Do I need an offset replacement flange?

[Annie900]

Hello,

I'm a first-time home owner/DIY-er, and my bathroom remodel includes a new toilet and tile floor. My old flange was cast iron and was pretty rough, so now I have a 4" (ID) pipe that is flush to the tile thinset.

I'm planning on purchasing a PVC insert flange, but I'm not sure if I need a regular one or an offset one- the center of the pipe is 11" from the wall and the replacement toilet has a 12" rough-in. I've enclosed a picture.

Thanks!
Annie

P.S. Please excuse the mess, I'm cutting tile today, it will look better when I've finished!

 

[Gary Swart]

Offset flanges are generally avoided because they can cause problems. Rough-in sizes are very imprecise. Some toilets labeled 12" may only require 11" or even a little less. It's crazy, but that's the way of it. For example, I have 2 Toto toilets that are set on flanges that set exactly 12" from the wall. They each have at least 2" between the wall and tank line which is the closest point. I believe this type of variance exists with all brands, but the variance is by model of toilet, not brand. If you set you toilet on the floor and push it until it touches the wall, you can then measure from the wall to the center of the flange bolt holes. That will be your true minimum distance. You may be OK. If is too tight, you could use one of the Toto toilets that use the Unifit adapter. A 10" adapter would definitely work. There are just 3 models of toilets that use this adapter, and Toto is the only company than makes anything like this. Your new flange should have a stainless steel ring and not be 100% PVC.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

Some 12" rough toilets work at 11"

If you have a 4" ID drain, then you can even move the bolts out to 11.5" or 11.25" and have it a bit farther from the wall.
There is no need for an offset there.

If the toilet you have needs more, I would rather you not use it.
There aren't many toilets that work well when they are used with an "offset flange".

If you had less then 11", then the Unifit would make sense, but we drop bowls on 11" all the time.

 

[Annie900]

Wonderful, thank you so much!

By the way, I've become handy enough with plumbing that when I hired someone to come in and make sure everything was done properly with my new tub and sink, he wrote on the bottom of the bill, "Great job Annie!". I credited the Terry Love forums as the source of a lot of my info. This website is fantastic, and we home DIY-ers thank you for providing it!

Annie