction.

They often use Chinesium product, yes. Got to maximise profit over quality these days. Its the way of things unfortunately.

Have an 8 year old new build and all three toilets are fine and do not leak. Nobody on the development has complained of this.

I do not believe this is covered by the 10 year guarantee- I think that is for structural and exterior things.

Things like that are covered in the first two years as far as I am aware.

Do you know what make the toilet is ?

Did they show you the bit where it was worn before they carted it off ?

Did you see where it was actually leaking from and whether that is consistent with a part "wearing" the enamel ?

All sounds a bit questionable to me. OTOH I have no experience of dodgy low quality toilets. The ones in my place still look great 20 years after they were installed. The replacement seat prices are ridiculous though.

New builds are frequently shit, with costs skimmed down ti a minimum and shoddily built.

I don't understand how worn enamel can cause a leak. That sounds more like a plumbing issue than anything to do with the quality of the toilet itself.

Leaking happens around seals and pipework. Unless there was a crack I can't imagine the bowl would leak. Worn enamel? Where exactly? What wore down the ceramic? It didn't just wear down in its own

I know several people in newbuilds (when they bought, many several years ago) and I have never heard this. Leaks yes but not worn enamel
Sometimes I think the 'cheap from china' line is used too often. A bit like the constant 'newbuilds are terrible' line. Of course there will be some truth to this it I am probably too suspicious.
The fact he saw the tiles behind the other toilet and suddenly was happy to wait and see is a bit suspect.

Our new build is 15 years old now and we’ve had no issues with the three toilets we have.

I haven't read all the comments. My new build flat is 5 years old and the bathroom sink had a big leak that also lifted the floor 🙈 the plumber came here said all new builds are thrown up as quick as possible with the cheapest materials

I kind of believe him. When I moved into my house I did various bits of plumbing "upgrading" using super cheap fittings and they definitely deteriorated quickly. Taps and anything chromed particularly rather than enamel, but 8 years sounds about right for how long that stuff lasts. I've now replaced all the cheap stuff with far more expensive and trustworthy brands. Learned my lesson.

Recently viewed a house that's about 15 years old and the bathrooms there definitely looked very bad - worn and rusty.

Quality of everything is cheap, crap now. Unfortunately it's what the customer demands ... and here we are

Our house was built in 2005
All 3 loos are fine!

What bit of a toilet is enamel? I thought they were made of ceramic

Very sorry but I think you’ve been had. The actual plumbing in a toilet is fairly minimal and I think involved pipework rather than enamel, for its integrity.

it’s just not feasible that sanitaryware could only last 8 years.

Mine was built in 2006 by possibly the shoddiest company ever (now gone bust funnily) and the two toilets are fine
Some pipe work issues but the actual toilets are solid

On the day I moved in there was no water, they hadn't made the access panel big enough so just hacked at it with a saw and pronounced it would be fine. About sums up how awful they were

You need to understand more about it before calling a plumber I’m afraid. Is there a hair line crack in the enamel you can see? If not, is it leaking around the seal or washers? I think it’s more likely it’s leaking between the bits that join together.

Not a new build but a few years ago, I had a plumber who insisted that our loo was, as it were, going down the pan and urgently needed replacement at vast expense. It is still absolutely fine, so maybe it's one of those things that plumbers think they can pull the wool over inexpert eyes about?

House builders now will cut any corner possible to save 5p so yes he’s right. It’s scandalous!

I doubt worn enamel is the cause of your leak. 'Cheap from China' is a thing but in toilets it usually manifests in poor quality syphons and fill valves that require frequent replacement, not the actual pan itself. Can you see where the leak is coming from? Is it constant or does it only happen when you flush?

I'd try another plumber... The way he wanted to check the second one then backed off when he saw it was tiled in would make me very suspicious.