Misplaced flange causing problems

I recently convinced a friend to buy a Toto Ultramax to replace her old American Standard toilet, based on info I read on this site. When I removed the old toilet, I saw a rather big mess (no not that). There was huge globs of wax, rust and scum/debris around the flange (more than usual anyway), and when I finally got everything cleared away, I realized I was not dealing with a standard toilet floor flange. The 4" cast iron drain pipe was set at approximately a 9" rough-in distance rather than 12", like in the other bathroom (for which I also recently replaced a toilet). Apparantly, the original plumber mismeasured, and since the flooring is a concrete slab, he decided it was too much trouble to break out a lot of concrete and replumb it the right way to a 12" rough-in distance. So he cut a big notch in the forward end of the cast iron pipe and cut out a little bit of the concrete slab in front of the notch...essentially making his own little short mini-canal from a toilet drain output to the main drain pipe. He then kluged on his own flange so that a standard 12" rough-in toilet can be installed. Am I making sense here? Surprisingly, according to my friend, she hasn't had any drainage or leakage problems with her old toilet with this crazy set-up, but I still don't like it, and hate the idea of putting an A+ toilet onto a D- drain. I halted the Toto installation until I could look into this more. I would like for the toilet to drain directly down like normal, but that's going to entail either MAJOR concrete removal, or cutting the backwall back by at least a couple of inches (not even sure that's possible yet). Anyone ever seen this before? I take it this is not a standard remedy for a misplaced flange? Are there any standard repair procedures for something like this, that doesn't entail major demo?

I suspose it's possible that the right 10" rough-in toilet MIGHT align with the drain hole, but that's going to entail shipping the Ultramax back to where it came from (ordered online)....a pain in the butt. I'd like to avoid that option, if possible.

description

Probably the biggest error in your description is calling the original installer a "plumber". Hack, handyman, incompetent, maybe, but plumber? Never, although it may be what he called himself. The only way to cure that is either moving the pipe or finding a toilet that can install on 9" and install a proper flange, which will still entail some concrete breaking.

Best thing to do is to do whatever is necessary to make a up to code connection with a 12" rough-in. You will have to break out some concrete anyway to install a proper flange, so do a little more and make it right. This is not the time nor place to do a hack patch job just to try to save a few dollars. I would suggest that a licensed plumber be hired to do this because at least part of this job is beyond the abilities of most DIYers.

If it was my house, I would make it right (largely because I would probably do it myself even if it took me a long time), but I think I would have a hard time trying to sell an expensive fix to her (whether by me or someone else), when I can't even promise that she would notice any improvement in flushing performance after all that expense and disruption. As it is, she complained a bit about spending so much on the toilet itself, when a cheaper one off the shelf can be bought at Home Depot. A proper fix would be several times the cost of the toilet.

Believe me, I'm with you guys, but I've more or less resigned myself to just trying to make a hokey situation a little less hokey. I promise I will pray to the Toilet Gods afterwards to ask for forgiveness (O Father Toto, please forgive me, for I have sinned...)

The problem you will have , and will continue to have, is finding a standard toilet to fit a 9" rough-in. This will come back to bite her in the butt eventually, its only a question of time