Cracket Closet Flange Repair Options

[PLee1980]

Cracked Closet Flange Repair Options

Hello everyone,

I pulled my toilet since I was having some sewer gas coming from the base. I expected to need to replace the wax ring, but upon further inspection, I see the closet flange ABC/PVC pipe is cracked near the ring. It appears the flange is butted up against the pipe (it goes right to an elbow) rather than actually sitting inside the pipe. There is a white plastic ring that looks to be on top the drain pipe itself, then some type of black sealant material (epoxy?), and then it appears the closet flange is sitting on top of that, embedded in the slab floor.

I am wondering what repair options I have? The crack is right near the top of the flange, so it doesn't seem to be a leak hazard. The crack is expanding when the toilet is tightened down.

Could I just fill it with epoxy and see if that holds?

Thanks for my advice you can offer.

 

[LLigetfa]

That ring is too low to begin with so the repair is easy. Just screw a new ring on top of the old one.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[PLee1980]

The existing flange is pretty much level with the finished floor, if anything 1/16" higher.

I tried screwing in an Oatey twist-n-set flange on top of the existing, with no wax ring on it, the toilet sits around 1/4" above the finished floor, so I don't think that will work??

I suppose another option would be to just caulk around the toilet, but I hate that!

 

[LLigetfa]

The existing flange is pretty much level with the finished floor, if anything 1/16" higher.

Then it is too low. THe bottom of the flange is supposed to rest ON TOP OF the finished floor, so it would be proud the thickness of the flange.
https://terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?51976-Toilet-flange-height

 

[PLee1980]

I thought I'd follow up with what I ended up doing.

I wasn't able to put a new flange on top of the old once since it was causing the toilet to sit off the finished floor. When I actually measured with a level, the old flange was actually sitting around 1/4" above the finished floor. But, based on your advice and other posts on the forum, I figured out I could just glue a new flange inside the existing 4" flange.

So I used a dremel to remove the lip of the old cracked flange and glued in a new one with a stainless ring. I put in a couple tapcons for good measure as well.

Seems to be working great. Thank you for the help!

 

[Gary Swart]

FWIW, toilets are supposed to be caulked around the base. Not to fill in a space, but to help anchor the toilet and provide a seal to prevent spilled water from getting under the it. As a point of reference, flanges are supposed to rest on top of the finished floor. After reflooring, often they end up being recessed, and that requires a thicker wax ring, two wax rings, or replacing the flange.