Please HELP! Toilet does not fit!

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Rsmith99

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I just finished tiling my bathroom. I raised the toilet flange so it would set on top of the tile. The bottom of the flange is setting flat on the tile but the ring is barely 1/8 above the floor.

I purchased a new Toto Gwyneth stool. Today I tried to set it in place and it rocks. It appears to be less than 1/8 off.

I did some measuring, and the top (plastic part where the horn enters) of the flange is 1/2" above the floor. Then I measured the horn on the stool. It is about 9/16 deep. Depending on my floor and the bottom of the stool there is zero room for a ring of any kind. Even if I pulled everything out, made the hole bigger so the metal ring sat on the floor, I would still only have about 1/8" for a wax ring. What am I doing wrong?
 

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Cass

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Sorry but the ring is supposed to be flat on the floor and screwed down which yours doesn't appear to be...you only need 1/8" of wax to do the job...
 
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Rsmith99

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New toilet doesn't fit

So, there is no way to use a waxless ring on a properly installed toilet flange? The waxless toilet flanges, (I've got both) need about 1/4" extra space to fit between the top of the flange and the bottom of the toilet.
 

GabeS

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I usually set those flanges slightly recessed. I know they say to set the bottom of the flange flush with the top of the tile, and I did that once and ended up with the same problem you have.

I learned that it's a lot easier to raise a low flange that to lower a high one. I added an additional layer of tile over mine with a border only around the toilet area to raise the height of the finished floor. There may be a way to lower the flange but I don't know. It looks already glued. Maybe someone else has a method or solution. I will try and attach a pic of what I did. It's a rental apartment, so I didn't care as much as you probably do, but I think it still looks great.

Okay, anybody know how to attach a pic?:eek:

While I'm at it, how do you put someone's quote in that blue box when you are citing what they said?
 

Cookie

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Gabe, to quote, very simply click on " quote" when you are going to post. Then type your message.

To do a picture, look where it says, " manage attachments" and click on that, directions will follow. Good luck to you.
 

GabeS

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Gabe, to quote, very simply click on " quote" when you are going to post. Then type your message.

To do a picture, look where it says, " manage attachments" and click on that, directions will follow. Good luck to you.

Like this. :)

That's the extra tile I put under the toilet when I realized the flange was too high. I used bullnose tiles on the edges.
 

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Dunbar Plumbing

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Industry standard is the flange is to be set on top the finished floor surfacet to which the flange thickness is 3/8" to 7/16" of an inch.


I have noticed that the Champion 4 toilet by American Standard is extremely shallow underneath that footprint of the bowl. I don't like that and it causes problems in that design.
 

Verdeboy

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Use the thinnest wax ring you can find, without the horn, and get someone heavy to sit on that sucker when you are setting it. The wax should smush down. If it is still a bit wobbly after tightening down the bolts, shim it and caulk it.
 

GabeS

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Industry standard is the flange is to be set on top the finished floor surfacet to which the flange thickness is 3/8" to 7/16" of an inch.


I have noticed that the Champion 4 toilet by American Standard is extremely shallow underneath that footprint of the bowl. I don't like that and it causes problems in that design.

Are you talking about the toilet you see in my pic? That was a cast iron flange with a thickness I believe of 7/16 ths. If I bought a different toilet do you think it would have sat flush with the floor?

How do you quote only a portion of a post?
 

theplumber

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^My first thought would be to follow Verdeboy's suggestion. Not all toilets are formed perfectly. Individual imperfections can lead to the problem you are having, not just how you plumbed the flange in.
 

Jar546

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The photo in post #7 does not meet the minimum requirements for fixture clearance. National standard minimums require the width of the water closet space to be 30" minimum and at least 15" from the centerline of the fixture to the finished wall.

Toilet%20Rough%20In.jpg
 

GabeS

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Good point jar. I'll move it over first thing tomorrow morning. Nice chart. What program did you use, powerpoint?
 

Rsmith99

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The toilet is also not flat

I didn't mention the other problem. The toilet wobbles a little. I layed a piece of 4/4 plywood across the bottome of the toilet and it wobbles. I can turn the plywood any direction and I get the same result. I used the plywood to check the floor before I put the flange on. The plywood did not wobble on the floor.

I figures a Toto would be built better than that. Why do they cost 2 or 3 times what a cheap toilet costs if they are not made any better?

Should I take it back and try another one?


The picture of the extra tile under the toilet looks good! You did a nice job. Did you just lay tile on top of tile?
 
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GabeS

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Yes. I waited for the original tile to dry overnight and then layed new tile over it with a good quality thinset. If this is your house that you are going to live in, I probably wouldn't do what I did in the pic.

Put a straight edge on the bottom of the toilet to see if it's really warped or not. Use a large framing square. If it's warped then return it. Ask around if they make toilets with deeper rings underneath. Just throwing ideas out there for you. I know what you are feeling right now because I've been there.

:eek:
 

GabeS

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Nah, Jar was just busting my chops because he didn't like the fact that I disagreed with him on a different thread.
 

Kingsotall

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Well, he is right. He is like the good conscience on this site. Not gonna name who the bad conscience is! Maybe for for fun we could get a thread going with a poll.
 

Rsmith99

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Checked the clearance again

I put three balls of plumbers putty on the flange and set the stool down over it. When I tok it off the putty was compressed down to between 1/8" and 3/16".

Is this enough for a wax ring to hold. I don't want to have to pull it again.

Also, I remember once using a two part epoxy that looked like clay to level a toilet. I put a thin rope of the epoxy on the edge of the low side of the toilet. I put wax paper on the floor so it wouldn't stick. When it was dry I lifted it up and took the wax paper out. Then set the toilet.

I guess I could do the same thing this time to add 1/8 inch all around the toilet.
 
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