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Plumbing Help Needed with Crooked Toilet Flange

frontiercc2 | Posted in General Discussion on December 31, 2009 04:56am

I recently reset a toilet that was rocking and in the process cracked the stool. Oops. Anyway- the problem I’m having is that the flange is not level. It is proud of the floor by about 3/8″ on one side and recessed on the opposite side for a total of about 1/2″ out of level over the width of the flange. This in turn causes the toilet to sit unevenly. The previous toilet was shimmed on one side with plastic shims, but began to wobble and since I BARELY torqued the bolt, I suspect stressed the porcelain. The flange is set into the concrete basement floor. My question is, what options might I have to fix the flange before setting a new toilet? I know one way is to break out the concrete, cut off the flange, replace and fix the concrete. What I’m looking for are any other options that might exist to fix this problem that would allow me to NOT break out the floor. I can work with the recessed side easily enough, it’s the side that is proud of the floor that is really causing issue. Can anyone help?

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  1. calvin | Dec 31, 2009 05:13pm | #1

    This is not the proper fix, and may not work for you.

    I once had to grind (with a belt sander "nose" and coarse grit belt) the bottom protrusion near the outlet of the toilet bottom a bit so it wouldn't hit the top of the flange.

    It worked and kept it from rocking.

  2. Shacko | Dec 31, 2009 05:15pm | #2

    You may have opions, but we need to know what the

    pipe is made of and the i.d.

    1. frontiercc2 | Dec 31, 2009 05:28pm | #4

      Thanks for the replies guys.

      I meant to include in the original post- PVC, 3" opening.

      For the side that's proud- I pulled a piece of the broken porcelain out and can see the flange touching the bottom of the stool- maybe a dfferent make / model would have a little more clearance which would make the crooked flange a non-issue?

  3. rdesigns | Dec 31, 2009 05:26pm | #3

    The tilted flange should not necessariy be a an obstacle to setting the new toilet successfully.

    First, set the new bowl in place without any wax ring to make sure that the high side of the flange does not contact the bowl. It shouldn't, because the outer edge of the bowl usually extends about 3/4" lower than the part of the bowl that contacts the wax ring.

    While the bowl is in place (without wax), shim the bowl to near level with plastic shims, and label them or arrange them so that you can replace them later in their respective positions.

    Next, decide if a normal wax ring (use the kind with a plastic funnel-shaped extension built in) will be enough to fill the gap on the low side of the flange. You will want to compress the wax by about 1/2" at least. If the one wax ring is not thick enough, use a plain wax ring (no plastic funnel, just a plain wax donut) to build up the thickness you need.

    Then, stick the wax ring(s) onto the bowl, and carefully set the bowl in place. You can see what you're doing by placing a small mirror against the back wall.

    Start carefully tightening the nuts on the toilet bolts, alternating left and right, and gradually tighten the bowl down onto the shims that you will have set back their places.

    The cracking of the bowl was probably not due to the tilted flange, but due to uneveness of the floor. (Assuming you did not over-torque the nuts.)

  4. danusan10 | Dec 31, 2009 06:28pm | #5

    grease or wax bottom of toilet. mix up some plaster of paris place large glob on low side. set toilet level snug flange bolts and walk away. let mixture harden off before use.

  5. DanH | Dec 31, 2009 08:50pm | #6

    I agree with rdesigns that the uneven flange, by itself, shouldn't have caused the bowl to crack. Any toilet should be able to handle a flange that's 3/8" proud, so long as there isn't too thick of a reenforcer in the wax ring.

    If a toilet rocks, tightening the bolts is not the way to fix it -- they should just be a hair more than finger tight. To prevent rocking you need to shim the toilet at any low spots in the floor (and to get the toilet reasonably level besides). Either use plastic shims, plaster of paris, or some sort of masonry product to level the floor where the toilet sits.

  6. User avater
    xxPaulCPxx | Jan 01, 2010 12:16pm | #7

    Toto has a new system that eliminates the need for a wax ring. It's a separate plastic piece that goes between the top of the trap and the flange. You attach the plastic parts to the flange first, you can see if you get a good seal, then you set the toilet on top of this new sealed plastic tube. It does not require that the flange be intact, as it will screw directly into the concrete instead of needing to be secured to the flange.

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