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Toilet waste pipe flange repair

georgep | Posted in Construction Techniques on December 22, 2013 04:08am

I have a toilet that is rocking that I’ve left for too long.  When I took it off I found that there was no flange under the waste pipe.  The pipe was held up with a few pieces of wood, most of had rotted.  Also, the tile on the left side of the pipe were set at an angle so that one edge is higher than the floor level,  

The subfloor is solid.  I am going to install a retrofit flange and reset the tile so that it is even with the floor.  When I do the repairs does the pipe have to be even with the top of the tile?  Is it ok to be a little higher or lower?  Is there anything else I should be aware of?  I did not plug the pipe for the pictures.  It is blocked now.

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  1. DanH | Dec 22, 2013 07:19pm | #1

    The top doesn't have to be exactly flush, but I don't recall the practical range.  To get an idea, though, you can set a yardstick across the bottom of the bowl and note how much space is between the stick and the toilet's horn.  You don't want the horn to hit the flange because the flange is too high.

    Within reason, being low is not a problem -- you can always use an extra-thick wax ring.

    By the way -- When you go to set the bowl it's worth it to do a couple of dry fits and see where the tile might be a smidgen high, causing the bowl to rock.  You can fairly easily grind down the tile (I used an abrasive blade in my multitool) where the bowl edge sits on it to eliminate the high spots and get a perfect, solid fit all around.

    Getting the bowl to be solid on the floor without a hint of rocking will make your repairs last much longer.

  2. User avater
    coonass | Dec 22, 2013 10:20pm | #2

    George,

    Shimming the toilet would be easier than grinding. It's done all the time.

    http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=toilet+shim&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=28642010247&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=718844966160142551&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3hvlg7hzpe_b

    KK

    1. DanH | Dec 22, 2013 11:14pm | #4

      Shimming leaves a gap, and the shims can move.  Plus, the usual problem is that there are a few high spots.  It makes more sense to lower a few high spots rather than raise the whole bowl.

  3. georgep | Dec 22, 2013 10:40pm | #3

    When you shim the base what do you do to hide the resulting space?

  4. User avater
    Mongo | Dec 23, 2013 12:37am | #5

    Check out Fernco

    George, when you go to reset the toilet, instead of a wax ring, go waxless. Wax rings are only good for one shot. With this, set it and it's good for however many times you need to pull and reset the toilet. It'll give you a better seal with a wayward flange elevation too.

    http://www.fernco.com/plumbing/wax-free-toilet-seal

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