My roughin for my basement washroom has my toilet sweep 90 elbow sitting 1 and 1/2 inches above the cement slab. I have purchased a toilet flange that fits inside the elbow but even if I cut this and the elbow down the flange would sit about an inch above the floor. Are there any recomendations as to getting my toilet flange resting on the finished floor? The elbow is abs or pvc (i'm not sure). I'm finishing the floor in ceramic so that will get me up 1/2 inches with thinset. I would rather not go much higher as the room entering it will be laminate and I want to avoid the drastic transition (i.e. around an 1 inch).
Sweep Elbow Too High
- Thread starter fkuzniar
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Mike Swearingen
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It it's black plastic, it's ABS. White plastic, PVC.
To get it right, you'e going to have to chisel out around it and cut it off (or you may be able to cut it off from around the inside with a Dremel tool) to where the flange fits into it and sits flush on top of the finished floor with only the thickness of the flange above the finished floor level.
The flange should be bolted (Tapcons) to the floor, and the toilet should be leveled (with beveled plastic shims made for the purpose, if necessary).
Good luck!
Mike
To get it right, you'e going to have to chisel out around it and cut it off (or you may be able to cut it off from around the inside with a Dremel tool) to where the flange fits into it and sits flush on top of the finished floor with only the thickness of the flange above the finished floor level.
The flange should be bolted (Tapcons) to the floor, and the toilet should be leveled (with beveled plastic shims made for the purpose, if necessary).
Good luck!
Mike
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Sounds like it was installed wrong as the fitting should not be above the cement at all. If 1.5" is above the cement, that is the hub, and if you cut it off there will be nothing to glue to. You may not have any option but to go high enough to make it work. I think that will be your most cost effective way to go.
hj
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elbow
Who installed this fitting? If it was a plumber he should have know better and would have used a proper "closet bend" fitting which would not have had this problem, and he also would have provided an annular opening so the flange would fit over the pipe. At this stage, your best option is to break the floor and install the proper elbow.
Who installed this fitting? If it was a plumber he should have know better and would have used a proper "closet bend" fitting which would not have had this problem, and he also would have provided an annular opening so the flange would fit over the pipe. At this stage, your best option is to break the floor and install the proper elbow.
Thanks for the answers. Here is what I have tried so far. I have chiseled out the 3 inch pvc from the elbow. I've cut both the elbow (with Dremel and saw) and the flange so as to leave 1 and 1/4 inch above the cement floor. Though this leaves only 1/4 to 3/8 gluing service for the flange to elbow (I'm praying it does not leak). Tomorrow I will build up the floor 1/2 (with cement backer board and thinset). On top of this I will raise the toilet an additional 3/4 inch with exterior grade plywood cut to match the base of the toilet. The ceramic and thinset and ditra should leave only a 1/4 inch gap around the toilet which I will fill with caulk.
If this leaks the other approach I will try is to replace the 90 degree elbow (after removing toilet, plywood, backboard and breaking concrete) with a 45 degree flange (from CanPlastics) and a 45 degree elbow (that has one end that fits inside a fitting I'm not sure what you call it). This will have a distance of 1 and 1/2 inch heigth above the floor but will have more of a glueing service than the situation above.
If this leaks the other approach I will try is to replace the 90 degree elbow (after removing toilet, plywood, backboard and breaking concrete) with a 45 degree flange (from CanPlastics) and a 45 degree elbow (that has one end that fits inside a fitting I'm not sure what you call it). This will have a distance of 1 and 1/2 inch heigth above the floor but will have more of a glueing service than the situation above.
you would be much better off replacing the sweep elbow with a fitting closet bend. Then you can either glue a 4 flange over it or glue a 4x3 flange inside it. Here is a link to what the fitting looks like, it is fitting 330. Chip out the cement and change the elbow, you should be able to find the fitting at a supply house that carries PVC.
http://www.charlottepipe.com/Documents/DC_Plastics.pdf
http://www.charlottepipe.com/Documents/DC_Plastics.pdf
Gary Swart
In the Trades
There are probably several ways to cobble the job and make it work, at least for awhile. There's only one way to do it right. I know you're looking for alternative to redoing the plumbing, but that's the only right way and the only way that you can be assured of not having problems.
