Condo Blues: How to Install a Bidet Attachment

Sunday, March 8, 2020

How to Install a Bidet Attachment

Disclosure: Tushy supplied product to facilitate this tutorial and review. It had no influence on my opinion because all opinions are my own. This post contains an affiliate links for your convenience.

I’m working on the details of the guest bathroom renovation while looking forward to the master bathroom renovation. Well planning actually. I’m not looking forward to this even more involved project where are water leak began.

Anyway.

I would have liked to add a bidet in the bathroom to save on toilet paper because according to Tushy it takes 37 gallons of water to make a roll of toilet paper and most people use 1.5 toilet rolls a week! That is a lot of water to flush down the drain, which doesn't include the amount of water it takes to flush it all down the drain.

But more importantly, with a bidet, even if you run out of toilet paper at the time you need it most, you have an option.

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Unfortunately all of our condo bathrooms are too small to add a free standing bidet. I didn’t think much more of it until friends raved about just installing a bidet toilet seat. I was  intrigued. A bidet toilet seat attachment I can do. Then I promptly forgot about it because I'm awesome like that.



A few months ago, while I was in the middle of demoing the guest bathroom floor, the friendly folks at Tushy as if I would like to try the The Tushy Bamboo Classic Bidet Toilet Attachment (you can learn more about it here.)  I like that the Tushy Bidet attachment has a modern design and I’m all over the bamboo knob - they give you several knob options to choose from.   I was a little leery of that the Tushy Classic they offered fro review uses cold water for cleaning (there's freezing our butt off and then there is freezing your butt off ifyaknowwhatImean) but I’d have to drill holes in the bathroom cabinet to hook a Tushy Spa which uses hot and cold water to the hot water attachment under the bathroom sink which doesn't have much appeal. Then there is the question of how hot is the warm water in the Tushy Spa because I don't want to singe anything either. Like I said. I have absolute zero experience with bidets and it shows.

 I figure why not give it a shot, accepted the offer, and installed the Tushy bidet attachment in the powder room since that is the only bathroom room that was not or will be in pieces at the time.

How to Install a Bidet Attachment the Easy Way!


Now let's settle a few things about how bidet toilet seats work. (Now that I installed it and my family has been using it for several months.)

Bidet toilet seat attachments hook up to your toilet’s water line from the wall. You are not  using dirty toilet bowl or tank water to clean yourself which some people actually believe. The Tushy bidet attachment  doesn’t use electricity it basically works like a faucet on your sink. This is a definite plus because I didn't have to call an electrician to install an extra special grounded electric attachment in the bathroom to use the toilet.


While the Tushy uses water to get the job done, they say it only uses 1/8 gallon of water per use (although I doubt you will use that much water. It dosen't need a lot or a long time to get the job done) which comes out to 1.3 gallons of water a week -although their figure doesn’t include the use of toilet roll to pat yourself dry. Instead Tushy sells reusable bamboo towels and bamboo toilet paper if you can't quite get with the family cloth program.

You will need:

Tushy Classic like this one 

Screwdriver

Wrench

Old towel

Small container to catch water from the wall connection



These adapters come with Tushy.


One of the things I don’t like about Tushy is they automatically send you the white Megs adapter instead of giving you a choice based on the type of toilet tank connection you have when you order it. Naturally the Watersense rated toilet I have (you can learn more about it here) needs a different connector than the type Tushy automatically sent. I contacted Tushy customer service and they couldn’t have been nicer to quickly send me the correct part. I wish I could have avoided it and installation delay when ordering the bidet.

Step by Step How to Do it Tutorial:

1. Turn off the water to the toilet by turning the water shut off valve near the toilet.

2. Flush to drain the water in the toilet tank.

3.Use the Screwdriver to remove the seat from your toilet and put it to the side.


4. Put an old towel and small container under the toilet tank connector. Unless you like getting wet from the little bit of water that is most likely in the bottom of the toilet tank and water supply line. If so. Have fun! Get wet!

5.  Depending upon your toilet tank water connection, use a wrench to remove the water supply line from the water valve in the wall or Use a wrench to unscrew the water supply line from the bottom of the toilet tank. 

 6.   Depending upon your toilet tank water connection, use a wrench to remove the water supply line from the water valve in the wall OR  use a wrench to screw the toilet tank adapter to the bottom of the toilet tank.

Warning: The plumbing connections need to be screwed tight but be careful not to over tighten the connections in Steps 6 though 9. 

7. Depending upon your toilet tank water connection, use a wrench to attach the connector directly to the water valve OR to screw the water line to the bottom of the toilet tank adapter.



My toilet tank needs the connector that attaches everything to the main toilet valve instead of at the underside of the toilet tank.


8. Use a wrench to attach the braided steel hose that came  with the Tushy  to the side valve on the toilet tank connector.


The thin hose is connected to the Tushy attachment. The tick hose is connected to the toilet tank.

9. Use a wrench to screw the Tushy provided house in to the connection on underside of the Tushy control panel.


10. Place the Tushy on the top of the toilet bowl  and use the screwdriver to reattach the seat. You may need to use the rubber bumpers that come with the Tushy to keep the toilet seat and  bidet attachment from sliding during or after this step.


You can adjust position the Tushy bidet attachment exactly where you need it according to your toilet seat.

11. Have a Seat!

How to use a bidet toilet seat attachment: 


We’ve been using our Tushy bidet seat for several months now in our powder room. Honestly, there is a learning curve. I can’t stress this enough. (In other words, this is not one of those fly by night it was great the one and only time I used it reviews. My husband and I tested it for months before I wrote this post because learning curve, K?)


Close the lid if you want to test the bidet connection by turn the knob to Bum Wash without an actual bum on the seat. I didn’t and ended up cleaning water off the wall opposite the toilet – oops! Hey, at least I knew it works!


The lever at the back of the control panel positions where you want it to be in the toilet bowl. Tushy suggests adjusting the nozzle backward (flipping the lever toward the wall) to clean your backside and that ladies may wish to move the nozzle forward to clean during that time of the month.


It took awhile to figure out where I needed to adjust the nozzle and how to position yourself on the seat to clean what you want to get clean.  After some Googling, trial and error, the best technique seems to be to sit as you normally do to get what needs to be done and then scoot yourself either forward or backwards on the seat so the bidet nozzle can clean the area you need to clean.

Turn the bamboo knob toward Bum Wash to clean yourself and back to Pressure Off to turn off the bidet spray. Turning the knob toward Nozzle Wash runs water through the nozzle to clean it.

As for the water spray settings, anymore than two notches from the start point was too much water pressure 😲. Although your results may vary based on your home’s water pressure and other very personal needs at the time. Either use a Tushy towel or toilet paper to pat yourself dry and maybe the seat in case of an accidental splash back.

Even though we still use toilet paper (I can't get on board with the towels just yet,) it is amazing how much less toilet paper my family uses now.  A serious savings!

What about the cold water spray? It wasn’t as jarring or uncomfortable as I thought it might be, again it more about getting used to washing with water where you are not used to it being than cold water freezing my bits (yay.)

The Tushy Classic is a good option for renters or for folks where the toilet and warm water valve under the sink is too far from each other in your bathroom. Installing the Classic is stupid easy and we’re seriously considering  a Tushy Classic for our master bathroom remodel. Try it and never run out of toilet paper again!

Looking for more ideas? Check out the following options - and more! - below!


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