How do I get this flange off?

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RobInMaine

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My new-to-me house had a leaking toilet. I pulled all the rotted subflooring and now need to replace it. Is there some trick to getting a toilet flange off so I can lay the subfloor around the pipe? The new finish floor will be higher than the old floor, so the flange would also have to be raised a bit. Thank you in advance. The pipe appears to be copper and the flange brass or??

 

hj

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You heat it with a torch until the solder melts, then pull it off. BUT, you will not likely find a longer flange, so you may have to extend the copper riser with a coupling and piece of pipe, or a new pipe into the elbow.
 

RobInMaine

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You heat it with a torch until the solder melts, then pull it off. BUT, you will not likely find a longer flange, so you may have to extend the copper riser with a coupling and piece of pipe, or a new pipe into the elbow.
I've spent about 20 minutes trying to heat the pipe and all I have to show for it a half-empty bottle of propane and a few drips of solder. I think I need a bigger torch.....or a hacksaw....
 

Gary Swart

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Since you will have to raise the flange anyway, why not cut the pipe off about 3" above the elbow. Then you can solder a coupler to that stub and the flange into the new coupler. A 4" joint is pretty hard to unsolder with a DIY torch. Problem is, you have compromised the joint already, so you may end up hiring a plumber to do this.
 

hj

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YOU need a bigger torch and you have to keep the flame moving around the flange so the whole thing gets hot. It will work better if you heat the joint from inside the pipe.
 

Hackney plumbing

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Use two torches one on each side and move them around. You could pay a plumber cheaper than buying a torch designed to solder 3" copper.
 
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