Closet Flange with remodel floor

Hi,

We're remodeling our bath and took it down to the studs. A dumb idea but its too late now. We replaced the floor with 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood. We kept the closet flange in place but did not make any efforts to secure the flange. I think this was really a dumb idea because the flange is essentially unsupported except by the cast iron pipe itself. We haven't put down the tile yet so there's still time to recover, I hope.

Should we cut away a piece of the new flooring and secure the flange? Hw should we support it? 2x4 braces?

Thanks
Tim

Cast iron is pretty robust. I'm more worried about the height of the flange. It is supposed to sit on TOP of the finished floor (no space under it). You can remove the flange, and then reinstall either it or a long thoat one at the proper height and supported by the floor.

yup, on top of the floor with a deep flange is the only way to go...........

Removing flange

Thank you for the info.

Can I safely remove the flange with just chisel and a hammer? How will I attach the new flange to the pipe?

Thanks!

Normally, yes. To put less stress on things, you could drill out the lead, pry it out, then remove the flange. Depending on the actual height of the pipe and the depth of the flange, you might be able to reuse it. It likely has a lead/oakum seal. If you don't have the tools, this is not something you'd want to replace yourself. There are plastic alternatives to lead, though.

A less desireable, but adequate solution is a flange that has a gasketed seal that gets compressed after slipping in the new flange. Depending on the type, there is either a screw slot(s) or allen screw(s) that clamp it in place. You need to screw this flange then to the subflooring through the finished floor. A leaded CI flange sometimes doesn't get screwed to the floor, but it should.