Rear Outlet Toilets: When You Need One

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Most toilets drain straight down through the floor. A rear outlet (rear discharge) toilet drains out the back, into the wall. That makes it the right choice in a few specific situations.

When a rear outlet toilet makes sense

• The drain pipe comes out of the wall, not the floor. This is common in some older homes and commercial-style bathrooms.
• You can’t easily drill or cut through the floor, like over a concrete slab where the drain isn’t where you need it.
• You’re pairing it with an in-wall pipe or a pump system that’s already roughed in.

Floor drain vs rear outlet

The measurements are not interchangeable. Always check the outlet height on the toilet’s spec sheet against the pipe in your wall before you buy.

Our picks

No drain at all where you want the toilet? A pump system may be the answer: see our upflush toilet picks.