Help Please! Broken toilet flange bolt! Wife is mad!

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michael mullin

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I needed to replace a wax ring, i noticed an odor and a bit of leaking. One of the screws/bolts was rotted and broke. I didnt realize it would be cast iron flange. I have looked around maybe a replacement ring or extender? But they need to be bolted to subfloor which I definitely can't get at with the tile right up to flange. I thought it
would be a simple wax ring repair and wife is mad!!
IMG_0505.JPG
 

Reach4

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Where is your broken bolt in your photo? 1:30 o-clock? 4 o-clock?

Your fix may involve a repair ring.
 
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Toolaholic

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with a small grinder cut out and remove Old cast Hub, and clean up good. Install new plastic hub .
 

JohnCT

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I had the same problem, only worse!! Here's what you need:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Oatey-Stainless-Steel-Flange/1000126903

Remove all the rotted out metal from under the PVC lip. Place the two piece replacement flange under the PVC lip and mark the tile with a pencil through the mounting holes, then remove the replacement flange for drilling the tile. Get a masonry bit a little larger than the screws you will use, and slowly and evenly drill through the tile using a water for lubricant. Don't go into the subfloor. You'll be surprised how easy a masonry bit goes through the tile. Just don't use too much pressure and make sure to keep water on it while drilling.

Reinstall the replacement flange and run the new screws through the flange into the sub floor.

Install new carriage bolts, wax ring, and drop that bowl right back.

This is far easier than it sounds.

Mine was worse because while the tile was cut and fitted close to the PVC flange, the subfloor was cut wrong so there was no subfloor on side of the flange to run the new screws. Fortunately, it was my lower bathroom so I was able to get a small piece of wood and screw it up into the subfloor from the basement. With this new wood added, I was able to run new screws from the top down.

John

EDIT: check out this video, see if this is what you're dealing with:



 
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Reach4

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There is more than one way.
My first thought is the Sioux Chief "Ringer."
886-mr.jpg

https://www.siouxchief.com/products/drainage/residential/closet-flanges/spacer-repair/ringer

Existing stud goes through one hole or slot. The other stud gets filed or ground down and replaced by a t-head closet bolt. A file will not take much time to take care of the stud. It is not worth buying an angle grinder just to do this grinding.

Then the ring is held down with screws. That may require drilling some cast iron. But maybe not. You could maybe use T-head 1/4 inch closet bolts into the existing slots in the cast iron

superior-tool-repair-clamps-21015-64_145.jpg

PASCO 21013 and Superior 21015 are repair rings with mounting tabs outside. But they also have screw holes inside the circle. Use whichever holes work easiest and best for you. To avoid or minimizing floor tile, you could maybe use the mounting holes in the ring part rather than just the holes in the tabs. Drilling ceramic tile is hard, but so is drilling cast iron. Drilling porcelain tile is really hard.
TOILET-FLANGE-BOLT-SET-NUTS-BOLTS-2-CD.jpg
 
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michael mullin

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Looking at your picture, I do NOT see a broken flange. you just need to clean it up and insert new bolts into the slots.

The picture is not facing forward, the good bolt is at 11:00 and the bad bolt is at 4:00, it just came apart, A rookie taking an off center picture. I would have to drill the bad bolt out?
 

michael mullin

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There is more than one way.
My first thought is the Sioux Chief "Ringer."
886-mr.jpg

https://www.siouxchief.com/products/drainage/residential/closet-flanges/spacer-repair/ringer

Existing stud goes through one hole or slot. The other stud gets filed or ground down and replaced by a t-head closet bolt. A file will not take much time to take care of the stud. It is not worth buying an angle grinder just to do this grinding.

Then the ring is held down with screws. That may require drilling some cast iron. But maybe not. You could maybe use T-head 1/4 inch closet bolts into the existing slots in the cast iron

superior-tool-repair-clamps-21015-64_145.jpg

PASCO 21013 and Superior 21015 are repair rings with mounting tabs outside. But they also have screw holes inside the circle. Use whichever holes work easiest and best for you. To avoid or minimizing floor tile, you could maybe use the mounting holes in the ring part rather than just the holes in the tabs. Drilling ceramic tile is hard, but so is drilling cast iron. Drilling porcelain tile is really hard.
TOILET-FLANGE-BOLT-SET-NUTS-BOLTS-2-CD.jpg

Thank you, so attach the replacement ring to the flange. What kind of drill and bolt would I use? Also I have seen the Pasco ring and the mounting screws are in the tabs. Did they drill into the tile? ANd you have to get through the tile and into the subfloor right? Thank You!
 

Reach4

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Thank you, so attach the replacement ring to the flange. What kind of drill and bolt would I use? Also I have seen the Pasco ring and the mounting screws are in the tabs. Did they drill into the tile? ANd you have to get through the tile and into the subfloor right? Thank You!
Both the Superior ring, pictured in black above, and the Pasco ring, have some holes in addition to the holes in the tab. You just have to counteract the lifting force on the new closet bolt, so you don't need to use all of the holes.

If you drill for the holes in the tabs, you would need clearance holes in tiles. What is below? You could screw into flooring. If that were too weak, you could access from below and screw into something else, or use through-bolts plus nuts and washers.

Another possibility is to drill out the old screw, and tap a new 1/4 or 5/16 threaded hole for a new stud. There are more possibilities. Another possiblity is to grind a slot into the side like you have at the 5:30 position. That grinding would be tricky I think, so I would not be thinking about that one as a best plan. Still, if you messed up or removed the small tile right there, you could maybe make that work.

I would buy a repair ring, place it over what you have, and see if you can get by with just t-bolts into the slots holding the repair ring down. Then cut off those fasteners above the nuts. Drilling cast iron is not supposed to be all that hard. So I am thinking maybe 1/4 inch or less, and then use some #8 deck screws through the clearance holes in the cast iron into the wood.

There is more than one right way. The toilet covers the work.
 
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michael mullin

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Both the Superior ring, pictured in black above, and the Pasco ring, have some holes in addition to the holes in the tab. You just have to counteract the lifting force on the new closet bolt, so you don't need to use all of the holes.

If you drill for the holes in the tabs, you would need clearance holes in tiles. What is below? You could screw into flooring. If that were too weak, you could access from below and screw into something else, or use through-bolts plus nuts and washers.

Another possibility is to drill out the old screw, and tap a new 5/16 threaded hole for a new stud. There are more possibilities. Another possiblity is to grind a slot into the side like you have at the 5:30 position. That grinding would be tricky I think, so I would not be thinking about that one as a best plan. Still, if you messed up or removed the small tile right there, you could maybe make that work.

I would buy a repair ring, place it over what you have, and see if you can get by with just t-bolts into the slots holding the repair ring down. Then cut off those fasteners above the nuts. Drilling cast iron is not supposed to be all that hard. So I am thinking maybe 1/4 inch or less, and then use some #8 deck screws through the clearance holes in the cast iron into the wood.

There is more than one right way. The toilet covers the work.[/QUOTE
 

Reach4

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Thanks for bearing with me a layman, very,, secure the ring to the flange using T bolts in the slots in the flange and grind them on top of nuts ,, then use existing stud and a closet bolt to secure toilet?
Sounds right. I am not a plumber.
 
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