Closet flange clocked wrong.

[Nwroofer]

My upstairs toilet started to leak. So I found the opportunity to get a toto drake. Today I pulled the old toilet and found it lag bolted down. The lag bolts where holding well, Why was it lag bolted? The builder of this house clocked the abs closet flange so the wide part of the slot is where the bolts need to be. How should I set my new Drake? Lag bolts seem hokey. Is there a good remedy for this problem?

 

[Terry]

Just pick up a red repair ring to hold the closet bolts.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[WJcandee]

Why was it lag bolted?

Because people do amazingly, um, "creative" stuff with their plumbing more often than you'd think. It's stupid. I would follow Terry's recommendation.

Congratulations on your Drake! You will love it. We have two and they still amaze us.

 

[Reach4]

What is the big deal with the choice of fastener? A lag bolt is a big wood screw-- maybe only a 1/4 inch dia.

The positioning was faulty, but what is hokey about 1/4 lag bolts? It's not as if you said he used 1/2 inch lag bolts... now that would have been hokey.

 

[WJcandee]

I had the impression that, rather than mounting the toilet on the flange and using closet bolts properly inserted into the flange, with the head of the bolt in the flange and the nut on the toilet, the toilet was installed by using lag-bolts drilled-through and with the head on top holding down the toilet. Maybe I misunderstood. Regardless, it's easy enough to apply a repair ring and do it right.

 

[Nwroofer]

The toilet was lag bolted to me that is wrong. I think I can remove the wall boards rough cut paneling. But the repair ring would also work. I do worry about the flange getting to high though.

 

[Reach4]

I had the impression that, rather than mounting the toilet on the flange and using closet bolts properly inserted into the flange, with the head of the bolt in the flange and the nut on the toilet, the toilet was installed by using lag-bolts drilled-through and with the head on top holding down the toilet. Maybe I misunderstood. Regardless, it's easy enough to apply a repair ring and do it right.

I guess you were right. I had thought that "Today I pulled the old toilet and found it lag bolted down" implied that the lag bolts were totally under the toilet, and therefore being used to tie the closet flange to the floor.

 

[Jadnashua]

YOu could put the new one down in the same way...it just makes it a bit harder getting it aligned properly - it's easier when you have the bolts sticking up, acting like the guides that they should be. But, you could use what is called a hanger bolt - a wood screw on the bottom, and a normal bolt thread on the top. Those would stick up and be a proper guide. Not sure if you can get them in SS or solid brass, but if you could, that would be easy.