How to Troubleshoot a Toto Washlet

If you're a bidet person, a Toto Washlet toilet seat may be the perfect thing for you. Although the company makes several different models, the gist of them all is that they can add a bidet and a few more extra features to your existing toilet. You can also opt for a Washlet with an integrated toilet.

Since they all serve the same purpose, there are a few common issues that Toto owners may experience regardless of the specific model. Some require professional repair, but others you can troubleshoot and resolve yourself.

Cleaning your rear end was probably the reason for which you bought a Toto Washlet in the first place, so it's understandably frustrating when the cleaning wand refuses to extend. The problem could simply be the duration of your visit. On colder days, the water in the cleaning wand may need a little extra time to warm, and it may extend more slowly. If you sit on the toilet too long, the unit will disable the wand for safety. Simply standing up and then sitting back down may get it working again.

When you do sit back down, try positioning yourself further back on the seat. Sitting too far to the front can cause the sensor to fail to detect your presence and may prevent the wand from operating. A drop in water pressure can also cause this problem.

If somewhere else in your home there is a dishwasher or washing machine running, the decrease in water pressure can impact the wand. It should start working again when the water pressure stabilizes. When all else fails, try unplugging the toilet for a few seconds and then plug it back in.

Many Toto Washlets warm both the cleansing bidet water and the seat itself to keep tender tushies happy. Once you get used to cleaning with warm water, a shot of cold water can be quite a jolt. If you get one from the wand, check your water heater temperature setting. Someone may have turned off the water heater on the seat or turned it down too low.

Toto Washlets also provide a warm toilet seat, which is quite lovely on a cold day. If your seat is cold, your first step is to check the controls. Make sure your seat heater is turned on and set to the proper temperature. Take a look at the display as well. If the "energy saver" LED is lit but the "power" indicator is not, your toilet is in energy-saving mode.

In this mode, the toilet seat will heat for only 15 minutes at a time, gradually lowering the temperature during that 15-minute interim. Eventually, it will turn itself off even if you're still seated. Turning the energy-saving mode off will give you more direct control over the seat's warmth. Make sure you're properly seated as well. The toilet won't warm the seat if the sensor doesn't detect you on it.

Although a seat warmer is nice, one of the coolest features of the Toto Washlet is the misting feature. This setting mists the toilet bowl before and after you use it to help keep the bowl cleaner with less work. If the misting stops occurring, make sure you have the toilet's auto bowl-clean setting turned on.

Be aware that the pre-mist will not fire when the toilet seat itself is lifted. Putting the seat down should activate the pre-mist. The pre-mist can't fire until 90 seconds after the after-mist fires as well. If your family just got back from a road trip and everyone needs to use the bathroom, for example, you'll need to give the toilet a 90-second break between visitors in order for the pre-mist to work.

If your toilet randomly shoots a pre-mist, something is probably tripping the sensor. Sometimes, the Toto can detect movement outside the bathroom, even through a wall or closed door. If this happens frequently when the cat walks by or other motion is detected, you may want to turn off the auto bowl-clean feature.

Some Toto Washlets are both the bidet toilet seat and an integrated toilet. These may be fancy, but at the end of the day, it's still a toilet, and sometimes, toilets leak. If you're noticing water around the unit, check all the connections and tighten them by hand. The manufacturer makes it very clear that you should not use a tool to tighten any of these connections. If hand-tightening doesn't do it, turn off the water and call for service.