I've watched several videos of others attempting this and they range from torching it to melt the lead loose(do not want to do this), to drilling holes in the lead and then putting a reciprocating saw in to cut around it, to cutting the pipe underneath and attaching a pvc connector and then new flange. A broken cast iron flange can be a pain to fix properly. After this is done, you can now remove the bolts that connect the toilet bowl from the flange. I didn't think of that but I feel like it would take a thousand wheels and countless hours. I used my wrench and instead it loosen the hold down bolt, or closet bolts whatever they are called, so what do I do? Using a putty knife, scrape away the old wax from the toilet flange and from the bottom of the toilet. Remove cast iron toilet flanges and replace with plastic ones. You shouldn't use one if the flange is at or above floor level, or the toilet could rock. There are many reasons why it might be necessary to remove an old toilet flange and replace it. Once you have unbolted the toilet from the flange, your next step is to clean it to remove the wax by using a putty knife and discarding it on a piece of old newspaper. How do you remove an old rusted toilet flange [ 11 Answers ] When removing the toilet to replace the wax ring, we noticed that the metal flange was all rusted, and the screws holding it down were rusted out, so now we do not know how to take it off without doing too much damage. The reason being is because the toilet recesses into the flange when fully installed, but when the flange sits even or below the floor, the toilet can’t properly recess into the flange. Iam changing my toilet b/c is not working right. We bought a Toto Ultramax II Toilet and ran into two problems. Remove the Toilet Tank . Toilet flange repair is one of those things…you don’t know you need it until you see a leak or see the flange when replacing a toilet. Fixing a rusted out ring on a PVC or ABS closet flange is an easy repair as long as the floor is not badly rotted. Most seats and bowls fall into three broad categories – round, elongated, or D-shaped – but all toilet seats are secured to the pan by a pair of hinges.The hinges are always at the back of the toilet seat and are sometimes covered with plastic caps for both safety and beauty. Remove any extension rings and leave the cast iron uncovered. We noticed that the flange does not sit on the pipe, it is off centered, due to the idiots who built our house running the pipes too close to the joist. Does that change your opinion? there are little grooves on the sides, and that is where the original toilet was mis-mounted. 3. It's not oriented correctly as the slots for the bolts are on the front and back instead of the sides. The other one held fine. How to Remove & Replace a PVC Closet Flange. Is this a relatively simple task which a skilled handyman can do or should I use a qualified plumber? Note: If the flange is cemented on PVC pipe, you may have to use a pipe cutter to remove the flange. Our toilet flange is cracked where it holds the bolt for the toilet. It's because the flange sits too high(more so on the left than the right) I feel like if I can remove this one I can get it to set more flush and even. 2. Closed-loop: Some toilet flappers may come with a closed loop. I decided to replace an old wobbly toilet in my main level half bath and discovered the reason for the wobble. Dremel to the inside of the pipe with a cutting wheel? Privacy Policy. Or just buy a suitable extra nut for each bolt. JACUSTOMER-ttvd4r0f- : no i have removed the screws, the rusty debris and it is setting free from the floor. Step 6 . It can be a plastic or metal fitting mounted on the drain pipe and is attached to the toilet. The bolts came with a high-end Kohler toilet. 3. After the toilet’s removed, inspect the closet flange. This is why the old school plumbers set toilets on top of a plaster/mud base. Here, you will find a step-to-step guide to succeed in fixing a toilet plunge problem. You can also use detergent to wash it thoroughly and wipe the remaining wax on the flange with a towel. The old one is cracked and can not be repaired according a plumbing supply store. This toilet flange is designed to glue on the inside of the pipe or expand inside the pipe. If you need to remove a broken, rusted, or separated toilet flange, or want to remove a seemingly impossible female pipe fitting, having the right tool for the job makes the task a whole lot easier. If not, maybe put new/extra anchors that bolt the toilet to the floor and not just the flange. Here is the most important part of the toilet installation. 3. Toilet Flange Sizes 3″ Toilet Flanges Click image for more info. Remove the bolts holding down your toilet, and then pull the toilet straight up to take it out. How to Get a Toilet With a Stuck Bolt Off the Floor. Now, gently lift your toilet and make sure it stays level and matches the bolt holes. The flange appears to be leaded to If you can’t lift the toilet on your own, we suggest getting help from a neighbor or other members of your household. That extra pipe can be ground or cut off or simply peened over with a hammer. Turn your toilet sideways to find the round opening where it sits on top of the flange. Throw the old wax into a bucket lined with a … It's not fastened to the floor. Leaks from the toilet are highly unpleasant things in both smell and appearance. 2. It's pretty level. If your flange sits even or below the floor, then it’s wrong. Find the old wax ring that sticks the base of the toilet to the floor and remove it. A damaged toilet flange will result in leaks. Won't the toilet now sit on the nuts instead of flush (no pun inteaded) on the flange? This will also require me cut around the tile. Tried getting the old flange out, but I think it was installed with primer. The pipe will stick up a half inch or so thru the middle of the flange reflecting the depth of the tile removed so the flange will sit flush against the subfloor. it says to remove the old ring, slide the pieces under and into the slot and fasten to the floor. Install the new toilet and grout the base. Anyone know of the proper way to do this? 2. Use the putty knife to remove the old wax that was used to seal the toilet with the flange. I decided to replace an old wobbly toilet in my main level half bath and discovered the reason for the wobble. The flange holds the base of your raised toilet to the main drain. Removing a toilet is a relatively simple project that most DIYers can tackle either alone or with a helper. However, the process isn’t easy and requires you to be very dedicated. asked by: Sergio. Flush the toilet, then remove the toilet tank lid and and use a sponge to bail out any remaining water in the bottom of the tank. It may be an old steel or iron flange - there is a little rust there also. When you remove a toilet and discover the steel ring on a PVC or, ABS closet flange has rusted out, your easy job of resetting a toilet has just gotten more difficult. If you have to remove your toilet to fix a leak or replace it, one of the easiest parts of the job is removing the caps covering the bolts that hold the toilet to the flange. You may want to replace the flange, but it probably isn't the reason it is wobbling. Using channel-type pliers or an adjustable wrench, disconnect the water supply tube from the tailpiece on the toilet fill valve. If the seal is rubber, it should be simple to remove. Put your new wax seal so it surrounds the mouth. From what I can see, the flange is brass. You’ll have to remove your toilet anyway if you have a water leak under the bowl. Most times the cast iron flange is so thick that the split-type repair flanges are too thin to make an impact, and the full-sized spanner flanges are near impossible to install because cast iron is not easy to drill into. You have a great toilet flange there. Also the flange on mine goes on the outside of my drain pipe so putting a hole saw on the inside of my drain pipe wouldn't do anything. Step four. Once you remove the flange, trim the tile and reinstall the flange you can resolder the flange to the pipe. The flange needs to be solidly attached to the subflooring, and then when setting the toilet with wax, you must first shim the toilet so it won't rock, then remove, then set … However, with the right tools and clear instructions, there's no reason you can't remove a toilet or replace it on your own if the toilet cannot be repaired.. Tools & Supplies 1. I usually just use the Oatey wax ring with the horn. To remove a toilet water fill valve you must first turn off the water line to the toilet and then flush the toilet. 2. You need to remove the flange … The good news is toilet flange is replaceable. 1. The existing flange is glued to a 4" pvc pipe. Detach the toilet. Long story short I'm going to be replacing this flange. Now that you have removed the broken flange, you can now replace it with a new one. First the rough in is 11 1/4 inches, so to fix that problem we will buy another toilet with 10 inch rough in. i just don't understand why the replacement brass ring doesn't hold the bolt heads in place without having to put an extra set of nuts on the end. I have PVC toilet drain with a PVC flange on top. Renovation plans that call for new bathroom flooring or a toilet fixture require removal of the old toilet. If the flange is flush with the finish floor, a regular ring will usually work. You also want to make sure the toilet sits level and does not rock on the floor, as this can compromise the seal. At that point shake the toilet until the point that it relaxes up the wax seal that holds it to the flange. The flange is a Sioux Chief single piece ABS plastic. I'm not sure what is the best way to do it. I added a couple pic from under. A place where people can come to learn and share their experiences of doing, building and fixing things on their own. The only way to know if you need this repair is to remove your toilet. No need to replace. The best toilet flange is made of hard plastic or metallic alloys. Shut off the water to the toilet, disconnect the supply hose from the toilet tanks and unbolt the toilet from the floor with a wrench. You need to remove the flange … Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. If it isn't, then you will have to cut away the old flange. Went to install a new toilet on this tile job and one of the bolts in the flange was spining. http://i.imgur.com/mlrHPen.jpg http://i.imgur.com/aOyoAC5.jpg http://i.imgur.com/rEiReRo.jpg. Copyright © 2021 Rooter Guard. The part of the toilet flange that holds the toilet is a metal or plastic ring with two bolt tracks positioned opposite each other. Toilet Flange Removal Tool. However, adulterated aluminum toilet flanges are still considered a good choice as a long-lasting, solid flange. Thanks for your comments though! If you do not have the replacement and have to get a new one, you can measure the diameter of the pipe or better yet, take a picture of the flange using your smartphone and bring it with you to the hardware store. Clean both up REALLY REALLY well using sandpaper and a solvent to remove the wax and turd remnants and then use plenty of flux before attempting to resolder. And in cases where you only need to replace the flange collar, you can opt for a repair ring to solve the problem. Turn the knob behind the toilet clockwise to turn off the water. There also were only 4 screws into the sub-floor, 3 on one side, and 1 on the other side. This is very important. Toilet removal might sound like a challenging task – even for a DIY plumber who has tackled numerous at-home jobs in the past. Flush the toilet repeatedly until the tank and toilet bowl are both empty. You need to remove the flange and start from scratch. Removing it is warranted if water is leaking from the bottom of the toilet and flooding the bathroom floor or if you need to replace the toilet bowl with a new one. If you can’t cure a rocking toilet by tightening the flange bolts, it may be that the PVC plastic closet flange is unable to hold down the toilet. Real solid brass or stainless is what you want. If you can’t cure a rocking toilet by tightening the flange bolts, it may be that the PVC plastic closet flange is unable to hold down the toilet. Can't see if they used screws to attach it, and, it looks like the subflooring hole was cut way too big. It appears to me (not a plumber) that the flange was installed incorrectly. It’s relatively easy to confirm that a flange seal is causing your RV toilet to leak on the floor: A three-inch toilet flange has a bottom and top that are exactly three inches wide. Instead, I was told to replace the flange. Can't tell for sure, but that gasket looks awfully thick or your bolts are short. It also stabilizes the existing flange. Toilet removal might sound like a challenging task – even for a DIY plumber who has tackled numerous at-home jobs in the past. Wipe down the flange and surrounding area with a mixture of household bleach and water or use a disinfectant cleaning solution. However, with the right tools and clear instructions, there's no reason you can't remove a toilet or replace it on your own if the toilet cannot be repaired.. Tools & Supplies First, turn off the water supply to the toilet. Set the Toilet. bad water valve, bad seals, etc.) I was told to cut off the flange face and then try to remove the glued piece by sawing it off in sections and then prying it out. If it's wax, use a putty knife to scrape it up. I just brought a condo. http://i.imgur.com/U7xdGQ1.jpg http://i.imgur.com/huQTWmG.jpg, Edit: pictures from underneath http://i.imgur.com/z9xhRaW.jpg http://i.imgur.com/FqkQ1WJ.jpg, Edit: so I cut the pipe at the back end of the elbow and put a flexible coupling elbow in with a new pvc flange. And it looked like a pain to do and took the guy forever and it was just a demo on a mock flange and pipe. The flange holds the base of your raised toilet to the main drain. If the flange has broken pieces, you can use a spanner flange to fix it. As this is being done, the rubber seal on the flange will secure the new toilet flange. Remove the Old Wax Ring Scrape away the old wax from the toilet flange and the bottom of the toilet with a putty knife. Do not forget to clean the bottom part of the bowl as well as the bathroom floor as this can be messy. Once you have unbolted the toilet from the flange, your next step is to clean it to remove the wax by using a putty knife and discarding it on a piece of old newspaper. Plumbing and Piping - Cast Iron Toilet Flange Question - Hello all, I would like to remove the existing cast iron toilet flange to aid in installing the 3/4 plywood. This will prevent water from leaking. A repair ring is designed to fit the collar and is made of thin metal. When you are replacing a toilet or resetting an existing toilet after a repair, there are a few key things to check to ensure a good seal and prevent leaks. We noticed that the flange does not sit on the pipe, it is off centered, due to the idiots who built our house running the pipes too close to the joist. Once you remove the flange, trim the tile and reinstall the flange you can resolder the flange to the pipe. With the right tools and parts plus a procedure that is easy to follow, you can fix a toilet flange problem. It appears to me (not a plumber) that the flange was installed incorrectly. If you can’t get one that’s extra-thick, you can use two wax rings, one on top of the other. I can't think of a way to do this, but thought I'd ask you plumbing experts before taking out the shelving unit and removing the toilet. It will be rock solid if the new toilet is grouted. If you have removed the arm towards the left, then remove … Step five. Save yourself some time and frustration with this ingenious, effective pipe fitting removal tool and make short work of a normally challenging process. Besides that hassle of removing it and replacing the wax ring, my wife has a shelf unit that would have to come out to let the toilet come out. Step 7 . The operation may not look easy because the caps have no handles, aren't easy to grip and clearly won't come off by themselves. If you need to replace an old toilet, repair a toilet flange or install new bathroom flooring, you’ll need to know how to remove a toilet. The operation may not look easy because the caps have no handles, aren't easy to grip and clearly won't come off by themselves. Yes the old flange needed replacement. It's not oriented correctly as the slots for the bolts are on the front and back instead of the sides. If you're lucky, the drain pipe is copper, not cast iron and the flange is merely soldered to the pipe. Went and got a 5/16 bolt, but the T-flange was still too short and it would spin. If you have to remove your toilet to fix a leak or replace it, one of the easiest parts of the job is removing the caps covering the bolts that hold the toilet to the flange. This guide will give you step-by-step instructions on how to remove a toilet. But if it’s below the level of the floor, you’ll need a thicker ring. The flange cracked where the toilet boolts attatch. Cut out the rotten sub floor, can now see that the flange went directly into what I think is called a sanitary tee. If your toilet rocks or moves too much, then this could quite easily cause damage to the toilet flange, resulting in a replacement being required. When removing the toilet to replace the wax ring, we noticed that the metal flange was all rusted, and the screws holding it down were rusted out, so now we do not know how to take it off without doing too much damage. Ensure that you have a flange of the same size, and shape with the old one. 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