Closet flange problem solving

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KristenJensen

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DIYer here. 1st time poster.

I pulled my toilet to replace the floor tile (& new toilet) on my 1955 homes concrete slab. Now, with the tile reinstalled, the flat repair split ring flange is barely level with the tile when pulled up by hand to its highest level. A plumber gave me the ring while doing a different job.

I’m thinking that I have a couple options, neither of which is likely right.

1. Use stainless steel washers under the repair flange to hold it elevated off the slab, then Tapcon the flange in place. But this would take a lot of washers (5 for each flange bolt, and 5 for each TapCon screw)

2. Fill in the small area with concrete, and maybe use toothpicks/Q-Tips/chopsticks/etc. to keep the area where those Tapcons will go relatively clear of the concrete to make the drilling easier. I don’t think that such a small amount of concrete won’t crack, but I just want to give the repair flange something to “sit” on.

I would also like to know if I can put the 2 flange bolts anywhere along the slot, or if they need to be positioned all the way at the end of the slots.

Finally, although I don’t need to, how do you all like to “break” through porcelain tile when the flange sits on tile and the 4 to 6 screws have to dig in? I’m worried the tile would split.

Thank you all for your answers, and I hope our communication helps someone else in the future. (I was looking at old posts that were just as relevant today as they were when you all wrote them YEARS ago.)


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Jadnashua

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While the flange is designed to sit on top of the finished flooring, there are millions of them out there that don't. Being flush with the finished floor is still doable without spending time to mess with it.

If the tile is properly installed, and you use the right tools, you should not crack the tile! But, if the new tile is not set yet, when cutting the tile for around the flange, use your wet saw or diamond cup on a grinder and make your slots so you don't have to drill through the tile. Porcelain can be nearly as hard as diamond. The safest way to cut holes in it once set is with a diamond core bit. While they cut slowly, they will work fine. The technique takes a little practice. Since most of them do not have a center guide bit, trying to get a circular cutter from walking all over the tile, you hold the drill at about a 45-degree angle and start to cut a notch with the edge. As that starts to get a little deeper, you gradually rotate the drill until it is vertical, and you're cutting around the whole hole. Another way that works is to drill a through hole in a scrap piece of wood, and place that hole where you want it in the tile, and then use that to keep the bit from walking around. You must keep the bit wet and you don't need much of any pressure...you're more grinding a hole verses drilling. If your hole is too small, and the threads of the bolt try to cut threads in the tile, you will crack it...your hole needs to be large enough so that the screw can pass through to the subfloor below, or if it's on a slab, make the hole through the tile large enough to clear the threads, then use the appropriate sized bit in the concrete for a tapcon, or an insert.

When the flange is level or recessed, depending on the toilet, a jumbo wax ring, or a wax ring with a funnel and a plain one can be stacked (the one with the funnel on top to help keep the lower one aligned).
 

Reach4

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I would also like to know if I can put the 2 flange bolts anywhere along the slot, or if they need to be positioned all the way at the end of the slots.
Anywhere on the narrower part of the slots.

I am curious how solid that white part is. The height of that above the floor is about the limit of how high you want that to go. With 1/2 inch, you will want to use wax and not a waxless seal.

If the white is firm enough, it would be OK for your repair ring to sit lower than the plastic. You want enough space to fit the t-head bolts into place, but that does not take much space. You can add a nut to hold the bolt upright while you are installing the toilet.

I agree that your type of repair ring is going to be the best for your situation.
 

Treeman

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If you Google "toilet flange extender" maybe there are some ideas there??

And, aren't some of the "no wax toilet seals" designed to work with low set flanges??

i.e. -
 
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KristenJensen

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Thank you all for your input. Since I had some other plumbing jobs that required soldering, I ended up having a plumber come over and take care of the rest of the toilet too. I'll let you know what he did. Also, I ended up not filling the space first as I had planned.

FYI, @Reach4 the white PVC was very solid in the concrete.

First, he installed a black plastic spacer (around 1/4" I think) on top of the metal flange. I used Tapcons to screw the flange to the ground. The toilets bolts didn't move after this, so I had to make sure they were aligned with the wall correctly first. He applied a bead of caulk to the bottom of the plastic extension ring first. He asked me if I wanted caulk around the base of the toilet, so I asked him what the local code required. He told me something about caulk being required anytime there was a chance of sewer gases escaping into a room (or something like that) and that it was up to me. I told him to caulk the perimeter, but to leave 6" open in the back. I read online some people do this to: 1.Make cleaning around the toilet quicker especially when men have bad aim, 2. allow you to know if there is ever a leak in the ring which would show out the back of the toilet.

One odd thing that happened after they shut the water off at the street is that hot water started filling the toilet. He said something to do with the pressure. There was also quite a bit of water that continued coming out of the water stubs under the sink every minute or so that they weren't prepared for.

I also asked him how many wraps with the teflon tape: 2.5

Anyway, I would just like to again say thank you to you all who shared your thoughts.
 

Treeman

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"when men have bad aim," always nice to have a woman's perspective, even when they are wrong, LOL. Thank you for sharing with us.

Reminds me of the quote my wife and women friends remind me of all the time:
"If a man is talking in the forest, and no woman is there to hear him, is he still wrong?"

Those problems after starting the water back up were interesting. Probably some kind of pressure surge problem, maybe? Glad you got everything taken care of. I sometimes let others complete the job just to get it done and relieve the worrying and information gathering. Good of you to be an informed homeowner and diyer.
 
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