If you've reached the point of researching rise and fall toilets, you probably already know the basics: a height-adjustable toilet moves up and down electronically, makes sitting and standing easier, and represents a more substantial adaptation than a seat riser or a lifting seat. What's less obvious is that not all rise and fall toilets are the same - and the differences between them go well beyond price.
The Washloo Levitate sits in a market that also includes more clinical, institutionally designed rise and fall WCs that have been prescribed through healthcare channels for years. Understanding what separates them matters because the right choice isn't simply a question of budget. It's a question of what you actually need the toilet to do, how your needs might change, and what the bathroom will look and feel like to live with day to day. The adjustable-height toilet that works best for a care home corridor may not be the right fit for a private home where someone wants to remain independent.
This comparison clearly sets out the key differences, so you can make an informed decision rather than a default one.
What a Standard Rise & Fall WC Typically Offers
A standard rise and fall WC (the type most commonly encountered through occupational therapist referrals and assistive equipment catalogues) is built around a single core function: moving the toilet pan up or down to a height that suits the user. Everything else is secondary.
Most clinical-grade rise and fall WCs share a common set of characteristics:
Height adjustment via arm-mounted controls. The up and down buttons are typically fixed to the right-hand support arm. This is practical for many users but creates a problem for anyone with right-sided weakness, limited reach, or conditions that affect one side of the body more than the other. If you can't reach or operate the right-hand arm control, height adjustment requires a carer to do it for you.
Fixed or semi-fixed support arms. The arms on a standard clinical WC are generally a permanent fixture - they fold up to allow side transfer, but they're always present and always visible. There's no option to leave the arms off until they're needed. The toilet looks like an accessible toilet from the moment it's installed.
A standard toilet pan. The pan on most clinical rise and fall WCs is just that: a standard toilet pan. It flushes, and that's the extent of its function. There is no wash or dry capability built in as standard, though some models can be paired with a separate bidet unit at additional cost and complexity.
A clinical aesthetic. Beige and white plastics, chunky cistern units, visible pipework — the visual language of most institutional rise and fall WCs has changed relatively little over the years. In a healthcare setting, this is unremarkable. In a private home, it's a daily reminder that the bathroom has been adapted, which for many people carries an emotional weight that is easy to underestimate.
A functional warranty. Most clinical-grade products carry a standard 1-2 year warranty on mechanical components. Ceramic warranties, when offered, tend to mirror this.
What the Washloo Levitate Offers
The Levitate starts from the same functional premise (a motorised, height-adjustable wall-hung toilet) and builds on it considerably in almost every direction.
Height Range and Control
The Levitate adjusts between 400mm and 600mm, a 200mm range that covers the full spread from a low accessible position to a height that suits tall users and wheelchair transfer requirements. Height is changed via a separate remote control, not a fixed arm panel, which can be operated with either hand, placed on a surface within reach, or used by a carer from anywhere in the bathroom. For anyone with one-sided weakness, tremor or limited reach on one side, this flexibility is not a minor convenience. It's the difference between self-management and assistance.
The Support Arms
Where the Levitate departs most sharply from its clinical counterparts is in how the support arms work. They are removable. The mounting points are built into the cistern unit, but when the arms aren't fitted, those points are covered with flush plastic covers. The toilet looks, from the front, like a contemporary wall-hung bathroom fixture with no visible clinical features.
When the arms are needed, they can be added without any structural modification to the bathroom. The infrastructure was always there. Nothing needs to be rebuilt or reinstalled. For households adapting a home for the long term but wanting to preserve its appearance in the short term, this approach removes one of the most common sources of resistance to installing the right equipment.
The Smart Toilet Element
The pan paired with the Levitate cistern is a full Washloo smart toilet with rimless technology. This means the height adjustment is combined with warm water rear and front wash, oscillating spray, adjustable water temperature and pressure, warm air drying, heated seat, night light, built-in deodoriser and one-touch Auto function from the outset.
This combination matters. The conditions that most often lead people to need a height-adjustable toilet (progressive neurological conditions, degenerative joint disease, post-surgical recovery, advancing age) are also often difficult or painful for manual wiping. A toilet that solves the height problem but still requires the user to reach, twist and wipe has addressed part of the challenge. The Levitate addresses both parts together, without requiring a separate bidet unit, separate pipework, or a later decision about wash-and-dry functionality.
The Cistern Unit
The Levitate's cistern unit is notably slimmer than most standard rise and fall WC equivalents, roughly half the depth of comparable clinical systems. In a small bathroom, this difference in how far the unit protrudes from the wall is noticeable in practical terms, both physically and visually. Combined with a white glass front panel and silver-finish frame, the overall appearance is of a well-specified modern bathroom fitting. The goal, clearly, was to make it look like something you'd choose rather than something that was prescribed.
Warranty
The Levitate carries a 15-year warranty on ceramics and a 24-month comprehensive warranty on electrical components, with parts and labour included and in-house technicians who typically resolve issues within five days. A 15-year ceramic warranty on a product being installed as a long-term home adaptation provides meaningful reassurance; this is a toilet being bought to last, and the warranty reflects that.
Comparing Them Side by Side
|
Height control |
Fixed arm-mounted buttons (typically right-hand) |
Separate remote, either hand, or carer |
|
Support arms |
Permanent, always visible |
Removable; can be added later |
|
Wash & dry |
Not included as standard |
Full Washloo smart toilet built in |
|
Aesthetic |
Clinical; institutional finish |
Contemporary; domestic design |
|
Cistern depth |
Bulkier, protrudes further |
Slimmer — roughly half the depth |
|
Ceramic warranty |
Typically 1-2 years |
15 years |
|
Electrical warranty |
Typically 1-2 years |
24 months, parts and labour |
|
Future-proofing |
Arms fixed at installation |
Arms added only when needed |
Which One Do You Actually Need?
The honest answer depends on three things: your current needs, your likely future needs, and the environment the toilet is going into.
A standard clinical rise and fall WC may be more appropriate if:
You are in a social housing or care setting where the aesthetic of the bathroom is less of a priority, clinical durability is paramount, and the product may be procured through a local authority or NHS route. If the installation is prescriptive (recommended and specified by an OT for a particular clinical requirement, with procurement managed by a healthcare body), the clinical-grade product is often what the system is set up to supply.
Some users also specifically require the fixed arm controls rather than a remote, if they find a separate handheld device harder to manage than a fixed button on an arm they're already gripping.
The Washloo Levitate is likely the better choice if:
You are adapting a private home where the bathroom's appearance matters and you want the adaptation to integrate rather than announce itself. You have, or anticipate having, conditions that affect one side of the body, making a right-arm-mounted control panel impractical. You want or need wash and dry functionality and don't want to add a separate bidet unit. You are planning ahead and want support arms available when the time comes, without needing further bathroom works. You want a product backed by a significantly longer warranty and supported by in-house technicians.
The Levitate is also the stronger choice if there are multiple users with different height needs. The remote lets either person adjust the height in seconds without help, which fixed-arm remote types typically don't allow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Levitate cistern be used with a different toilet pan? Yes. The Levitate cistern unit can be paired with a standard wall-hung toilet pan if the smart toilet features aren't needed, or with other Washloo wall-hung smart toilet models. The height adjustment mechanism works independently of the pan type.
Is the Levitate available through occupational therapy or NHS referral? The Levitate is available to purchase directly. It is not a standard item on most NHS or local authority procurement routes, though individuals can use Disabled Facilities Grant funds towards it. Any grant application would need to follow the local authority's usual assessment process.
Does the Levitate need a separate carrier frame? Yes. Like all wall-hung toilet systems, the Levitate requires a concealed carrier frame built into the wall structure, with waste and supply pipework routed accordingly. This is part of the installation process.
What happens if the remote is lost or stops working? Washloo should be contacted directly regarding spare remotes and replacement parts. Because the toilet is a permanent fixture, it's worth keeping the remote in a consistent location and registering your purchase for warranty purposes.
Both types of rise and fall WC solve the same fundamental problem. Where they diverge is in how much they solve, how they look, how they handle future change, and what it's like to live with them over time. For most people adapting a private home with the intention of staying there long term, the Levitate is the more complete answer - not because it's more expensive, but because it does more of what actually needs doing.